Category Archives: Authors A to C

Reviews by authors surname A to C

Review – Attend by West Camel

Authors A to C

The Blurb

Under their feet lies magic…

When Sam falls in love with South London thug Derek, and Anne’s best friend Kathleen takes her own life, they discover they are linked not just by a world of drugs and revenge; they also share the friendship of the uncanny and enigmatic Deborah.
Seamstress, sailor, story-teller and self-proclaimed centenarian immortal, Deborah slowly reveals to Anne and Sam her improbable, fantastical life, the mysterious world that lies beneath their feet and, ultimately, the solution to their crises.
With echoes of Armistead Maupin and a hint of magic realism, Attend is a beautifully written, darkly funny, mesmerisingly emotive and deliciously told debut novel, rich in finely wrought characters that you will never forget.

My Thoughts

Attend is the captivating debut novel by West Camel. Firstly drawn in by the striking cover, I couldn’t wait to read this book and I hoped the inside would be equally as stunning … and it is.

A book about life and crossed paths, Attend follows the lives of three disparate people who are brought together by a seemingly higher force. Anne and Sam have both had their fair share of difficulties in life and are finally getting back on track when they meet Deborah – a teller of stories and, in my mind, the orchestrator of fate. As both Anne and Sam negotiate their way through their new purposes in the world they find themselves wrapped up in Deborah’s life and enraptured by the story of her life and the possibilities she introduces to them.

I adored Camel’s prose as each word is perfectly pitched to draw you in, intrigue you and make you fall a little in love with each character. He has managed to combine historical fiction, magical realism and modern grit which, in all probability, shouldn’t work but it works wonderfully. Deborah’s stories fascinate and while we are never sure where the line between truth and fiction lies, she manages to make us all believe that just maybe there is something higher than us and that magic does exist.

Attend is the perfect book for a reading group as its themes – both current and historical – lend themselves to discussion along with the imagery that Camel uses which, I’m sure, will be open to individual interpretation. I have been deliberately vague about the storyline as I want you to experience Attend in the way that I did when I first read it, although I am desperate to discuss it!

The writing is sublime and Attend is a book that is rich in imagery and metaphor, leaving me thinking about it, and feeling it, long after the final page was read. It is a beautifully spun tale that defies being pigeonholed into a genre. A delicately balanced tapestry that combines current social issues, history and a little bit of magic, Attend is an assured debut by a talented writer. Lovers of literary fiction will adore it.

Attend is published on eBook on 15 November 2018 and paperback on 13 December 2018 by Orenda Books. You can get your copy HERE.

Blog Blitz – One Dark Night by Tom Bale *Review*

Authors A to C, Blog Tours

Today I am taking part in my last ever blog blitz/tour and I am delighted that my final one is for Tom Bale and his latest book One Dark Night. Regular readers of Bloomin’ Brilliant Books will know that I’m a huge fan of Tom Bale’s and so I’m very excited to be sharing my thoughts on his latest book which is out today. 

The Blurb

He sees his wife’s eyes watching him in the rear-view mirror, the kids up on their knees to get a better look. That’s when he hears the scream…

You’re driving home from a family outing one afternoon, when a speeding car cuts you up, nearly causing you to crash. Like anyone would, you pull over to confront the driver.

But a glance into the backseat of the speeding car reveals a woman fighting to escape. She is terrified and she’s screaming for your help: these men have murdered her husband…

What would you do?

An addictive thriller with plenty of twists – fans of Harlan Coben, James Patterson and Robert Dugoni will be completely hooked.

My Thoughts

It’s no secret that I love a Tom Bale book and I always eagerly anticipate his latest novel. I was therefore delighted to be able to read an advance copy of his latest book One Dark Night.

When Adam and Katy Parr’s car is damaged by a speeding motorist on their way home from a family day out with the children, Adam’s temper gets the better of him and he chases after and confronts the motorist. He soon regrets his actions as he had his family end up being kidnapped by a criminal gang.

Bale once again puts his characters through the mill by placing them in an extreme – and not in a pleasant way – situation. What I love about Bale’s books is that they are pure escapism. The whole intention of One Dark Night, in my opinion, is to take the reader on a full-throttle ride and this is one hundred per cent achieved. Bale’s writing and the perfectly paced chapters ensure that the reader is kept hooked from the outset.

I was completely behind the characters of Adam, Katy and their children Freya and Dylan. Because of their ordinariness you can relate to them and it makes the situation they find themselves in all the more scary. Bale also ensures however, that there is a depth to his antagonists as well which makes One Dark Night well-rounded.

Bale firmly places One Dark Night in the present by including current social and political issues within the storyline making it current and relevant. I enjoyed some of his wry observations on society and the media.

One Dark Night is another fast-paced thriller from Bale full of the thrills and spills you would expect from this author. If you are looking for pure adrenalin-filled enjoyment, check One Dark Night out.

One Dark Night is published on 23 October 2018 by Bookouture.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://geni.us/ODNCover
iBookstore: https://tinyurl.com/y8lt6a89
Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/y82k6jnt
Googleplay: https://tinyurl.com/yautyxz3

About the Author

Tom Bale is the author of nine books, including the bestsellers See How They Run and All Fall Down. His latest book, One Dark Night, is out October 23rd 2018.

Social Media Links
Twitter:
Facebook:
Website: http://www.tombale.net/

A huge thank you to Tom Bale, Bookouture and NetGalley for the advance copy of One Dark Night and for inviting me to take part in the blog blitz.

Blog Tour – Cold Breath by Quentin Bates *Review*

Authors A to C, Blog Tours

Unusually for me, I am on two blog tours today. The second one I am taking part in is for Cold Breath by Quentin Bates and I am delighted to share my thoughts on his latest book. But first, the all-important blurb…

The Blurb

Gunnhildur reluctantly allows herself to be taken off police duties to act as bodyguard to a man with a price on his head . . .
Hidden away in a secure house outside Reykjavík, Gunna and the high-profile stranger, a guest of the interiors minister, are thrown together – too close for comfort. They soon find they are neither as safe nor as carefully hidden as Gunna and her boss had thought. Conflicting glimpses of the man’s past start to emerge as the press begin to sniff him out, as does another group with their own reasons for locating him. Gunna struggles to come to terms with protecting the life of a man who may have the lives of many on his conscience – or indeed may be the philanthropist he claims to be.
Isolated together, the friction grows between Gunna and the foreign visitor, and she realises they are out of their depth as the trails lead from the house outside Reykjavík to Brussels, Russia and the Middle East.

My Thoughts

I was delighted to be approached to take part in the blog tour for Cold Breath by Quentin Bates. I was familiar with Bates due to his work translating for Orenda Books and I had been meaning to check out his own books. This gave me the perfect excuse.

Cold Breath is the seventh in the Gunnhildur Mystery Books but this was my first and it works really well as a standalone. I had no problems following the story, getting to know the characters and I didn’t feel as though as I was missing anything in backstory.

Police officer Gunnhildur is taken off normal police duty and appointed to protect a politician’s guest during his stay in Iceland. It soon becomes clear that the guest may not be all that he seems and conceals a shadowy side.

The pace from the outset is relentless and Cold Breath hurtles along, keeping the reader completely on their toes. Bates has ensured that every chapter is packed with either action or intrigue. Each chapter flips from one character storyline to another and while I would normally struggle to keep up, there is something about Bates’ execution of the book that makes it easy to follow. You are never too far away from any of the characters due to punchy paragraphs which make it easy and enjoyable to follow.

The characterisation is great and despite being unfamiliar with Gunnhildur, it didn’t take me long to get the feel of her and like her. Gunnhildur really goes through the mill in Cold Breath and I am eager to read the next book to ascertain how she moves on from it. I adored her and reporter Skúli.

Cold Breath is tightly plotted and combines crime, murder and political intrigue. I liked the way it explored how your job can have you questioning your morals and values, as Gunnhildur wonders if the man she is being paid to protect is worth protecting given as the truth about him and his actions are brought to life.

A great action-packed novel set against the fantastic backdrop of Iceland, I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Breath. Bates’ writing is superb and I am so glad I got to check out his work. A great addition to the book shelf of any crime fiction lover.

Published on 11 October 2018 by Constable, you can get your copy HERE.

My thanks to Quentin Bates and Constable for the advance copy and to Emily at Brand Hive for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

Review – The Rave by Nicky Black

Authors A to C

The Blurb

It’s 1989, the second Summer of Love, and Tommy Collins is doing what he does best: organising all-night raves on a shoestring, and playing a game of cat and mouse with the police. But Detective Chief Inspector Peach is closing in on him, and his dreams of a better life are beginning to slip through his fingers.

DCI Peach finds it all a nuisance, a waste of his force’s time, until he finds his teenage daughter unconscious at one of Tommy’s raves. Then the chase becomes personal, and his need to make Tommy pay becomes an obsession.

The Rave is a fast-paced, gritty portrayal of life on the edges of society at the end of a decade that changed Britain forever.

My Thoughts

It’s the summer of 1989, the country has gone house music mad and raves are, well, all the rave. Tommy Collins is determined to change his family’s life from one of poverty, living on the Valley Park housing estate in Newcastle, to one of prosperity by organising all-night illegal raves in the North East. However, his plans are soon to be thwarted as Detective Chief Inspector Peach finds his daughter unconscious at one of Tommy’s raves and he goes all out to bring Tommy down.

To be perfectly honest, when I first started reading The Rave I wasn’t sure that it was going to be for me, but the further I got into the book the more I liked it. The characters really drew me in. Tommy is the likeable rogue, thwarted by the social class he was born into and can’t seem to escape, who wants to succeed to make life comfortable for his family. Despite his illegal activities, Tommy has a good heart and you can’t help but warm to him. In DCI Peach, Black has managed to create an antagonist who is also a well-rounded character. From initial dislike, the reader eventually begins to empathise with him as each revelation about his daughter unfolds. Black has, I’m pleased to say, included the truly despicable characters we all love to see in crime fiction. Again, though, she has ensured they are two dimensional by allowing the reader to understand why they are the way they are.

The Rave does fall under crime fiction but it is different to the majority of crime novels out there due to its premise. Black deviates from the usual catching a killer trope that we see in the majority of crime novels, and if I was to categorise by genre the description of grit-lit would be appropriate given the vivid sense of place, the importance of social setting it stands in and its authenticity. The Rave is unique and refreshingly different which made it all the more enjoyable.

Black’s depiction of life on a northern housing estate is bleak and yet I finished The Rave feeling kind of uplifted.

The Rave is a gritty read that perfectly captures the plight of the North East in Thatcher’s Britain. Black has successfully combined gripping crime fiction, interesting characters and authentic social setting with an original premise. If you are in the need for something different from your usual crime fiction, check The Rave out.

A huge thank you to Nicky Black for the advance copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Published on 14 August 2018 you can get your copy HERE.

About the Author

The pen name Nicky Black is a combination of two writers – Nicky Doherty and Julie Blackie. Julie was a script writer for many years, and Nicky has created two novels based on Julie’s TV and film scripts. Both are stories set on the fictional estate of Valley Park in Newcastle, and the criminal world that inhabits it. 

 

The Prodigal was a bestseller in 2015 and The Rave was published on 14th August 2018.

 

Nicky is a proud eighties throwback and cat lady and lives in North Tyneside.

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Review – The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech

Authors A to C

The Blurb

Be careful what you wish for…

Long ago, Andrew made a childhood wish, and kept it in a silver box. When it finally comes true, he wishes he hadn’t…
Long ago, Ben made a promise and he had a dream: to travel to Africa to volunteer at a lion reserve. When he finally makes it, it isn’t for the reasons he imagined…
Ben and Andrew keep meeting in unexpected places, and the intense relationship that develops seems to be guided by fate. Or is it?
What if the very thing that draws them together is tainted by past secrets that threaten everything?
A dark, consuming drama that shifts from Zimbabwe to England, and then back into the past, The Lion Tamer Who Lost is also a devastatingly beautiful love story, with a tragic heart…

My Thoughts

Louise Beech has fast become one of my favourite authors. She is my ‘go-to’ writer when I want to read a book that is going to take me to a whole other level emotionally and when I want more from the writing than just a good storyline. So, I was really pleased (and lucky) to get my hands on an early copy of The Lion Tamer Who Lost.

The Lion Tamer Who Lost is the story of Andrew and Ben, two men who it appears that fate is determined to bring together. Since childhood, Andrew has made wishes and kept them in a box … He may now be wishing that his latest wish hadn’t come true. Ben promised his mother that he would volunteer at a lion reserve in Africa … when he finally achieves his promise and his dream, it has a bitter taste.

With prose that you just fall into, Beech demonstrates, once again, that she is an incredibly talented wordsmith. With numerous passages underlined in my copy, each word that Beech uses has maximum impact on your emotions. She manages to make you laugh, cry and pause to think in a few pages. The Lion Tamer Who Lost left me reeling with a whole range of raw feelings.

Alongside believable, authentic characters, Beech has created the most wonderful sense of place in The Lion Tamer Who Lost. Switching between Zimbabwe and Hull, she captures the essence of both, let’s face it very different, places. I have never been to Zimbabwe, but Beech had my imagination soaring as I spent time there with Ben, soaking up the weather, the sights, sounds and smells. Now Hull, on the otherhand, is a place I know very well and Beech has captured the place and the characteristics of some of its inhabitants perfectly.

During his stay at Liberty Lion Park, Ben has to essentially raise a lion cub, Lucy, that has lost her mother and I adored these parts. As he tries to help Lucy find her place and confidence within the pride, Ben also has to find his own self and place in the world. Something that does not come easily to him.  

The Lion Tamer Who Lost is a book about complex family relationships and learning to find and love yourself and Beech writes tenderly about some difficult and complicated issues. It is also a story about the often-harsh reality of love. The combination of these themes and the way Beech has delicately woven the intricate threads of the story together make The Lion Tamer Who Lost a very special novel.

I have loved Beech’s previous books (although I still have to read How To Be Brave) but The Lion Tamer Who Lost may be my favourite yet. Incredibly moving, at times desperately heartbreaking and always tender, The Lion Tamer Who Lost reminds us that if fate exists, it is fickle and may not always be leading you to the outcome you expect. A truly outstanding and beautiful book.

The Lion Tamer Who Lost was published by Orenda Books on 15 July on Ebook and is out on paperback on  30 September. You can buy a copy HERE.

My thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books and Louise Beech for the advance copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

 

Blog Tour – When I Find You by Emma Curtis *Review*

Authors A to C, Blog Tours

I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Emma Curtis’s second novel When I Find You today. So, here is the blurb before I share my thoughts.

The Blurb

What do you do when someone takes advantage of your greatest weakness?
The brilliant new thriller from the author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE
Perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh, C L Taylor and Claire Douglas

When Laura wakes up the morning after her office Christmas party and sees a man’s shirt on the floor, she is horrifed. This is no ordinary one-night-stand.
Laura suffers from prospagnosia – severe faceblindness – a condition that means she is completely unable to identify and remember faces. The man she spent all night dancing with and kissing, the man she thought she’d brought home, was identifiable only as ‘Pink Shirt’.
But the shirt on her bedroom floor is blue.
And now Laura must go to work every day, and face the man who took advantage of her condition. The man she has no way of recognising.
She doesn’t know who he is, but she’ll make him pay.

My Thoughts

After enjoying Emma Curtis’s debut novel One Little Mistake I eagerly anticipated her second book and was thrilled to be able to get an advance copy of When I Find You.

Twenty-eight-year-old Laura Maguire suffers from prosopagnosia, or face-blindness, which impacts on the way her brain receives information. Laura cannot recognise faces at all – not even her own – and it is a condition that she has lived with all her life. She has managed to live with her condition and has a successful career as a designer in advertising. However, things begin to unravel when following a boozy staff night out she wakes up with a man … but it is not the man she believed she had spent the night with as this one is wearing a different coloured shirt. As the shock settles in, Laura becomes determined to find out who took advantage of her.

This is an interesting theme that really made me think. While Laura willingly participated in the sexual intercourse, the fact that she cannot recognise faces and subsequently discovers that she has slept with a different man to the one she had intended to be with is an unnerving concept. Add to it the fact that nobody knows about her face-blindness apart from one of her managers – who is female – and the tale becomes even more creepy. Somebody has clearly found out and taken advantage of her, in fact they have raped her. Curtis’s exploration of Laura’s feelings around this and the dilemma she faces as to whether she could go to the police or not is really well done.

Curtis writes really well about Laura’s experiences of living with prosopagnosia and I really got into her skin. Written in first person narrative there are some exceptional passages that really describe and convey the feelings and emotions Laura goes through on a daily basis as a result of her condition. At times I felt the confusion Laura felt when coming in to contact with different characters she knows but cannot recognise, and Curtis really demonstratess how disconcerting this would be. Curtis has clearly carefully researched prosopagnosia.

When I Find You is a bit of a slow burner as it follows Laura in her quest to find her abuser, and also her manager Rebecca who has issues of her own to contend with. If you are after fast spills and thrills When I Find You may not be for you, but if you like your thrillers to be more chilling and unnerving it will be a great addition to your bookshelf. I loved its subtlety, its concentration on emotions and its intensity. The pace does increase greatly towards the end as it reaches its final crescendo. A crescendo that left me open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

Undoubtedly a disturbing thriller, When I Find You is also a story about how appearances do not give the full picture of what a person is capable of … you can never tell from the outside what is going on in the inside. A great read that is well written.

Published on ebook on 1 July 2018 by Transworld Digital and paperback on 9 August 2018 by Black Swan. Get your copy HERE.

About the Author

EMMA CURTIS was born in Brighton and brought up in London. She is a member of ‘The Prime Writers’, a collective of writers who have all had their first books published after the age of 40.
Emma has two children and lives in Richmond with her husband.
@emmacurtis #WhenIFindYou

A huge thank you to Emma Curtis, Black Swan and Netgalley for the advance copy and to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

 

Blog Tour – The Date by Louise Jensen *Review*

Authors A to C, Authors J to L, Blog Tours

I am beyond delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Louise Jensen’s latest novel, The Date with my blogging buddy Jen at Jen Med’s Book Reviews. Before I tell you what I thought, here is what it is about:

The Blurb

One night can change everything.

‘I know it as soon as I wake up and open my eyes… Something is wrong.’

Her Saturday night started normally. Recently separated from her husband, Ali has been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a new man. She is ready, she is nervous, she is excited. She is about to take a step into her new future. By Sunday morning, Ali’s life is unrecognisable. She wakes, and she knows that something is wrong. She is home, she is alone, she is hurt and she has no memory of what happened to her.

Worse still, when she looks in the mirror, Ali doesn’t recognise the face staring back at her…

My Thoughts

Oh, how pleased I was to get my hands on Louise Jensen’s latest book, The Date. I loved The Sister and The Gift (I have The Surrogate sitting on my Kindle but, as with a lot of the books I have bought, I have not had time to read it yet).

In The Date we meet Alison Taylor who, having quite recently separated from her husband, has been on a date with Ewan following encouragement from her friends. However, the following day Alison wakes up with an injury to her head and she can’t remember anything about the night before or her date. The worst, though, is to come. When she looks in her mirror she doesn’t know who she is looking at.

Ali is later diagnosed with prosopagnosia, a condition which affects the ability to recognise faces. Ali’s world is turned upside down as she is no longer able to recognise her loved ones, friends or even herself. The whole concept of The Date is, quite frankly, terrifying. Having this condition would be frightening enough, but to have it happen just as you have woken up from a night out in which it appears you have been attacked, and you have no memory of it makes it doubly so. And things are about to get a lot worse for Ali.

What I really like about Jensen’s books is the way in which she takes a sensitive subject and, while making it frightening, also deals with the issue in a gentle manner. Jensen demonstrates a real emotional acuity in her writing, and she writes about Ali’s diagnosis of prosopagnosia in such a way that it is incredibly affecting and stirring. I just melted for Ali as she struggled to adjust to her diagnosis. Jensen’s depiction of a young woman dealing with this condition is realistic and heart breaking. Rather than skirting over it to concentrate on the thriller aspect, Jensen incorporates it in such a way that it adds so much more to the book.

The Date is also an incredible thriller. As the plot progresses it becomes incredibly unnerving and it plays on all our deepest fears. It becomes clear that Ali has a stalker who is going out of their way to frighten her. Jensen has weaved twists and turns that had me constantly trying to guess the identity of the perpetrator of Ali’s torment (at one point I was looking at the dog suspiciously, and I love dogs!). The Date seriously messed with my head.

Jensen has a real way with words. She manages to crank up the tension so you are constantly chewing on your lip or your fingernails as you read. Jensen also manages to make her thrillers beautiful with prose that is stunning and The Date is no exception. It feels as though every single word has been carefully chosen and yet it also feels as though it has come naturally.

Once again, Jensen has written an outstanding novel. The Date is utterly unnerving and totally tense, while at the same time sensitive and moving. An absolute must-read.

The Date is published on 21 June 2018 by Bookouture. You can get your copy here: 

Amazon: myBook.to/TDLJSocial
iBookStore: http://ow.ly/FMOm30kyQXf
Kobo: http://ow.ly/7lzy30kyQZH
Googleplay: http://ow.ly/9h2q30kyR2K

About the Author

Louise Jensen is a Global No.1 Bestselling author of psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift & The Surrogate. To date Louise has sold approaching a million books and her novels have been sold for translation to nineteen territories, as well as being featured on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Louise was nominated for the Goodreads Debut Author of 2016 Award.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at www.louisejensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction and writing tips.
http://www.louisejensen.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/fabricatingfiction/

A huge thank you to Bookouture, Louise Jensen and Kim Nash for the advance copy and for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

 

 

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Review – Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Authors A to C

The Blurb

There are three things you should know about Elsie.
The first thing is that she’s my best friend.
The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better.
And the third thing… might take a little bit more explaining.

84-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died sixty years ago?

From the author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP, this book will teach you many things, but here are three of them:
1) The fine threads of humanity will connect us all forever.
2) There is so very much more to anyone than the worst thing they have ever done.
3) Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.

My Thoughts

‘Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.’

Three Things About Elsie is the highly anticipated second novel from Joanna Cannon. It tells the story of eighty-four-year-old Florence, resident of Cherry Tree sheltered accommodation, who has fallen in her flat and reflects on her life as she waits to be found and helped. A new resident has moved into Cherry Tree and he looks suspiciously like a man Florence knew in the past but who died sixty years ago.

Like its predecessor, The Trouble With Goats And Sheep, Three Things has at its core a mystery that needs solving in regards to the identity of new resident, Gabriel, but it is a multi-layered in the themes it explores. And Cannon explores them beautifully, resulting in me highlighting many sentences so that I could read them back and reflect on them later.

It is a testament to Cannon’s writing skills that she is able to go from writing via the perspective of a child to the other end of the spectrum, that of an octogenarian, and do so with authenticity. I fell in love with Florence, Elsie and especially Jack. Told largely via the perspective of Florence with interspersing chapters from the points of view of a couple of the staff members at Cherry Tree, you live every moment with Florence and her friends.

As I said, Three Things is a multi-layered book that goes beyond the mystery Florence and her friends are trying to get to the bottom of. Cannon has a real understanding about human beings and human nature and Three Things is a book about enduring friendship, long-held secrets and the impact of keeping them and dementia. Cannon eloquently and movingly depicts dementia from the perspective of the person suffering from it. Funny and yet heart breaking in equal measure, Three Things manages to convey all that is good and less good in life.

I have to confess that initially I didn’t think I enjoyed it as much as Goats and Sheep but the more I thought about it after I had finished it, the more it affected me and the more I appreciated it. Now I would say it is on an equal footing.

Funny, gentle, heartrending, poignant and so beautifully written, Three Things About Elsie is a book that will remain in my heart for a very long time. It heralds Joanna Cannon as one of the great new writers of our time and I urge everybody to read it.

Published on 11 January 2018 by Borough Press, you can grab a copy HERE.

I reviewed my own copy and this is my honest and unbiased review.

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Blog Tour – Blue Night by Simone Buchholz *Review*

Authors A to C, Blog Tours

I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Blue Night by Simone Buchholz today. Before I share my thoughts, here is what the book is about.

The Blurb

After convicting a superior for corruption and shooting off a gangster’s crown jewels, the career of Hamburg’s most hard-bitten state prosecutor, Chastity Riley, has taken a nose dive: she has been transferred to the tedium of witness protection to prevent her making any more trouble. However, when she is assigned to the case of an anonymous man lying under police guard in hospital, Chastity’s instinct for the big, exciting case kicks in. Using all her powers of persuasion, she soon
gains her charge’s confidence, and finds herself on the trail to Leipzig, a new ally, and a whole heap of lethal synthetic drugs. When she discovers that a friend and former colleague is trying to bring down Hamburg’s Albanian mafia kingpin single-handedly, it looks like Chas Riley’s dull life on witness protection really has been short-lived…

My Thoughts

Blue Night by Simone Buchholz marks the start in a cracking new series featuring Chastity Riley, Hamburg’s state prosecutor. Recently demoted to the witness protection department following her whistle-blowing on a colleague, Chas is feeling unfulfilled in her new role. However, things are about to change when an unknown man who is unwilling to talk arrives at the local hospital following a severe beating in which almost all of his bones are broken and a finger has been taken from one of his hands, and Chas is tasked to look after him.

The prologue hit me like a sucker-punch, as Buchholz’s description of someone taking a beating is poetic in its prose for such an horrific event. The short sentences work really well in delivering the brutality of the attack while simultaneously mesmerising you. The rest of Blue Night continued to be written in a way that is so unlike most of the books I have recently read. I have to admit that it took me a while to settle into its rhythm as Buchholz has a really unique way of writing and each chapter contains flashbacks from various characters in the book. Initially I wasn’t sure what I made of it, but as the book progressed and I became accustomed to the style and structure I began to really enjoy it. I ended up really liking the way Buccholz has structured the book as she adds different characters to the back stories in each chapter enabling you to view things from different perspectives. The way she knits it all together towards the end is brilliant.

I would describe the first half as slow-burning while we get to know Chastity, her friends and colleagues and as she attempts to build up a trusting relationship with the man she has been charged to look after. The second half of the novel, for me, had more pace and its grittiness really drew me in. The subject matter that Buchholz deals with is seamy, sordid and the observations she makes are depressingly spot on making it realistic. The ending … wow!

I really warmed to Chastity Riley and the rest of the characters in the book. Buchholz has effectively given just enough about each character to make you want to find out more about them and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Blue Night is a really unique read and I grew to love the structure and style. Beautifully written and seamlessly translated, Buchholz offers something refreshingly different to what’s on the market currently and I urge you to check it out.

About the Author

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied
Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and
trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in
Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne
Award as well as runner-up for the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue
Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for
months. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her
husband and son.

Blue Night was published on eBook on 24 December 2017 and paperback on 28 February 2018 by Orenda Books. Grab a copy HERE.

My thanks go to Simone Buccholz, Karen at Orenda Books and Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for my advance copy and for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

 

 

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Countdown to Hull Noir 2017 – Deep Blue Trouble Review and Author Q&A

Author Q&A's, Authors A to C, Hull Noir 2017

So, it is now a mere five sleeps until Hull Noir and, as it creeps slowly closer, I’m delighted to bring you my review of Steph Broadribb’s next novel Deep Blue Trouble but even better than that I have a fab Q&A with the lady herself.

Steph is taking part in the Brawlers and Bastards panel on Sunday 19th November. Full programme and ticket details can be found HERE.

Right, first up my thoughts on the upcoming second Lori Anderson book and then the bit you really want to read, the Q&A with Steph.

 

The Blurb

Her daughter Dakota is safe, but her cancer is threatening a comeback, and Lori needs JT – Dakota’s daddy and the man who taught Lori everything – alive and kicking. Problem is, he’s behind bars, and heading for death row. Desperate to save him, Lori does a deal, taking on off-the-books job from shady FBI agent Alex Monroe. Bring back on-the-run felon, Gibson ‘The Fish’ Fletcher, and JT walks free. Teaming up with local bounty hunter Dez McGregor threatens to put the whole job in danger. But this is one job she’s got to get right, or she’ll lose everything…

My Thoughts

Okay, I’m starting off this review with an embarrassing confession … I have not yet read Deep Down Dead, the first Lori Anderson book. I was unable to take part in the blog tour due to other commitments and it was on my October/November reading list. I had the perfect excuse to bump it up the TBR pile when I found out that Steph Broadribb was taking part in Hull Noir. However, plans sometimes don’t go the way you want them to and I actually ended up reading Deep Blue Trouble first instead. Broadribb’s debut got rave reviews from other bloggers and having read Deep Blue Trouble I can clearly see what all the fuss is about! I LOVED this book.

As said, Deep Blue Trouble is the second book in the Lori Anderson series and it does follow up from where Deep Down Dead ended. As I have read Deep Blue Trouble first, however, you can take it from me that it works perfectly as a standalone. There is enough information to ensure that new readers are able to follow what is going on. Lori, a Florida bounty hunter, has little choice but to take on a job from FBI agent Alex Monroe in order to free her daughter Dakota’s father from prison where he is currently being held for a murder he didn’t commit. This job involves bringing in on-the-run criminal Gibson ‘The Fish’ Fletcher and it ends up being far from straight forward.

Lori Anderson is a kick ass, gutsy, independent, fierce protagonist and yet Broadribb has manged to also make her a sympathetic character. A single mum whose daughter has Leukaemia in a country that does not have free health care, Lori is doing everything she can to ensure her daughter’s health needs are met. I liked the additional layers to Lori – while her job inevitably brings her into danger and has her having to commit violent acts herself, she does not take this lightly and she has a sense of morality and a conscience. This makes Lori an ultimately likeable character and one you root for and want to follow further in to the series.

Deep Blue Trouble is set in the USA and it’s always a bit of a worry as to whether or not an author is able to authentically create the country their book is set in when they are not from there. Broadribb does a great job of this. From the descriptions of the places to the way Lori tells us her story, Broadribb completely transports the reader to the Florida sunshine.

The plot twists and turns like a waltzer car at the fairground and Broadribb kept me on the edge of my seat, on my toes and my fingernails are now bitten down to the quick. The plot moves along at an exceptional rate barely giving you time to catch your breath.

Deep Blue Trouble is a great book and this is set to be a fantastic series. If you’re looking for fast-paced, by-the-seat-of-your-pants action this is the series to read. Deep Blue Trouble is published in paperback in January 2018 so you have plenty of time to read Deep Down Dead before its release and get fully acquainted with Lori Anderson. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Steph Broadribb and Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books for the opportunity to read Deep Blue Trouble in advance.

Deep Blue Trouble is published on ebook on 15 November 2017 and paperback on 5 January 2018 by Orenda books. It can be pre-ordered HERE.

Deep Down Dead is out now and can be purchased HERE.

And finally the moment you have been waiting for … my Q&A with Steph!

It sounds like you have had an interesting life as you trained as a bounty hunter in California. Did the inspiration for Lori Anderson come from your training?
I actually trained as a bounty hunter as research for the first book in the Lori Anderson series – Deep Down Dead. I’d had the idea for Lori when I was driving from West Virginia to Florida in the previous autumn and had started writing the book, but realised pretty fast that I needed to learn more about the world of bounty hunting and also, specifically, what it was like to be a woman in that predominantly male world. I read books about it, and watched a couple of television series, but felt that for my book, and Lori, to be truly authentic I needed to experience it for myself. So I got in touch with a bounty hunter in California and when out to train with him. I guess you could say I’m a fan of ‘method writing’!

How much is Lori based on your real life experiences and people you have met?
There’s quite a lot of me in Lori. In some ways she’s a bolder, tougher, version of me! And although the characters and the action in the books are fictional, I do draw on the emotions I’ve experienced and try to put that feeling into my writing. I definitely use elements of people I’ve met in characters I create too, although it’s more like taking a mannerism from one person, and mixing it with the way another person looks, and the speech pattern of another – never a direct copy. Mind you, that said, in Deep Blue Trouble the character of Bobby Four-Fingers is named after a one of the guys I trained as a bounty hunter alongside, and I’ve used a few of his characteristics for the character because he asked me to make him into a fictional character!

Was it always your intention for the Lori Anderson books to be a series?
I’d always hoped that it would be, and luckily for me the wonderful Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books shared my vision.

What are the pros and cons of writing a series?
I think the biggest con is trying to get enough backstory from previous book/s into the current book so that the character’s past makes sense, without it coming across as too ‘tell’ and boring for the reader (or confusing). No matter what number in the series it is, a book needs to be able to be read as a standalone if a reader picks it up first, yet it also needs to develop and build on the characters from previous books. It’s a tricky balance to achieve, and I hope that I’ve managed it in Deep Blue Trouble! I think the pro of a series is that you get to carry on working with (and reading) the characters. As a reader I’m a big fan of series. Jack Reacher, Charlie Fox, Tom Thorne, John Rebus, Travis McGee, Carter Blake are all great series characters that have long running series which develop your knowledge of the characters and their stories with each book. I aspire to doing that!

Do you have the rest of the series and what happens to Lori, Dakota and JT planned out or do you see where each book takes you?
At this point, I have a rough idea of the first scene in the third book in the series, but that’s all. I tend to just see where each books takes me. There are a few things in Lori’s past that I want to explore more – either in book three or four – and there’s a job that’s been offered to her that she might do in book three, but other than that I sit down at my laptop with a blank page in front of me and take it from there!

Do you become emotionally attached to your characters?
Yes, totally! I think it’s inevitable given how much time they are in your head for as you write. But, as it’s crime fiction, you still need to put them through the wringer as much as possible too. If everything was easy for them it would make for a very boring thriller!

You are British and have spent time in the USA. Were there any difficulties that arose from setting the books in the US to ensure that the setting comes across as authentic?
I’ve lived and worked in the USA and I also have a lot of family who are American. Part of my research for the books was to travel to many of the settings used and experience them from myself – like training as a bounty hunter in California, driving from West Virginia to Florida, kayaking through the everglades and getting up close to gators, and hiking through the Blue Ridge Mountains and sleeping out under the stars. I check out phrases with my American friends, so that I can try and get Lori’s voice as authentic as possible. I’ve actually just got back from a trip to the USA where I was scouting out settings for book three.

What does your writing day look like? Do you have a set writing routine?
I tend to be better at writing in the morning so from when I get up to around lunchtime is my best time for first drafts. Then I usually take a break – take my dog for a walk, feed the horses – and then carry on, either writing or editing what I wrote in the morning, until around 4pm. I’m pretty active on social media – I love a bit of tweeting! So I’ll tend to go on Twitter intermittently throughout the day and then do Facebook and Instagram once I’ve finished writing. I usually write seven days a week during a first draft. When I’m editing I tend to shut myself away and plunge myself into the edits, only coming up for air and social media once they’re done!

You are taking part in Hull Noir this month. How do you feel about speaking at events? Do you get nervous or take it in your stride?
I actually really enjoy them. I’ve been a huge fan of the crime thriller genre for as long as I can remember and it’s fantastic getting out and meeting people who love the same kind of books as me. When I first started doing panels I was a bit nervous, and I have to admit that for my first few (evening) events I had a glass of wine or two to help my nerves! But everyone in crime fiction is so lovely, I find the panels and the people great fun – so now it’s usually just water in my glass when I’m on stage!

A huge thank you Steph for taking part and for the brilliant answers. I really enjoyed reading this. Looking forward to seeing you at Hull Noir!

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