The Quick and the Read

Blog Tour: ‘The Watchful Neighbour’ by Debbie Viggiano

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Watchful Neighbour’ by Debbie Viggiano. Today is also the publication day of this book so do buy your copy now!

This is a blog tour for Rachel’s Random Resources and I thank Rachel and the author for my copy of the book for review. As always, opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

When Jade Ferguson’s affair with a married man abruptly ends, she’s devastated.

There is no quick fix for a broken heart. A fresh start is required.

New job. New home. New neighbours.

The residents of Gresham Terrace seem pleasant enough.

Except for one…

An absolutely gripping debut psychological thriller.

Purchase Links

US – https://www.amazon.com/Watchful-Neighbour-absolutely-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B08MDL32X4

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watchful-Neighbour-absolutely-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B08MDL32X4

My Review

I do like a psychological thriller – something creepy and tense that doesn’t end with the main character’s husband being a secret killer! It seemed a no-brainer when I was invited on this tour – no serial killer husbands in sight!

In this story, Jade Ferguson finds herself down on her luck. Her affair with a married man has got her fired, she had a breakdown and he never even left his wife as he promised (shock!) She finds herself in a little rented house on Gresham Terrace and working in a job she hates to make ends meet.

Jade’s suspicions are raised about a man called Greg Good who is the local Neighbourhood Watch contact and who just happens to be her neighbour. She is sure that he is being a little too watchful over her and hates the fact that he is a key holder for her landlord…

As Jade’s certainty grows that Greg is causing trouble, the other residents of Gresham Terrace can’t seem to see the problem. So is it all in Jade’s mind?

What I liked about this book was the fact that Jade is established as an unreliable narrator from the beginning. She has spent time in a psychiatric unit prior to the events of the novel and the reader is never sure what is her own paranoia and what is real. This continues all the way through the book as strange things happen and the reader is kept in the dark about the truth. This kept me guessing and I liked the fact that I was never sure!

I also liked the fact that the action nearly all takes place within a few homes in Gresham Terrace. This gave the book a claustrophobic feel as Jade and her neighbours navigated their relationships with each other. Indeed, there are few outlets for Jade to discuss her feelings as she is presented as not getting on with her work colleagues and not being close to her family – this made it more tense as the reader constantly questioned what the sane onlooker would make of her behaviour.

The plot itself is clever and constantly twists away from what is expected – all the little things that happen to Jade seem to escalate but might have rational explanations (up to a point). It certainly kept me turning the pages as I was keen to know what happened.

My only quibble was that I guessed some of the ending but I’m not giving any spoilers to explain that further!

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that feel tense and claustrophobic – this one has a small cast but Viggiano is excellent at making us constantly question our feelings about all of them!

About the Author

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy… apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @DebbieViggiano

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.viggiano.5

Instagram: debbieviggiano

‘My Dark Vanessa’ by Kate Elizabeth Russell

This novel – published in March 2020 – is one that I’ve seen a lot of discussion about on book Twitter. With that in mind, I thought I’d revisit my review which was written pre-blog.

Vanessa Wye is 32 years old and working in an upmarket hotel when we first meet her. Gradually, the story of what has brought her to this point in her life is revealed and it’s a shocking and sad story.

As a 15 year old, she became involved with her boarding school teacher, a 45 year old man called Jacob Strane. His relationships with underage girls are being investigated by the school and media and Vanessa is asked for her experiences.

What makes this a very uncomfortable read is that it is narrated in the first person by Vanessa. The grooming and abuse is revealed in graphic detail, but the most shocking element is that Vanessa feels that she is the exception to Strane’s victims, the one he truly loved.

The reader is put in the difficult position of seeing Vanessa and Jacob’s relationship for what it truly is – a predatory older man abusing a schoolgirl – while Vanessa cannot. She defends him while the reader can see that he is an inadequate, manipulative and repulsive man who takes advantage of a vulnerable child.

I cannot say that I enjoyed this (as it is an uncomfortable read), but it was certainly an eye-opener. It made me realise why some victims do not speak out and why some might actually defend their abusers.

Vanessa is a highly believable character and the story follows her thought processes in a way that the reader can understand even as they see how she is being manipulated. The impact of the abuse on Vanessa’s life is evident: at 32, she struggles to maintain relationships and is a drink and drug user.

Although the book isn’t enjoyable in a conventional sense, I am so glad that this story has been told. Too often, abuse victims are portrayed as flirtatious, knowing young women whereas here is a girl whose innocence is destroyed by a person in a position of trust – although she feels responsible for the events, the reader is in no doubt that the blame lies entirely with the adult.

An important, well-written but ultimately uncomfortable read.

If you’d like a copy of this book, please use my affiliate link. This generates a small amount of commission for me at no extra cost to you – thank you for supporting my blog!

Header photo with thanks to Element5 Digital for sharing their work on Unsplash.

‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier

In November, the readalong book for the lovely bunch at The Write Reads was ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier, a book we arrived at after a voting process.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t wildly excited to read this one as I had had multiple attempts at it before, never getting beyond the Monte Carlo section at the start of the novel. It seemed too slow and I was profoundly irritated by the narrator. Still, I thought I’d give it another go.

I need to say at this juncture that I probably would have fallen at the same hurdle as before if it hadn’t been for the reading group and their hilarious takes on the events of the novel. Thank you all for keeping me going!

It is virtually impossible to write about a book that people know (and love) so deeply! My own feelings about the novel are actually very mixed, so here’s what I thought:

The Good…

Despite this being a hugely popular book and everyone in the world (seemingly) knowing the story, I had somehow managed to avoid all spoilers. What happened, then, came as an absolute surprise to me! In a good way, I think, as I was expecting endless more Monte Carlo dinners and points of etiquette…which I really wasn’t in the market for. A startling amount of dramatic things happen in the novel which I really didn’t anticipate given my extensive knowledge of the early part of the book and the dinner rituals of wealthy travellers.

For me, one of the strengths of the book was Manderley itself. I loved the fact that the house takes on such an imposing presence in the book and the description is atmospheric. There is a real sense of impending doom even in the exposition about how beautiful Manderley is at the start of the novel and I was intrigued.

I also thought that some of the characters were excellent – Mrs Danvers is chillingly awful, Beatrice is lovely but clueless and I liked the calmness of Frank – in an otherwise crazy cast, Frank acted as the totem of sanity by which all others could be measured! I also liked the bits with a dog, to (mis)quote ‘Shakespeare in Love.

My absolute favourite line in the whole book was ‘I had an uneasy feeling we might be asked to spend the approaching Christmas with Beatrice. Perhaps I could have influenza.’ Hurrah! Du Maurier has a sense of humour, I feel seen and all is well. That feeling didn’t last, but it was a high point for me.

The Bad…

My main issue with the novel was the narrator. The emphasis on her being young and naïve was wearying – I understand why the character was established like this in order to contextualise the later character arc, but it was repetitive and I lost all sympathy for her. She was the ultimate wet blanket at the start…and don’t even get me started on her reactions to Maxim’s ‘news’ later on.

I really don’t want to give spoilers so I’ll be vague – I thought there were some really odd moments all centred round the narrator’s immaturity. Yes, we can blame the narrator’s naivety to some extent, but these made her seem like a small child. The whole costume ball thing was weird, the reaction to the smashed ornament bizarre and she also runs away from visitors.

Actually, re-reading that, I kind of get the visitor thing…

Still, I didn’t find her a particularly sympathetic narrator and it was hard to empathise with her and her strange ideas. One of the weirdest was her obsession with Maxim who – I thought – seemed like a distinctly cold fish. I didn’t see the appeal at all. At any point.

And the Ugly…

Some of the novel is clearly ‘of its time’ and I don’t want to get into the politics of applying our modern sensibilities to history. I think we live and learn and it is sometimes useful to see relics of an earlier time, be shocked, and realise how far we’ve come. Still, the descriptions of Ben were uncomfortable.

So, there we have it. Another classic ticked off the bucket list and an enjoyable experience that probably has more to do with my reading buddies than the book itself. Still, I did quite like it – I’m not sure it would persuade me to read anything else by du Maurier, although I am glad I read this one.

To summarise, a mixed bag of a book for me but Manderley and the twisty plot kept me going, even as I cursed the general feebleness of the narrator.

WWW Wednesday – 2nd December, 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Taking on a World of Words. Anyone can take part and it is a great way of sharing what you have just finished reading, what you are currently reading and what is next on the TBR.

Affiliate links are provided for books – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

It’s been a slow reading week as I’ve found it quite hard to concentrate on books – my mind has moved into Christmas mode and I’ve spent a long time online shopping. Black Friday was not helpful with my attempt to stem the book buying…

I finally finished with the readalong of ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with The Write Reads lovelies. Their cheery chat, wild speculation and hilarious takes on the novel kept me going and I did even grow to quite enjoy this book. I still think the ending is more ‘huh?’ than I’d like, but my review will be up tomorrow.

I also read ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward, an ARC that’s due for publication next year. I thought I’d race through this, but it proved darker and murkier than I anticipated. My review will follow once I have wrapped my brain around what I think of it!

What are you reading now?

I’m going to have to stop mentioning Natalie Haynes’ ‘Pandora’s Jar’ as I have been reading it for an eternity. It is very good, but needs my full attention and that has wandered to Christmas!

I’m reading ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge and loving the mystery so far. I love this series anyway so I knew this would be a win.

What do you think you will read next?

I’m still really excited about ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne – this is definitely at the top of the pile.

I also feel like I need something cheerful after the batch of murderers and abusers I’ve worked my way through in literature form recently. They’re not my usual genres, but I’m thinking ‘The Summer Job’ by Lizzie Dent or ‘A Wedding in the Country’ by Katie Fforde might do nicely – thanks to NetGalley for the ARCs.

As always, thanks to NetGalley, publishers and authors for giving me opportunities to read some fabulous books. Opinions are always entirely my own and not influenced by free copies of books.

Header photo with thanks to Sincerely Media for sharing their work on Unsplash.

Blog Tour: ‘The Cousins’ by Karen McManus

Hi and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Write Reads. This YA thriller is to be published on 3rd December, 2020 by Penguin.

My Review

I’d not read any books by Karen McManus before this one, but I know they are hugely popular (even with my own son) so I thought I would give this one a try. Huge thanks to Dave at The Write Reads, Penguin Books and Karen McManus for giving me the opportunity to join this blog tour and a free copy of the book for review.

This is the story of three eighteen-year-old cousins who don’t know each other when the book begins – they come from different branches of an estranged family, the Storys. However, they all get an invitation to go to spend the summer working at their grandmother’s holiday resort on a beautiful East Coast island. This in itself is mysterious, as their grandmother disinherited all her children (the cousins’ parents) by letter years before. The letter simply said ‘You know what you did’, something none of the siblings claim to understand.

Arriving on the island, the it soon becomes apparent that the three cousins are not especially welcome and that there are family secrets to uncover…

The story is told from the perspective of the three cousins in turn – Milly, Aubrey and Jonah – with some flashbacks when we also hear the voices of the parents during their time at Gull Cove Island in the 1990s (when they are a similar age to their children in the present day). This is a clever way of revealing information gradually as the different perspectives gradually come together to reveal the full picture.

I definitely found it easier to connect to some of the characters more than others. In particular, I liked the character of Aubrey who seemed the most relatable of the three main voices – she had several of her own problems to work through as well as dealing with the family issues surrounding her grandmother. She seemed a much more developed character than either Milly or Jonah, both of whom were interesting but not quite as engaging for me.

The plot is cleverly woven so that the reader is kept guessing throughout – there were several twists along the way that I could never have predicted! The plot moved at a good pace and kept me reading as I wanted to find out the secrets behind the Story family and it is fair to say I was not disappointed.

One of the things I liked most about the book was the portrait of a small American community – there was a real sense of the history of the resort with various generations of families and their entwined lives and hidden secrets. This was evident not only in the Storys themselves but also with Kayla’s family and the Baxters. I really felt that the narrative was rooted in a complex and interesting tangle of multi-generational characters.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thriller with plenty of twists and turns. It would probably be best for older teens and adults as there is some swearing and mature themes. This is one that lulls you in with a false sense of security before winding an intricate and engaging plot – you won’t want to put it down.

November Wrap-Up and December TBR

Another month end – and thank goodness! We are one step nearer to Christmas and (more importantly) 2020 being over. This month has lasted approximately 9000 years so I am glad it is done.

I’m posting this a bit early as I have a blog tour lined up for the end of the month.

Affiliate links are provided – I do earn commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you, so thank you for supporting my blog!

What I read in November

Considering that November felt eternal, I only managed to read 9 books! However, this puts me on 109/100 for my Goodreads challenge so that’s fine by me.

I started this month with a NetGalley ARC that I was really looking forward to – Cara Hunter’s ‘The Whole Truth’. This is the fifth instalment in the excellent DI Fawley series of police procedurals and is due for publication on 25th February, 2021. The story starts with a sexual harassment allegation and then gets much darker and more twisty. I don’t think it is the best in the series but it is very engaging – I really like the police team and they are really relatable and real. My review will follow nearer publication.

Then I read ‘The Wrong Sort to Die’ by Paula Harmon for a blog tour. This is a very enjoyable historical mystery featuring a great female lead – Dr Margaret Demeray, a pathologist working in pre-World War I London. You can read my review here.

Next up was ‘How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics)’ by Gary Raymond for another blog tour. It’s basically a jaunt through – scene-by-scene – the 2003 film ‘Love Actually’ and all the reasons why it is so bad. Fans of the film won’t appreciate it all, but I loved it! This book made me laugh so much – my review is here.

Then I read ‘The Cousins’ by Karen M McManus for yet another blog tour – this one is up Monday. I don’t read a lot of YA books but I did enjoy this story of family secrets in a wealthy tourist spot in America. Check out my blog on Monday for my full review.

Then another blog tour book – ‘The Watchful Neighbour’ by Debbie Viggiano. This is a psychological thriller about a woman who worries that her Neighbourhood Watch man is just a little too watchful. It is tense and surprising – my review will follow in December.

It does seem that I’ve read a lot of blog tour books this month – the next was ‘Banking on Murder’ by J D Whitelaw, a cosy crime novel with a trio of sisters as investigators. I really loved the interaction between the three women – the review will follow in December.

After all the blog tour books, I returned to my huge NetGalley backlog and read ‘The Split’ by Laura Kay. This is a lovely, uplifting and funny read about how Ally puts her life back together after she is dumped by her girlfriend. Family, friends and running prove her salvation, even though she has a similar feeling about running as me (clue: not positive)! This is due to be published in March 2021 and my full review will appear nearer this date.

Another NetGalley read was ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell. I was really looking forward to this historical Gothic novel which promised spookiness, murder and spiritualism – and absolutely delivered. This is due to be published in January 2021 so my review will be up then, but if you loved Purcell’s previous books then there is plenty to love here too.

Finally, the lovely people at The Write Reads and I finally finished our readalong of ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier. Having given up on this book on at least two previous occasions, I’m really glad I stuck with it – turns out it gets really good! Who knew?! I’ve loved reading with these lovely bloggers and their wild speculation, hilarious observations and brilliant (and sometimes odd!) ideas have been an absolute joy. My review will be up next week.

December TBR

After a month or two of being totally overwhelmed by the amount of books I have in the pile to read, I’ve narrowed it down to ones I want to read soon:

‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge – a NetGalley ARC and the latest in the DCI Jonah Sheens series.
‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne – a proof from the lovely people at Quercus (thank you!) This one looks like a brilliant historical tale in the Gothic vein about a remote boarding school.
‘Dangerous Women’ by Hope Adams – another NetGalley ARC and due to be published in March 2021. I love the early Victorian setting of this one, doubly so as it is on board a ship sailing for the colonies, and it promises to be an engrossing crime story.
‘Hyde’ by Craig Russell – set in Victorian Edinburgh and by an author I really rate. This is another NetGalley ARC and is due for publication in February 2021.
‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward – I’ve seen some brilliant advance reviews for this one, a serial killer thriller, and cannot wait!

Who knows what I’ll actually end up reading, but that’s my best guess right now!

Hope you had a fabulous reading month in November and I look forward to reading your wrap-up posts and TBRs.

Header photo with thanks to Sincerely Media for sharing their work on Unsplash.

Blog Tour: ‘How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics)’ by Gary Raymond

Welcome to my stop on the tour for Gary Raymond’s hilarious book, ‘How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics)’.

This is a blog tour organised by Emma at Damp Pebbles and I’m grateful to her, Gary Raymond and Parthian Books for the chance to be involved in the tour and for my free copy of the book for review.

From the Publisher:

RARELY HAS THE POWER OF CINEMA BEEN FELT BY SO MANY, IN SUCH OPPOSING WAYS…

“Love Actually dulls the critical senses, making those susceptible to its hallucinogenic powers think they’ve seen a funny, warm-hearted, romantic film about the many complex manifestations of love. Colourful Narcotics. A perfect description of a bafflingly popular film.”

By any reasonable measurement, Love Actually is a bad movie. There are plenty of bad movies out there, but what gets under Gary Raymond’s skin here is that it seems to have tricked so many people into thinking it’s a good movie. In this hilarious, scene-by-scene analysis of the Christmas monolith that is Love Actually, Gary Raymond takes us through a suffocating quagmire of badly drawn characters, nonsensical plotlines, and open bigotry, to a climax of ill-conceived schmaltz.

How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics) is the definitive case against a terrible movie. With a foreword by Lisa Smithstead.

My Review:

Surely everyone likes ‘Love Actually’, the 2003 Richard Curtis comedy?

Who could not enjoy the sight of Hugh Grant (as the Prime Minister) sashaying around Number 10 Downing Street to a Girls Aloud tune? Who doesn’t love a film packed with national treasures – Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy (to name just a few)? Who could fail to have their heart warmed by the various entwined stories of love in the build-up to a gloriously perfect Christmas?

Gary Raymond, it turns out. And me.

I’ve never really liked this film. While I really enjoyed ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and ‘Notting Hill’, this one didn’t hit the spot for me. Given that I saw it on my honeymoon in a packed cinema in Florida – an idealised slice of Britishness being serves for an applauding American audience and a young honeymooning couple – that takes some saying. It should have been a winner. I never even knew clapping at a movie was a thing, but I’ve never felt further from applause.

While I was absolutely on board for Hugh Grant’s shimmying and I can’t wholly condemn anything either Colin Firth or Emma Thompson are in, I just couldn’t get my head round what I’d seen. It was altogether TOO MUCH – too many stories, too much sentimentalism (even for a Curtis film), too many awful characters, too much wasting of the impressive cast list, too much sadness in something marketed as jolly…I could go on forever.

This book brilliantly explores all the reasons I had for not loving the film and a whole lot I hadn’t even thought of (as I have deliberately avoided too much repeated exposure to this movie!) Gary Raymond has clearly spent a long time watching and thinking about this film and this book is the outcome – a gloriously funny and (I think) fantastically accurate diatribe.

The book takes us through the whole film, scene-by-scene. Here, laid bare, is the entire movie in all its horrific wonder. I’d actually forgotten some of the strands of the narrative which is absolutely understandable – as I’d thought, there are just too many and some are pretty pointless.

Raymond perfectly skewers each scene with wit and razor-sharp observation. Yes, Liam Neeson’s character seems like a wildly inappropriate parent figure. Yes, Emma Thompson proves to be the worst friend ever. Yes, Kris Marshall’s character is essentially a deluded sex pest. And yes – the romance strand with the 11 year-old child feels horribly inappropriate and weird. And what on earth is going on with the timeline?!

That’s not to say this book is all ‘bah, humbug’! In fact, it is the opposite. Raymond has no beef with Christmas or love or any of the people involved with the film, but merely points out that its messages are a bit off-beam. He is right – Christmas isn’t celebrated for being a festival of truth (‘What lovely novelty socks, Auntie Jean! How did you know what I wanted?’) and this film has some iffy ideas on class and gender too.

The strength of the book is the humour. There were many points where I laughed out loud, either at Raymond’s descriptions of the cast grappling with weird scenarios and terrible dialogue or the analysis of these. The description of Mia’s attempt at a seductive pose for Alan Rickman’s character (and his subsequent response) is worth the price of the book alone! The detail with which Raymond takes apart these scenes is to be commended – it is forensic and obsessive, but also hilarious.

I really cannot recommend this book highly enough – it is a light, humorous read that does have some serious messages in there under all the funny bits. As someone who feels very similar to Raymond about ‘Love Actually’, I was extremely receptive to his arguments. However, I think even lovers of the film (who perhaps know it better than me) would find something fun and interesting in this book – it is a well-argued and witty take that I think most people could appreciate.

As a postscript, I also love the fact that Raymond wanted to call the book ‘Colourful Narcotics’. It’s all explained within the pages, but I think it is absolutely spot-on as a description!

About the Author:

Gary Raymond is a novelist, critic, editor, and broadcaster. He is presenter of The Review Show for BBC Radio Wales and editor of Wales Arts Review. He is a regular writer on film, music, literature, and theatre, and can often be heard on BBC Radio 3 and 4 as an arts commentator and reviewer. His novels include For Those Who Come After (Parthian, 2015), The Golden Orphans (Parthian, 2018), and the upcoming Angels of Cairo (Parthian, 2021).

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GaryRaymond_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldenorphans/

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/35h5uPH

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/35i7hE4

Parthian Books: https://bit.ly/35sAs7z

WHSmith: https://bit.ly/2UcvsNZ

Publishing Information:

Published in paperback and digital format by Parthian Books on 2^nd November 2020

WWW Wednesday: 25th November, 2020

Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

It’s been a better reading week, so I actually have some updates! I’m on 107/100 of my Goodreads challenge – it’s nice to be an over-achiever so I’m not moving that target!

I finished ‘Banking on Murder’ by J D Whitelaw for a blog tour in December. This is a lively and cosy murder mystery with a formidable trio of investigators – the (Nosy) Parker Sisters! Review to follow.

I also finished Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’, a spooky and atmospheric historical mystery set in Bath and featuring some very weird but wonderful characters – especially Agnes, a silhouette-cutter with a mysterious past, and Pearl, an albino girl with a gift for contacting the dead. It’s packed with seances and murders and strange events – and I really loved it! Review to follow closer to publication in January 2021.

Finally, I read ‘The Split’ by Laura Kay, a book which was exactly what I needed – a lively and humorous book that follows the story of Ally after she is dumped by her girlfriend. Returning to her dad’s house in Sheffield, she finds comfort in an old friendship, a new job and a rather stressful new hobby (running a half marathon!) It’s got gorgeously-written characters, relatable bits and plenty of uplifting cheeriness as Ally finds happiness again. Review will follow nearer to publication date in March 2021 but this is one to watch for!

What are you reading now?

I’m embarrassed that I’m still reading Natalie Haynes’ ‘Pandora’s Jar’ but there we are – it is a fascinating read but keeps being put aside for blog tour books.

I’m also still working my way through ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with The Write Reads gang. I’m enjoying it, but mainly because my fellow readers are a group of people with some interesting and hilarious ideas!

What do you think you will read next?

Having worked my way through a grand total of three out of my top 10 2021 ARCs that I’m really excited about, I need to keep working on those. Catching my eye next are ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge (crime fiction), ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward (serial killer thriller) and ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne (gothic spookiness!).

Header photo with thanks to Alena Ganzhela for sharing her work on Unsplash.

Blog Tour: ‘Out for Blood’ by Deborah Masson

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Out for Blood’ by Deborah Masson. This book will be released in paperback by Corgi on 10th December, 2020, but the e-book is available now.

This blog tour was organised by the fabulous Random Things Tours.

From the Publisher

THE RETURN OF DI EVE HUNTER: DI Eve Hunter is back in the edge-of-your-seat new detective thriller from Deborah Masson, winning author of the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2020.

A young man, the son of an influential businessman, is discovered dead in his central Aberdeen apartment.

Hours later, a teenaged girl with no identification is found hanged in a suspected suicide.

As DI Eve Hunter and her team investigate the two cases, they find themselves in a tug-of-war between privilege and poverty; between the elite and those on the fringes of society.

Then an unexpected breakthrough leads them to the shocking conclusion: that those in power have been at the top for too long – and now, someone is going to desperate lengths to bring them down…

Can they stop someone who is dead set on revenge, no matter the cost

READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH THE DI EVE HUNTER SERIES

‘Out For Blood has everything you need in a crime thriller and more’ – Rebecca Bradley

‘DI Eve Hunter is truly a force to be reckoned with’ – David Jackson

‘This is first-class crime fiction’ – Marion Todd

‘Not to be missed, edge-of-the-seat stuff from a genuine rising star’ – Denzil Meyrick

‘One of the best books I’ve ever read!’

‘I loved DI Eve Hunter and her team’

‘Without a doubt the best police procedural I have read in a long time’

‘I cannot wait to see what else is to come in the DI Eve Hunter series’

‘You won’t want to stop reading this addictive crime novel’

‘Fantastic characters that you’ll fall in love with – I really couldn’t put this book down!’

‘Can’t wait for the next one . . . and the next one . . . and the next one!

My Review

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Eve Hunter. I absolutely loved the first in the series – ‘Hold Your Tongue’ – and this is a worthy sequel.

The story opens with the death of a young man in a flat in an exclusive area of Aberdeen. At the same time, a young woman is found dead at a golf course in the city – it would appear to be a suicide, but there are some questions over the circumstances. DI Eve Hunter and her team are called in to investigate both deaths and start to make connections with some very powerful men and a previous police investigation.

I really liked the idea behind this novel – the fact that power at the highest level of society isn’t without corruption. This made for a compelling read as I was keen to find out what happened to the men in power and why.

DI Eve Hunter is an appealing and feisty protagonist – she has temper problems and doesn’t always have the best judgement which is refreshing and real. She has strength, but also she can be vulnerable, and her personal life doesn’t crowd out the crime story (as sometimes happens in police procedural series).

Another strength is DI Hunter’s team. They are also appealing and have identities in their own rights which is refreshing – too often, in books like this, the police team surrounding the main investigator tend to blend together, but this doesn’t happen here. They are individually interesting and likeable.

The story is well plotted and pacey – I was keen to race through to the end to find out what happened and was not disappointed at any point. It isn’t as gruesome as the first book in the series or quite as tense, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment!

Overall, this is highly recommended to readers who enjoy a solid police procedural with a strong female lead. It’s perhaps not quite as edge-of-your-seat tense as the first one in the series, but it is engaging and compelling. I really look forward to the next one in the series.

About the Author:

Deborah Masson was born and bred in Aberdeen, Scotland. Always restless and fighting against being a responsible adult, she worked in several jobs including secretarial, marketing, reporting for the city’s freebie newspaper and a stint as a postie – to name but a few.

Through it all, she always read crime fiction and, when motherhood finally settled her into being an adult (maybe even a responsible one) she turned her hand to writing what she loved. Deborah started with short stories and flash fiction whilst her daughter napped and, when she later welcomed her son into the world, she decided to challenge her writing further through online courses with Professional Writing Academy and Faber Academy. Her debut novel, Hold Your Tongue, is the result of those courses.

Hold Your Tongue has been widely well reviewed by readers and authors alike, with many comparing her favourably to Stuart MacBride. It won the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2020 and was longlisted for CWA New Blood Dagger 2020.

What books do I hope Santa will bring?

I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about NetGalley and ARCs and 2021 books – it really struck me that I am totally neglecting so many books that are in print already!

So here is my opportunity to talk about some books that I really want to read and hope that Santa will be bringing me this year! My wish list is shamefully long, but I’ve picked 10 brilliant books to mention here.

Affiliate links are included in case you want your own copies of these books – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig

This is one that I’ve heard so much about on Twitter that I am going to give in and read it! I resisted it for a while (as I am quite contrary!) but everything about this story of a magical library – one that allows a woman to explore what her life would have been like if she had made different choices – is appealing.

‘Maiden Voyages: Women and the Golden Age of Transatlantic Travel’ by Sian Evans

My NetGalley ARC of this didn’t work, so it has been transferred to the Christmas list!

I absolutely love anything to do with women’s social history and pioneering women who went against the conventions of their eras. This book promises to explore a range of women’s lives as they made life-changing journeys across the Atlantic – some in the lap of luxury, others as workers on the ocean liners that sailed between the wars. I’m hoping for some interesting real-life characters, some amazing stories and a little of the glitz and glamour of the golden age of sea travel!

‘Under a Dancing Star’ by Laura Wood

I saw this on someone’s blog the other day and it looks glorious! It’s a YA romance, which isn’t my genre at all, but the review was marvellous and it made me feel that I’d love to read this story about a young girl in the 1930s who spends a heady summer in Italy just as the storm clouds begin gathering for war.

I wish I knew whose blog I read this on – thank you!

‘Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ by Kathryn Harkup

Harkup writes brilliant popular science books about the reality behind the fiction and I anticipate this one will be every bit as brilliant as her previous books which explored Shakespearean deaths (in all their weird variety!) and Agatha Christie’s poisoning methods.

‘Scoff: A History of Food and Class in Britain’ by Pen Vogler

Another non-fiction social history book here, but one that had brilliant reviews in the newspapers. I’m so intrigued by what our meals and food choices reveal about social class and was really interested in some of the examples I read in reviews – snobbery about baps versus baguettes, the etiquette of milk in tea and the origins of the Christmas turkey to name just a few. I think this book will be packed with interesting snippets of information that I will be able to ‘astound’ (*bore*) my friends with for some time!

‘Au Revoir, Tristesse: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature’ by Viv Groskop

Having written on this blog about how much I love books about books, I mentioned Groskop’s excellent book about life lessons from Russian Literature. Turns out she has also written about French Literature, so this one is a must!

‘Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread’ by Michiko Kakutani

Another book about books, and one that has had fantastic reviews. I love this kind of list book as it (hopefully) both reassures me that I have read some good books and also totally destroys my TBR!

‘The Lions of Fifth Avenue’ by Fiona Davis

I love the look of this book set around the New York Public Library. It promises to be a multi-generational tale (it is set both in 1913 and 1993 with a grandmother and her granddaughter) with elements of mystery too as family secrets get uncovered and manuscripts go missing. I love a historical novel and pre-war New York is a pretty compelling setting for me.

‘Moonflower Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz

Having read some of the other books by Horowitz written for adults, I’m really tempted by this one! Previously, I knew Horowitz only as the children’s writer of the Alex Rider series but I’ve been totally won over. This book promises to be another fiendishly-plotted murder mystery that picks up some of the same characters from ‘Magpie Murders’.

‘To the End of the World: Travels with Oscar Wilde’ by Rupert Everett

I really love Rupert Everett but have shied away from his autobiographies because I’m actually a bit scared that he will come across badly and put me off him! This book is the third of his memoirs, but holds more appeal for me as he talks about the film he made about Oscar Wilde (which I dragged my mum to see!) I also saw him talking about the making of this film at the Hay Festival last year and the whole process sounded really intense but also really interesting – he also seemed absolutely hilarious and quite lovely. I’m sold on this one and fully expecting that I’ll then need to read the other memoirs!

So there we have it – 10 books that I really want to read that aren’t ARCs or promises from a future time! I’d love to know what’s on your list in the comments…

Header photo with thanks to Samuel Holt for sharing their work on Unsplash.