Review - Watch Me by Angela Clarke

Watch Me by Angela Clarke

Publisher: Avon (Harper Collins UK)

Release date: 12 January 2017

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: YOU HAVE SIX SECONDS TO READ THIS MESSAGE… The body of a 15-year-old is found hours after she sends a desperate message to her friends. It looks like suicide, until a second girl disappears. This time, the message is sent directly to the Metropolitan Police – and an officer’s younger sister is missing. DS Nasreen Cudmore and journalist Freddie Venton will stop at nothing to find her. But whoever’s behind the notes is playing a deadly game of hide and seek – and the clock is ticking. YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO SAVE THE GIRL’S LIFE. MAKE THEM COUNT.

Watch Me is another nail biting thriller in the Social Media series from Angela Clarke.This time the focus is on Snapchat rather than Twitter, and is equally as terrifying at identifying just how dangerous online usage of social media can be.

When the body of a 15 year old girl is found, along with a suicide message posted on Snapchat, the Met Police are sure it's just another teen suicide. But when another teen is reported missing (having posted a near identical snap chat  message) with connections to someone in the Met, the tables are suddenly turned.

For the Snapchat message is sent to everyone on the investigation of the previous victim. And this time, there's an additional message;

 'YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO SAVE THE GIRL’S LIFE. MAKE THEM COUNT'.

DS Nasreen Cudmore knows that there is only one person she can call upon to help the investigation. A civilian and her life long friend, Freddie Venton who has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of social media.

Freddie is at first reluctant to join forces with the Met again, she is still shaken from the last time, when they were hunting a serial killer via Twitter -  dubbed the hashtag murderer. At this point its's probably worth me mentioning that if you haven't read Follow Me, I wouldn't worry, as Watch Me can be read as a stand alone. However, it comes highly recommended and I do think that we get to see different sides of both Nas and Freddie in this novel.

But Freddie, being Freddie cannot resist the pull of helping out her childhood friend Nas, and bringing another sick criminal to justice.

Watch Me is an addictive novel that I raced through to find the killer's identity. I had absolutely no idea who it was going to be, I just enjoyed the pace of the story, as it came to its natural conclusion. I can't wait for book 3!

Watch Me is available now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

Review - Her Husband's Lover by Julia Crouch

Her Husband's Lover by Julia Crouch
Publisher: Headline
Release date: 26 January 2017
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: She stole her husband. Now she wants to take her life. After the horrors of the past, Louisa Williams is desperate to make a clean start. Her husband Sam is dead. Her children, too, are gone, victims of the car accident in which he died. Sam said that she would never get away from him. That he would hound her to death if she tried to leave. Louisa never thought that he would want to harm their children though. But then she never thought that he would betray her with a woman like Sophie. And now Sophie is determined to take all that Louisa has left. She wants to destroy her reputation and to take what she thinks is owed her - the life she would have had if Sam had lived. Her husband's lover wants to take her life. The only question is will Louisa let her?

Her Husband's Lover is the novel I've been waiting for since The Long Fall. I hadn't realised how much I had missed the intricate weaving of Julia's plots until I picked this up.

Louisa Williams is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband and two children in a car accident. She cannot face the harsh reality that she was losing Sam anyway to his pregnant girlfriend Sophie.

Louisa is a woman who is used to succeeding, so to be recuperating in a clinic is her worst nightmare. At least until the court hearing into the circumstances surrounding the horrific accident.

Former model and drug addict, Sophie, despises Louisa. She blames her for Sam's death and wants to see her suffer for taking away the man she loved. Determined to bring Louisa down, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Told from both of their perspectives; Louisa and Sophie are both ridiculously unreliable, and in turn you will despise and sympathise with both of them.

Her Husband's Lover is such a clever novel that leads you down one path, before turning you around, blindfolding you and whacking you over the head so that you think, don't be ridiculous, that did not just happen..

But trust me - it did.

Her Husband's Lover is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who sent me an advanced proof of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell

How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell
Publisher: Ebury Press
Release date: 2 February 2017
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: At the age of 15, Cat Marnell unknowingly set out to murder her life. After a privileged yet emotionally-starved childhood in Washington, she became hooked on ADHD medication provided by her psychiatrist father. This led to a dependence on Xanax and other prescription drugs at boarding school, and she experimented with cocaine, ecstasy-whatever came her way. By 26 she was a talented ‘doctor shopper’ who manipulated Upper East Side psychiatrists into giving her never-ending prescriptions; her life had become a twisted merry-go-round of parties and pills at night, and trying to hold down a high profile job at Condé Nast during the day. With a complete lack of self-pity and an honesty that is almost painful, Cat describes the crazed euphoria, terrifying comedowns and the horrendous guilt she feels lying to those who try to help her. Writing in a voice that is utterly magnetic-prompting comparisons to Bret Easton Ellis and Charles Bukowski–she captures something essential both about her generation and our times. Profoundly divisive and controversial, How to Murder Your Life is a unforgettable, charged account of a young female addict, so close to throwing her entire life away.

How to Murder Your Life is a brutally honest memoir. Not one for the faint hearted...

At the age of 15, Caitlin Marnell was a pupil at a prestigious boarding school. She had elected to send herself there in an attempt to improve her appalling grades, finding out by accident that taking prescription medication for ADHD helped her pass her classes with flying colours and grades her Father could be proud of.

Where's the problem with that? You might think, until you actually stop to consider it in a little more detail...

Because that very mundane prescription medication for ADHD, quickly began a downward spiral that saw Cat move from boarding school to college in New York via some very prestigious magazine publications.

It is from her prescribed medication for ADHD that Cat quickly becomes addicted to getting 'High' and is soon seeking alternative forms of 'recreational' drugs that will have devastating consequences on her life for years to come.

It's difficult to say too much without giving some of the content away. But this is an important book, and I urge you to read it.

How to Murder Your Life is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Review - Perfect Remains by Helen Fields

Perfect Remains by Helen Fields
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Release date: 26 January 2017
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: The first in a nail-shredding new crime series. Fans of M.J. Arlidge will be gripped from start to finish. On a remote Highland mountain, the body of Elaine Buxton is burning. All that will be left to identify the respected lawyer are her teeth and a fragment of clothing. In the concealed back room of a house in Edinburgh, the real Elaine Buxton screams into the darkness. Detective Inspector Luc Callanach has barely set foot in his new office when Elaine’s missing persons case is escalated to a murder investigation. Having left behind a promising career at Interpol, he’s eager to prove himself to his new team. But Edinburgh, he discovers, is a long way from Lyon, and Elaine’s killer has covered his tracks with meticulous care. It’s not long before another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep, and Callanach finds himself in a race against the clock. Or so he believes … The real fate of the women will prove more twisted than he could have ever imagined.

Perfect Remains is a novel that has a very dramatic opening. Now for me as a reader that means the novel could go one of two ways. The opening could be the best part of the book, and the rest a disappointment, or it could be the beginning of a brilliant novel.

Thankfully Perfect Remains falls into the latter category.

Detective Inspector Luc Callanach is a new face in Edinburgh, having left behind a job at Interpol and his life in Lyon to move to Scotland. Luc is handsome, enigmatic and determined to get justice for victims of any crime - I think I might be a little bit in love with him!

I digress...

Elaine Buxton is missing, feared dead when Luc joins the force in Scotland, quickly his investigation turns from missing person to murder when a body is found on a remote highland mountain.

DI Callanach is with his team and the body, when another woman is reported missing. Quickly they return to the City and set out to uncover what kind of depraved individual is terrorising the streets of Edinburgh.

But it takes another body and another missing woman to bring them anywhere near anyone resembling a suspect. And even then they have very little to work on. But they must work quickly to avoid yet another body.

Without giving anymore away, Perfect Remains is a rarity in crime novels as the reader learns the killers identity early in the novel, but this only adds to the tension in this particular novel.

Perfect Remains is the first in a series of DI Callanach books and I am so looking forward to the next in the series.

Perfect Remains is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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

Review - The Girl Before by JP Delaney

The Girl Before by JP Delaney
Publisher: Quercus
Release date: 26 January 2017
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: Enter the world of One Folgate Street and discover perfection . . . but can you pay the price? For all fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl comes this spellbinding Hitchcockian thriller which takes psychological suspense to the next level. Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the reader off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense, page-turning portrayal of psychological obsession.

The Girl Before is a psychological thriller with a difference, it has a house is one the pivotal characters. And trust me when I say, it's importance really is essential to the story.

One Folgate Street is not just any old house. 

It is a house that dreams are made of. Modern, smooth, sleek, minimalistic and architecturally perfect, why wouldn't you want to move in?

Emma certainly does. But with a long list of rules and expectations for prospective tenants from the landlord, prize wining architect and owner/creator of the unique house; Edward Monkford, her boyfriend Simon is not so sure.

Three years later Jane is looking for a new rental property after suffering a stillbirth, One Folgate Street is exactly what she is looking for to leave her old life behind and start a fresh chapter. Will she be so keen to live there when she finds out about the girl before, Emma?

Told in alternate chapters from both Emma (Before) and Jane's (Now) perspectives, their relationship with the house and it's owner is a complex web that needs untangling. It's hard to say anymore without giving too much away but this novel is very very clever and will keep you guessing throughout.

 

From other reviews I've seen this seems to be a 'Marmite Book', that you will either love or hate. For me (as with Marmite) it's love, with a very original story, and more twists and turns than your average roller coaster, this is a novel not to be missed. 

The Girl Before is available from 26 January 2016.

You can pre-order it now via 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 [Blog Tour] - Relativity by Antonia Hayes

Relativity by Antonia Hayes
Publisher: Corsair
Release date: 17 January 2017
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Ethan is an exceptionally gifted young boy, obsessed with physics and astronomy. His single mother Claire is fiercely protective of her brilliant, vulnerable son. But she can’t shield him forever from learning the truth about what happened to him when he was a baby; why Mark had to leave them all those years ago. Now age twelve, Ethan is increasingly curious about his past, especially his father’s absence in his life.  When he intercepts a letter to Claire from Mark, he opens a lifetime of feelings that, like gravity, will pull the three together again. Relativity is a tender and triumphant story about unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, and testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Relativity is a really beautiful debut novel, focusing on family relationships, life-long secrets, and above all forgiveness, with a dash of physcis thrown in for good measure.

Now I’m not one for all things science-y, especially not physics, it was my worst subject at all (I'm a literary girl what can I say...) but this was essential to the story, and added so much to it in my opinion.

Ethan Forsythe is a twelve year old boy, doing well in school, showing great promise with a love of all things scientific, particularly physics and astronomy. He lives with his Mum, Clare and is happy with his life, but sometimes he wonders where his Father is, and why he isn’t in their lives.

Ethan finds the answer to these questions in the worst way imaginable.

It seems that something terrible happened to him when he was a baby, and that his Father somehow was a part of that. Ethan refuses to believe that this is the reason his Father left and becomes determined to find out the real truth.

This is one of those novels which is impossible to say too much about for fear of giving anything away...

Told from the perspectives of Ethan, Clare and Mark (Ethan's Father), Relativity is a novel that will draw you into its characters lives and keep you there with therm until its conclusion.

    

Relativity is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Antonia Hayes, who grew up in Sydney and spent her twenties in Paris, currently lives in London with her husband and son. Relativity is her first novel.

 Follow the relativity blog tour today...

  Thank you to the publishers who invited me to take part in this blog tour and provided me with an advanced proof of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - the Vanishing by Sarah Tobin

The Vanishing by Sophia Tobin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: 12 January 2017
Rating:*** and a half 
Back cover blurb: On top of the Yorkshire Moors, in an isolated spot carved out of a barren landscape, lies White Windows, a house of shadows and secrets. Here lives Marcus Twentyman, a hard-drinking but sensitive man, and his sister, the brisk widow, Hester. When runaway Annaleigh first meets the Twentymans, their offer of employment and lodgings seems a blessing. Only later does she discover the truth. But by then she is already in the middle of a web of darkness and intrigue, where murder seems the only possible means of escape…

The Vanishing is an intriguing and enjoyable historical mystery centered around the secretive Marcus Twentyman.

Annaleigh Calvert is a foundling, an orphan, newly appointed as Housekeeper to the mysterious White Windows upon the Yorkshire Moors. Arriving from London having left her adoptive Father behind in pursuit of a career, Annaleigh struggles to make the transition from bustling London to quiet countryside.

White Windows is a residence steeped in mystery, intrigue and darkness. The previous housekeeper seems to have left under a cloud and Annaleigh is curious, particularly when the other staff are warning her not to ask questions and not to get too close to the Master, Marcus Twentyman.

At first Annaleigh is a little offended. Why should they question her virtue?

She has no intention of getting close to Marcus Twentyman at all. But as things around the house become more and more peculiar, Annaleigh develops a desire to leave. And she quickly realises that is not an easy thing to do...

Trapped at the mercy of the Twentyman's Annaleigh must decide her future for herself, does she risk her life by fleeing, or does she resign herself to a fate much worse than that by staying.

The Vanishing is a very clever novel that feeds you tiny bits of information at a time, until you are desperately wanting to know more. Separated into three parts, the tension of the novel builds to its dramatic conclusion. This is a novel for any historical fiction lover, you won't be disappointed.

The Vanishing is available now Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank you to the publishers who sent me an advanced proof copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: Harper Collins UK 
Release date: 26 January 2017 
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Don’t trust this book. Don’t trust this story. Don’t trust yourself. David and Adele seem like the ideal pair. He's a successful psychiatrist, she is his picture-perfect wife who adores him. But why is he so controlling? And why is she keeping things hidden? As Louise, David's new secretary, is drawn into their world, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong. But Louise can't guess how wrong – and how far someone might go to protect their marriage's secrets.

There's a reason that this novel has been branded with the hashtag #WTFthatending before its publication. When you get your hands on a copy you will understand why. I mean, seriously, WTF?!

Behind Her Eyes is SO much more than a psychological thriller. 

Although when you first start reading, it seems to be the standard toxic marriage, horrible unlikeable characters it soon becomes clear that there is something different about this book.

Louise meets David, a handsome stranger in a bar, and kisses him before she; has any idea that he is about to be her new boss; and before she realises he is married. Louise is a sensible woman, as a divorced single parent, she has to be. But David has awoken something deep inside of her that makes her throw caution to the wind and entangle herself up with him.

Then she meets Adele, David's beautiful wife, and wonders what on earth she is doing. What on earth is David doing? Adele is perfect for him. They are perfect together. Why on earth is he looking elsewhere?

Adele is lonely, with no friends to speak of, she doesn't know of Louise's connection to her husband and wants to be her friend. Louise is too nice of a person to deny Adele her friendship, but she realises that she is getting herself into something that is not going to be easy or pleasant to get back out of again.

Told from both Louise and Adele's perspectives, Behind Her Eyes is a novel that will have you tied up in knots. You will not know who to trust, who to believe, and at points, you will not have a clue what on earth is going on -  and it is brilliant!

Behind Her Eyes is available from 25 January 2017.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online.

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

Review - Rattle by Fiona Cummins

Rattle by Fiona Cummins

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release date: 26 January 2017

Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: A serial killer to chill your bones A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter. He has planned well. He leads two lives. In one he's just like anyone else. But in the other he is the caretaker of his family's macabre museum. Now the time has come to add to his collection. He is ready to feed his obsession, and he is on the hunt. Jakey Frith and Clara Foyle have something in common. They have what he needs. What begins is a terrifying cat-and-mouse game between the sinister collector, Jakey's father and Etta Fitzroy, a troubled detective investigating a spate of abductions. Set in London's Blackheath, Rattle by Fiona Cummins explores the seam of darkness that runs through us all; the struggle between light and shadow, redemption and revenge. It is a glimpse into the mind of a sinister psychopath. And it's also a story about not giving up hope when it seems that all hope is already lost.

Rattle is the outstanding debut novel by Fiona Cummins. It's only the third book I've read so far due to be published in 2017, but I predict this novel is going to be huge!

Rattle focuses on the depraved life of the villain (literally) that they call the Bone Collector, desperately being hunted by Detective Etta Fitzroy. Depicted as a psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lector, he is truly horrifying.

Clara Foyle and Jakey Frith have more than their young age and rare disorders in common. They are both being sought out by the Bone Collector as his next victims. Or as he would prefer, 'additions to his collection'.

For the Bone Collector's collection is quite something... but he will not rest until it is complete.

For Clara and Jakey, their already challenging life's are about to be turned upside down in away that no one could imagine. Fitzroy must use her already strong instincts about a previous case to lead her to the Bone Collector, and she will not rest until she sees him bought to justice.

I don't want to say too much more about Rattle, as it is a novel that you must discover for yourself!

Rattle has a dark and disturbing undertone throughout the novel, that leaves the reader constantly on edge. I can guarantee you won't want to put this one down. And, as much as I really don't want to meet the Bone Collector again, I am kind of hoping for a sequel...

Rattle is available from 26 January 2017.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online.

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

Review [blog tour] - The Dry by Jane Harper

The Dry by Jane Harper

Publisher: Little Brown 

Release date: 12 January 2017

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: I just can't understand how someone like him could do something like that. Amid the worst drought to ravage Australia in a century, it hasn't rained in small country town Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the community become unbearable when three members of the Hadler family are brutally murdered. Everyone thinks Luke Hadler, who committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son, is guilty. Policeman Aaron Falk returns to the town of his youth for the funeral of his childhood best friend, and is unwillingly drawn into the investigation. As questions mount and suspicion spreads through the town, Falk is forced to confront the community that rejected him twenty years earlier. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret, one which Luke's death threatens to unearth. And as Falk probes deeper into the killings, secrets from his past and why he left home bubble to the surface as he questions the truth of his friend's crime.

When Police officer Aaron Falk returns to his home town of Kiewarra for his best friends funeral, his intention is to return to Melbourne as soon as possible.

Luke Hadler appears to have murdered his family before turning the gun upon himself. But although they both had secrets in their past, Aaron is almost certain that Luke wouldn't have killed his family, even if he killed himself.

Rumours are rife through the town. Everyone is blaming the heat and drought for the tensions in the community, but Aaron knows it has always been this way. He himself was driven from the community as a teenager and no one is pleased to see him back.

That is except for Gretchen, a friend of both Luke and Aaron's. She wants Aaron to stick around for a while, help the locals cops with their investigation. Aaron is really a fraud investigating specialist, but when he meets the local cop in charge he sees that they could do with a hand.

He vows to stay no longer than a few days, but as they being the investigation it is clear that they won't be getting any clear answers for a while.

The Dry is a really clever novel, it keeps you on your toes through out and even when you think you have it sussed, something changes.

This is a fantastic debut, and I hope that there is more to come from this author.

The Dry is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Don't forget to check out today's other blog tour spots;

Review - Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff

Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff
Publisher:  Bloomsbury 
Release date: 9 February 2017 
Rating:  *** and a half 
Back cover blurb: Jonathan Trefoil’s boss is unhinged, his relationship baffling, and his apartment just the wrong side of legal. His girlfriend wants to marry someone just like him only richer and with a different sense of humor. He doesn’t t remember life being this confusing, back before everyone expected him to act like a grown-up. When his brother asks him to look after his dogs, Jonathan's world view begins to shift. Could a border collie and a cocker spaniel hold the key to life, the universe, and everything? Their sly manoeuvring on daily walks and visits to the alluring vet suggest that human emotional intelligence may not be top dog after all. A funny, wise romantic comedy set in Manhattan, Jonathan Unleashed is a story of tangled relationships, friendships, and dogs. Rogoff s novel is for anyone wondering what to be when they grow up, and how on earth to get there.

Jonathan Trefoil is a floundering individual. He is stuck in a life that he seems to have little or no control over. One minute he’s at college, causally dating. The next he’s living in New York City working at a marketing company, in charge of his brother’s dogs whilst he is working in Dubai.

Oh, and his girlfriend is seemingly now his fiancée.

Jonathan has issues with working at Comrade, it is mind-numbingly boring and he would much prefer to be exploring his creative side and writing/drawing graphic novels. Whilst Julie is living away from New York, Jonathan’s life is mundane, but stress free. He goes to work, walks the dogs, designs his novels, and repeat...

When Julie arrives in town with a new job, it quickly becomes clear that Jonathan’s life is a lot more hectic with her in it. And now she’s saying that she wants to get married. He doesn’t need to worry about a thing through because the magazine she’s working on will pay for it...

But Jonathan although he loves Julie, really isn’t sure about marriage.

How can he tell her without breaking her heart?

Jonathan unleashed is a novel full of some wonderful quirky characters, and is a great quick read. Perfect for this chilly winter nights where you need a little warmth...

Jonathan Unleashed is available from 9 February 2017.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to lovereading.co.uk and the publishers who sent me an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton

Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton

Publisher: Trapeze

Release date: 26 January 2017

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: The perfect brother. The perfect fiancé. The perfect revenge. A thriller you won't be able to predict. One day changes Jody's life forever. She has shut herself down, haunted by her memories and unable to trust anyone. But then she meets Abe, the perfect stranger next door and suddenly life seems full of possibility and hope. One day changes Mags's life forever. After years of estrangement from her family, Mags receives a shocking phone call. Her brother Abe is in hospital and no-one knows what happened to him. She meets his fiancé Jody, and gradually pieces together the ruins of the life she left behind. But the pieces don't quite seem to fit...

Tattletale is one of those books that I keep hearing about, so I had great expectations when I began to read. I was not disappointed.

Mary Magdalene (Mags) is on a flight from the States to the UK when she meets Daniel. At another time in her life he would be exactly what she needs, but her reason for travelling to the UK is not a happy one. 

Mags' brother Abraham (Abe) is in a coma having fallen several flights of stairs and she is listed as his next of kin and emergency contact despite not having seen him in years.

The local police believe that Abe was depressed and suicidal. Not so says his fiancée Jody, who believes he was pushed.

At first Mags is indifferent, she barely knows her brother anymore, he is a stranger to her. Why should she get to decide if he lives or dies?

Then she becomes suspicious, although some pretty bad things happened to them during their childhood, she cannot believe that Abe was depressed. As she moves into his flat ad converses with his neighbours, she learns that Abe has grown into a kind, sweet and gentle man. 

But if that is so, then who would want him dead? Was it ‘just’ an accident, or is there something more sinister at play?

Jody is Mags' first suspect, as she begins to act suspiciously around her. Jody’s former social worker assures Mags that Jody is quite harmless and she wouldn’t hurt anyone, but Mags barely knows the girl, and doesn’t know what to believe.

As Mags begins to uncover her Brother’s private life piece by piece, it seems like everything she knew about him is bought into question. Did she really know Abe at all?

Tattletale is a very clever book with multiple layers. Just when you think you know its characters inside out you may find yourself surprised. I know it's still early, but this is sure to be one of 2017's best sellers.

Tattletale is available from 26 January.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online.

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

Dear Mr. Pop Star by Derek & Dave Philpott

Today is a day for something completely different - a review, or should I say preview, of a book that hasn't been published yet. What's different about that, I hear you cry? You are always reviewing books before their publication date.

This may well be true, but I don't think I've ever yet blogged about a book that is currently being crowdfunded.... but as a true music and lyric lover this book is very close to my heart.

Take two very ordinary members of the public, Mr Derek and Dave Philpott to be precise. Add some genius letters to pop stars, concerning their use of lyrics, and our understanding (or deliberate misunderstanding) of these, some cracking replies and you have the recipe for a brilliantly funny book.

But don't take my word for it, here's the proper blurb:

For nearly 10 years, ‘Team Philpott’, as their followers fondly refer to them, have been on a quite bonkers crusade, writing good old-fashioned letters to pop and rock stars (sometimes even sent to their home addresses with prior consent!), either picking up on genuine ambiguities within their lyrics or often deliberately misunderstanding them for comedic effect.

The letters are eminently publishable in their own right, mixing sharp wit, confusion, and mundane daily chores with trips to the shops, daytime telly, Derek’s legs playing up, and unarguable logic in relation to questioning the offending chart hits under scrutiny.

What makes this project especially deserving of attention, however, is that it has achieved a feat never before attempted or probably even thought of. With the missives online for all to see on what was becoming a hugely popular website, the artists quite unexpectedly started to reply, writing back in just as witty and articulate a fashion, politely pointing out exactly where the original letter went wrong...or right.

Also, crucially, nearly all of the responses were procured via ''the back door of the industry'', via roadies, mutual fans, cousins of bass players, and even other famous participants telling the artists directly of the Philpotts’ written pressing inquiries. This marvellous online community, which stretched as far afield as Europe, Canada, Japan, the U.S.A, Australia and Stoke, even cultivated and organically evolved the whole surreal venture by offering up willing stars that the authors would probably not have thought of corresponding with themselves, establishing contact through personal connections.

‘‘Dear Mr. Popstar’’ will feature up to 100 of the best letters and responses from famous and legendary names spanning the whole pop and rock spectrum, all relishing their involvement and revealing their own, in many cases, hitherto unknown humorous sides within what could well be the most interactive dialogue compiled between music stars and their audience ever undertaken. Of course, it is not always possible to reach certain targets, hence many unanswered observations are also included, as they were considered too amusing not to be.

Amongst those to be saluted for their great sportsmanship so far are Dr. from Dr. and The Medics, Neil Innes from The Bonzo Dog Band, Melanie, Alannah Myles, Ian Gillan, Cutting Crew, It Bites, Mott The Hoople, Fuzzbox, China Crisis, Mental As Anything, The Rezillos, Saxon, John Otway, Steve Hackett, Tenpole Tudor, Katrina and the Waves, Heaven 17, The Christians, Paper Lace, Dodgy, The Housemartins, Johnny Hates Jazz, The Wurzels, Peter Noone, Suzi Quatro, Danny Wilson, Racey, Electric Prunes, The Waitresses, Climax Blues Band, Country Joe and The Fish, The Jags, EMF, T’Pau, Daevid Allen, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Nu Shooz, Owen Paul, Steve Ellis of Love Affair, Hazell Dean, The Knack, The Maisonettes, Del Amitri, The Skids, Jesus Jones, The Soup Dragons, City Boy, The Kursaal Flyers, Bruce Thomas of The Attractions, Scarlet Fantastic, Junior, Spear of Destiny, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, plus many more promised.

Ultimately, this book explores how when a song is released into ‘the wild’ the artist loses all control over it, especially pertaining to its interpretation. It is also testimony to the community spirit capable of being created over social media and how positive and fun it can be.

Dear Mr. Popstar is currently 34% funded - if you would like to contribute you can do so here. There's a variety of donation options and I promise it will be worth it!!

The first installment, Dear Mr. Kershaw, a pensioner writes -  is available here.

Review - Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Release date: 12 January 2017

Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: NEW NAME. NEW FAMILY. SHINY. NEW. ME.' Annie's mother is a serial killer. The only way she can make it stop is to hand her in to the police. But out of sight is not out of mind. As her mother's trial looms, the secrets of her past won't let Annie sleep, even with a new foster family and name - Milly. A fresh start. Now, surely, she can be whoever she wants to be. But Milly's mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water. Good me, bad me. She is, after all, her mother's daughter... 

Fifteen year old Milly has a privileged new life, a year 11 place at a prestigious girls school, a beautiful new home with a perfect family, Foster Father psychologist Mike , Foster Mother Saskia, and Foster Sister Phoebe.

Milly however is struggling to leave her past behind, formerly known as Annie, the reason for her new foster family is her Mother.

A Mother on trial, a serial killer guilty of some truly heinous crimes.

The case has hit the headlines with Milly's Mother being dubbed 'the Peter Pan Killer'. A monster guilty of abusing, torturing and killing young children in the worst way imaginable.

Despite Mike and Saskia welcoming Milly into their family with open arms, Milly is struggling to fit in, struggling to escape her Mother's voice, deep inside her head, and struggling with Mike and Saskia's biolgocial daughter, Phoebe.

Phoebe hates Milly almost instantly. Milly shouldn't take this personally, Phoebe pretty much hates anyone who takes the spotlight away from her. She is young, blonde, pretty and has the luxury of being one of the most popular girls at school.

But Phoebe underestimates Milly, thinks that she is just another foster kid. Milly is a much more complex character, conditioned from a young age by her evil Mother. She is a fragile creature, struggling to cope in the outside world, and Phoebe may be the one that pushes her over the edge.

How exactly will she handle that?

Ali Land's debut is a dark and disturbing novel, that is sure to be a hit in 2017. It will be well deserved...

It is a cracker of a novel to start the year with, and I hope she has more like this up her sleeve.

Good Me, Bad Me is available from 12 January 2017.

You can pre-order it now via Amazon online.

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

My 2017 Top Picks

Jane Harper - The Dry / Adele Parks - The Stranger in my Home / Sarah J. Naughton - Tattletale / 

B.A. Paris - Breakdown / Kate Moore - The Radium Girls / Daniel Cole - Ragdoll

Affinity Konar - Mischling / Helen Fields - Perfect Remains / Samantha King - The Choice / 

Laurie Frankel - This Is How It Always Is / Fiona Cummins - Rattle / JP Delaney - The Girl Before

Sarah Pinborough - Behind her eyes / Sarah Hilary - Quieter than killing / Antonia Hayes - Relativity / 

Mark Hill - The Two O'clock Boy / Ronan Ryan - the fractured life of Jimmy Dice / Julia Crouch - Her husband's lover

SJI Holliday - the Damselfly / Michelle Adams - My Sister / Sophia Tobin - The Vanishing / 

Emma Kavanagh - The killer on the wall / Isabel Ashdown - Little Sister / Benjamin Percy - The Dark Net

Sarah Lotz - The White Road / Hannah Tinti - The Twelve lives of Samuel Hawley / 

Peter Swanson - Her Every Fear / K.L. Slater  - Blink / Tony Parsons - Die last / Sarah Schmidt - See what I have done

Rebecca Mascull - The Wild Air / Susan Wilkins - The Killer / Tony Schumacher - An Army of One /

Ali Land - Good Me, Bad Me / Georgia Hunter - We are the lucky ones / Erin Kelly - He Said, She Said

C.L. Taylor - The Escape / Murakami - Men Without Women / Paula Hawkins - Into the Water / 

Kate Hamer - The Doll Funeral / Emma Flint - Little Deaths / Pam Jenoff - the Orphan's tale

This is by no means a definitive list and I am also looking forward to reading many more from both new and established authors in 2017.