The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth

The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

NOW
Helena is a career woman with no job and a mother without a baby. She blames Ashley for destroying her life. But is what happened really Ashley's fault?

THEN
When Helena hires Ashley to work for her, she's startled but impressed by her fierce ambition. They form a dream team and Helena is proud - maybe this is the protégée she's always wanted to have. But soon Helena realizes that nothing will stand in the way of Ashley's drive to get to the top. And when Helena becomes pregnant, everything she has worked so hard for is suddenly threatened, with devastating consequences...

Billed as a Crime Thriller this is more like woman’s fiction and as such my expectations were to be reading a crime/psychological thriller.

It was a mix of gossip and bitchy office rivalry that culminates in tragic consequences. It was well written but lacked pace and depth. I didn’t jell with any of the characters and because of this I felt indifferent to the outcome.

The ending had a twist of sorts but it was a very ordinary lack lustre read for me and therefore I can only give this 3 stars. Sorry just didn’t keep me interested

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Never Tell by Lisa Gardner

Never Tell by Lisa Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One death might be an accident.
Two looks like murder.

A man is shot dead in his own home, and his pregnant wife, Evie, is found with the gun in her hands.

Detective D.D. Warren instantly recognises her. Sixteen years ago, Evie also shot her own father. That killing was ruled an accident.

D.D. doesn’t believe in coincidences. But this case isn’t as open and shut as it first appears, and her job is to discover the truth.

Evie might be a victim.

Or she might be about to get away with murder again.

This appears to be one of a series of books which I had not read before but it is a decent stand alone book.

A solid plot line with relatable characters who as expected are flawed and this predictably leads them into difficult scenarios.

Lots of police involvement but equally good explanations along the way as different lines of enquiry are pursued until the puzzle begins to fit together.

Tightly woven together sub plots that culminate in the final reveal, which wasn’t entirely unpredictable but nevertheless a satisfactory read but no real unexpected twists.

There are so many books in this psychological/thriller/criminal genre that it’s becoming more and more difficult to rate them. This is not a great book but still a decent read, I give this one a 3.5 (rounded up to 4* for Goodreads and Amazon) and would recommend.

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There’s no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it’s more than a year before the man is identified. And that’s just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...? No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett’s THE MALTESE FALCON and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world’s great storytellers presents a moving and surprising tale whose subject is nothing less than the nature of mystery itself...


This is not a new Stephen King book but re released illustrated edition part of the Hard Case Crime series.

As with most King books the reader should not be expecting the norm but have to inhabit the tale go get the most out of it.

Not a book with a conclusion or happy neat ending but one that makes the reader think and if a book can do that then, for me, it’s done a good job.

When two teenagers find the body of a man on the beach it begins a mystery that remains unsolved for many years. Over a cup of coffee two veterans of the local newspaper The Weekly Islander (Dave Bowie 65 managing editor and Vincent Teague the 92 year old founder of the paper) tell Stephanie McCann (22 who is on an internship at the paper) about the unsolved case.

Eventually the identity of the dead man is revealed but the reasons that lead him to the island of Moose-Lookit remain a mystery.

I enjoyed the engaging prose and characterisation of all the ‘players’ and felt it sat nicely in the era. Brave of any writer to leave a book the same way it started, as a mystery, yet for all that it was a clever and intriguing tale.

Life does not neatly package up answers for everything and I think that this is the message here. Some things we will never know for sure but it doesn’t prevent us from trying. This is not a book for anyone looking for a solution to the tale which might frustrate some readers but for me maybe that was its resolution in that not everything in life is so tidy and neat. Some things simply can’t be explained.

Thought provoking and a good 4 star read. I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Murder wasn't the hard part. It was just the start of the game.

Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He's done it before. But this is the big one.

This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house.

But there's someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn't the man on trial.

Kane knows time is running out - he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.

This novel is the forth in the Eddie Flynn series and my first Eddie Flynn novel by this author. Luckily for me its not necessary to read these in order as this can be enjoyed as a stand alone book.

It was such a gripping and fast paced read with an unusual and intriguing idea that the killer is actually a juror on the trial where he has framed someone for the murder that he in fact has committed.

With a ruthless prosecutor, a Hollywood movie star who is accused and a brilliantly yet flawed defence lawyer this novel screams along at breakneck speed until it hurtles the reader to its conclusion. Brilliantly twisty with good characters this thriller is one of the best I've read.

Has to have five stars and highly recommended. I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping novel.

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything seems picture-perfect in the town of Fairview, Connecticut, until one night the unthinkable happens: a young woman, Jenny Kramer, is brutally attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately thereafter, Jenny is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, she wrestles with her raging emotional memory.

Jenny's father, Tom, becomes obsessed in his quest for justice though her mother, Charlotte, struggles to pretend this horrific event did not touch her carefully-constructed world. Soon the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows, where they have been hidden for years. Meanwhile, Jenny remains haunted by what she can and cannot remember. . .and her attacker is still on the loose.

Dark and thought provoking thriller that explores experimental treatment that will erase memories of an horrific rape that a girl suffers when she is attacked at a party.

Believing that she is doing the right thing, Jennys' mother makes the decision to let her daughter who was attacked have the drug (previously used on trauma patients) to erase her memory of the attack. Jenny's father is conflicted, he wants the attacker found and if her memory is wiped all hope of that happening is gone. He is also wracked with guilt that he couldn't have protected her and feels it is his duty to find this man. Because treatment must be given within hours of the attack for it to be effective it leaves very little time for her parents to think things over or speak to any other professional. Believing it is the best course of action, Jenny's mother pushes for it to be done.

However, the treatment does not completely rid Jenny of the experience and her emotional and physiological memory of the incident are still living on in her body which causes her to have extreme anxiety and depression. She does have additional counselling through a support group where a psychiatrist works with victims. While she is being counselled her father is unravelling and crazed with finding her attacker. Her mother is coping the best way she can by convincing herself they can put this behind them.

It is a deep and dark psychological novel highlighting the effects of decisions made and consequences that propel people down specific paths in life. It is brutal in its honesty and frighteningly real in its portrayal.

The narrators identity is not revealed until late in the book and although not entirely surprising it was not immediately obvious.

It kind of has the 'be careful what you wish for' warning - sometimes its' not good to tamper with events but the appeal of having all the trauma taken away from you must be tempting. Its worth remembering that the brain is complex and 'quick fix' experimental solutions may have long term unpredictable consequences.

Lots of curve balls to send you down blind alleys in this book with good pace and plenty of suspense. Although the writer takes pains to tell us that the drug does not exist it makes you wonder how close we are to developing something similar and what the consequences would be should it ever be used.

Have to give this one 5 stars for its originality and spellbinding story telling.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Wink Murder by Ali Knight

Wink Murder by Ali Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Late one night, Kate is woken by her husband Paul, drunk, covered in blood, and mumbling that he's killed something - or someone.

Afterwards, Paul denies he ever said what he did. But when an attractive young woman who works for him is found murdered, Kate's terrible suspicions about what her husband has really done send her on a desperate search for the truth.

Although as the lies multiply, and Kate's carefully constructed life comes under threat, doing the right thing is not as straightforward as it seems . . .


Another psychological thriller that explores more secrets and lies and how well you know and can trust those around you.

This one is about Kate and Paul who seem to have a perfect marriage and family albeit that they socialise in the world of TV and celebrities. Kate has always been mystified at why the handsome and charismatic Paul ever married her given he could have had any one of the beautiful women in his media world and she is never far from self-doubt and worry that he will one day tire of her.

One night Paul comes home seemingly drunk collapses on the floor in tears and is incoherently gabbling that he has killed someone, he also has blood on his hands. Unable to find out what he is talking about she is forced to leave the conversation until the morning. The following day Paul is calm and insists he hit a dog that is all.

Later a woman who works for Paul is found murdered and Kate becomes increasingly worried and suspicious of her husband and embarks on a journey to find the truth. Having been the 'mistress' in her husbands first marriage, Kate becomes concerned that he might have been having an affair with this woman and perhaps things went wrong and he killed her.

Kate uncovers lies and deceit and a spiral that threatens her carefully constructed life - she is torn between doing the right thing or living a lie.

Even at the end there were questions left unanswered - a good read and an ending left to the readers interpretation. 4 stars

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A high-profile marriage thrust into the spotlight. A wife, determined to keep her family safe, must face a prosecutor who believes justice has been a long time coming. A scandal that will rock Westminster. And the women caught at the heart of it.

Anatomy of a Scandal centres on a high-profile marriage that begins to unravel when the husband is accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is sure her husband, James, is innocent and desperately hopes to protect her precious family from the lies which might ruin them. Kate is the barrister who will prosecute the case – she is equally certain that James is guilty and determined he will pay for his crimes


A timely and topical thriller uncovering a high profile case of an MP in Westminster accused of rape. Told from multi viewpoints and from past college days to present day and the trial of the accused MP James Whitehouse. The college days tell of the privileged wealthy students whose appetite for excess in all things leaves an impression wherever they go, not least in the their privileged boys club the Libertines spend hedonistic nights drinking and taking drugs then trashing the club believing they only have to flash their cash to keep everyone happy and cover any indiscretions. Bonds are formed in the days at Oxford and James Whitehouse forms a lasting partnership with Tom Southern who later becomes PM. We are transported 30 years later and both young men working in Westminster have each others' backs. When James is accused by his parliamentary researcher Olivia Lytton of rape Tom has to distance himself but still supports him when James says he is innocent. Olivia appoints Kate Woodcroft QC who specialises in prosecuting sexual crimes and we later learn she has a connection to the accused. James is married to Sophie who at first is convinced her husband, although used to having his own way, would not have committed this crime but as time goes on she begins to doubt him.

Plenty of twists and turns in this well paced novel and lots of high court room drama with a nice little twist at the end. Good enjoyable read that gets a 4 stars from me.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister

No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The police say she's guilty.

She insists she's innocent.

She's your sister.

You love her.

You trust her.

But they say she killed the person you care about most.

Cleverly executed psychological thriller/court room drama about 2 sisters (Becky and Martha) whose lives are changed forever when Martha leaves her 8 week old baby Layla in the care of her sister Becky while she and her husband Scott are away on business trips. Becky has become Layla's nanny but the baby is a very fractious child and Becky finds it difficult to cope with her. That night the unthinkable happens and Layla dies, the story unfolds through different POV's on what happens leading up to that fateful night and slowly the real truth emerges.

Lots of twists in this one, I genuinely didn't guess the ending which is always a plus for me. The court room drama and ping pong between defence and prosecution was pacey and kept up momentum throughout the book. Easily read in one sitting I found I was analysing the prosecution's style and method of questioning which highlighted for me how some seemingly innocent actions or remarks can be taken out of context or manipulated to support a theory. Very cleverly plotted and a good ending. I will definitely look out for her next novel coming out in Spring 2019 called The Evidence Against You - being a lawyer Gillian is sticking to what she knows best and it's a great formula. Easy 5 stars.

Random by Craig Robertson

Random by Craig Robertson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed The Cutter. The murders have left the police baffled. There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason behind the killings; no kind of pattern or motive; an entirely different method of murder each time, and nothing that connects the victims except for the fact that the little fingers of their right hands have been severed.

If DS Rachel Narey could only work out the key to the seemingly random murders, how and why the killer selects his victims, she would be well on her way to catching him. But as the police, the press and a threatening figure from Glasgow's underworld begin to close in on The Cutter, his carefully-laid plans threaten to unravel - with horrifying consequences.



This was an unusual book - a serial killer is loose on the streets of Glasgow and it appears the police are finding it difficult if not impossible to catch him. With little or no clues and victims being seemingly chosen at random the police are baffled and frustrated at the lack of information for them to grasp to piece together who is behind the crimes.


Its unusual because the narrator is the killer. You are instantly transported into his mind and through his thoughts and actions we learn how a tragedy in his life has shaped him into a lonely empty shell of a man incapable of emotion and filled with grief he embarks on a single goal - retribution against the person/persons responsible.


The pace is energetic, chapters not overly long which keeps this going like a ticking time bomb in the killers mind. Good characterisation, I even felt empathy for the killer and understood his motivation albeit that he could have driven his energies to better use like his wife was doing. He sets out to show the darker side of the city in Glasgow, the seediness of a large town where its inhabitants are faceless and keep themselves to themselves. Robertson allows the reader to sympathise with the killer by seemingly being able to justify his actions so that we start to understand the logic of them and poses the question of 'would you do the same' - frighteningly real.


Through a mistake he finds himself in trouble with the mob in Glasgow and things take a different turn for him where he is not totally in control of events and you feel as if you are now there for the ride with him. I wont say more as I wouldn't want to spoil it but suffice it to say that there is a twist of sorts and it makes the ending rather sad.


I enjoyed this novel for the unusual way it was written, the characterisation and clever way it was all pulled together, its the first book for me by this author but I would definitely read more of his work. A well deserved 4 stars from me.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The girl emerged from the woods, barely alive. Her story was beyond belief. But it was true. Every dreadful word of it.

Days later, another desperate escapee is found - and a pattern is emerging. Pairs of victims are being abducted, imprisoned then faced with a terrible choice: kill or be killed.

Would you rather lose your life or lose your mind?

Detective Inspector Helen Grace has faced down her own demons on her rise to the top. As she leads the investigation to hunt down this unseen monster, she learns that it may be the survivors - living calling cards - who hold the key to the case.

And unless she succeeds, more innocents will die . . .

Another serial killer/crime thriller novel set in Southampton this time. The story is essentially about a series of double kidnappings that result in the killing of at least one of the pair. The victims are kidnapped and left to die without food or water in places they cannot escape from. The perpetrator gives them a chance to survive by letting them each make a life or death decision. They are forced to commit murder in order to survive. Once one of the pair have made that decision and killed the other one they are released and left with the guilt and torment of having to live with what they have been forced to do.

The DI who is assigned the case is Helen Grace who has insecurities and issues of her own to battle with. She is a committed policewoman who has to fill her life with a punishing workload in order to keep her demons at bay.

During the investigation she comes to realise the victims are all linked to her in some way and as the case unravels things become very personal. Assisted by two colleagues in the force Mark and Charley who are also facing problems of their own, they fight against time to get one step ahead of the killer before they can strike again. Good supporting characters make this an even more enjoyable read and hopefully we'll see more of them in the next book.

This is the first in a series of novels that feature DI Helen Grace and will keep the reader guessing until the end. Lots of blind alleys in this one and a strong open ending that hints it's not all over yet. Will definitely look out for the next in the series and hope it's as good as this one. I am giving this debut novel a well deserved 4 star rating.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Inspector Chopra and the Million-Dollar Motor Car by Vaseem Khan

Inspector Chopra and the Million-Dollar Motor Car by Vaseem Khan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An enchanting Baby Ganesh Agency short story: a million-dollar car is missing. Chopra has two days to find it, or the gangster who bought it will not be happy.

The Premier No.1 Garage is the place to go in Mumbai if you want a luxury car. Even Mumbai's biggest gangster shops there - he's just ordered a classic race car worth millions.

But now the car is gone. Stolen from a locked room, in the middle of the night.

Who stole it? The mechanic who is addicted to gambling? The angry ex-worker? The car thief pulling off one last job?

And how on earth did they make it vanish from the locked garage?

Inspector Chopra has just days to find the culprit - and the missing car - before its gangster owner finds out ... and takes violent revenge.

This was the first Khan book I have read, I picked this up at the airport for a read on the plane. I thought this would be right up my street, I love mystery and crime based books and recently visiting India I thought I would fall in love with it. Unfortunately this was not the case, I didn't particularly enjoy the story, I found it felt rushed.

There were many characters in the story, this was fine, however I felt due to the length of the book and the speed we were whisked through the story I didn't really know any of the characters very well.

It was an O.K story but it just wasn't for me, I probably wouldn't go out and buy another by Khan on the strength of this.

The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan

The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Stolen. Missing. Dead...

Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, already wrestling with the hardest decision of her life, is forced to put her own problems on hold when she's asked to help find a baby taken from a local hospital.

Then the brutal, ritualistic murder of a woman found lying on a remote stone circle indicates a connection to the kidnapping and Paula knows that they will have to move fast if they are to find the person responsible.

When another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula finds herself caught up in a deadly hunt for a killer determined to leave no trace, and discovers every decision she makes really is a matter of life and death...

No one is safe from the killer that waits at the dead ground.


Clever and compelling story line with enough twists and turns to keep you going to the end. This had a reasonably good pace and believable characters, peppered with Irish charm it made this crime thriller an absorbing read. The novel was billed as the last in the series and I had not read the previous two but felt that this was easily able to be a stand alone book as the characters were easy to identify with. Set in Ballyterrin on the Irish border Paula McGuire is a forensic psychologist the daughter of an ex policeman father who is living back home and working on a stolen baby case. Paula is still very much haunted by the disappearance of her own mother when she was 13 and at 30 she is still unable to form lasting relationships because of it.

Paula is a likeable character with a strength and vulnerability that make her instantly real. A modern novel, it makes full use of technology and social media platforms which will connect with a young readership. It was a good plot with enough twists to keep the interest alive until the reveal. A well deserved 4 stars for this entertaining novel and I have made a mental note to look out for Claire McGowan's next novel.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker blog tour with extract

Brilliant. Complicated. Psycopath.

That’s the Four Monkey Killer or ‘4MK’. A murderer with a twisted vision and absolutely no mercy. Detective Sam Porter has hunted him for five long years, the recipient of box after box of grisly trinkets carved from the bodies of 4MK’s victims. But now Porter has learnt the killer’s twisted history and is racing to do the seemingly impossible – find 4MK’s latest victim before it’s too late…



With echoes of the films Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, THE FOURTH MONKEY is a rollercoaster-paced reading experience which will have you white-knuckling the pages at every heart-pounding twist and turn.


Extract - Chapter 1:

Don’t stop reading. I need you to understand what I have done. — Diary
 Day 1 • 6:14 a.m. 

1 There it was again, that incessant ping. I turned the ringer off. Why am I hearing text notifications? Why am I hearing anything? Apple’s gone to shit without Steve Jobs. Sam Porter rolled to his right, his hand blindly groping for the phone on the nightstand. His alarm clock crashed to the floor with a thunk unique to cheap electronics from China. “Fuck me.” When his fingers found the phone, he wrestled the device from the charging cable and brought it to his face, squinting at the small, bright screen. CALL ME — 911. 
A text from Nash. Porter looked over at his wife’s side of the bed, empty except for a note — Went to get milk, be back soon. xoxo, 

 He grunted and again glanced at his phone. 6:15 a.m. So much for a quiet morning. Porter sat up and dialed his partner. He answered on the second ring. “Sam?” “Hey, Nash.” The other man fell silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Porter. I debated whether or not to contact you. Must have dialed your number a dozen times and couldn’t bring myself to actually place the call. I finally decided it would be best just to text you. Give you a chance to ignore me, you know?” “It’s fine, Nash. What have you got?” Another pause. “You’ll want to see for yourself.” “See what?” “There’s been an accident.” Porter rubbed his temple. “An accident? We’re Homicide. Why would we respond to an accident?” “You’ve gotta trust me on this. You’ll want to see it,” Nash told him again. There was an edge to his voice. Porter sighed. “Where?” “Near Hyde Park, off Fifty-Fifth. I just texted you the address.” His phone pinged loudly in his ear, and he jerked it away from his head. Fucking iPhone. He looked down at the screen, noted the address, and went back to the call. “I can be there in about thirty minutes. Will that work?” “Yeah,” Nash replied. “We’re not going anywhere soon.” Porter disconnected the call and eased his legs off the side of the bed, listening to the various pops and creaks his tired fifty-two-yearold body made in protest. The sun had begun its ascent, and light peeked in from between the closed blinds of the bedroom window. Funny how quiet and gloomy the apartment felt without Heather around. Went to get milk. 

 From the hardwood floor his alarm clock blinked up at him with a cracked face displaying characters no longer resembling numbers. Today was going to be one of those days. There had been a lot of those days lately. Porter emerged from the apartment ten minutes later dressed in his Sunday best — a rumpled navy suit he’d bought off the rack at Men’s Wearhouse nearly a decade earlier — and made his way down the four flights of stairs to the cramped lobby of his building. He stopped at the mailboxes, pulled out his cell phone, and punched in his wife’s phone number. You’ve reached the phone of Heather Porter. Since this is voice mail, I most likely saw your name on caller ID and decided I most certainly did not wish to speak to you. If you’re willing to pay tribute in the form of chocolate cake or other assorted offerings of dietary delight, text me the details and I’ll reconsider your position in my social roster and possibly get back to you later. If you’re a salesperson trying to get me to switch carriers, you might as well hang up now. AT&T owns me for at least another year. All others, please leave a message. Keep in mind my loving husband is a cop with anger issues, and he carries a large gun. Porter smiled. Her voice always made him smile. “Hey, Button. It’s just me. Nash called. There’s something going on near Hyde Park; I’m meeting him down there. I’ll give you a call later when I know what time I’ll be home.” He added, “Oh, and I think there’s something wrong with our alarm clock.” He dropped the phone into his pocket and pushed through the door, the brisk Chicago air reminding him that fall was preparing to step aside for winter.

About J.D Barker:

J.D. Barker is the international best-selling author of Forsaken, a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Debut Novel. A strong emerging voice in the horror and crime world, J.D. Barker will be setting the bar high for a new wave of serial killer thrillers with #4MK.

Mad by Chloe J. Esposito

Mad by Chloe J. Esposito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this compulsively readable debut, set between London and Sicily over one blood-drenched week in the dead of summer, an identical twin reveals the crazy lies and twists she'll go through to not only steal her sister's perfect life, but to keep on living it.

Alvie Knightly is a trainwreck: aimless, haphazard, and pretty much constantly drunk. Alvie's existence is made even more futile in contrast to that of her identical and perfect twin sister, Beth. Alvie lives on social media, eats kebabs for breakfast, and gets stopped at security when the sex toy in her carry-on starts buzzing. Beth is married to a hot, rich Italian, dotes on her beautiful baby boy, and has always been their mother's favorite. The twins' days of having anything in common besides their looks are long gone.
When Beth sends Alvie a first-class plane ticket to visit her in Italy, Alvie is reluctant to go. But when she gets fired from the job she hates and her flatmates kick her out on the streets, a luxury villa in glitzy Taormina suddenly sounds more appealing. Beth asks Alvie to swap places with her for just a few hours so she can go out unnoticed by her husband. Alvie jumps at the chance to take over her sister's life--if only temporarily. But when the night ends with Beth dead at the bottom of the pool, Alvie realizes that this is her chance to change her life.
Alvie quickly discovers that living Beth's life is harder than she thought. What was her sister hiding from her husband? And why did Beth invite her to Italy at all? As Alvie digs deeper, she uncovers Mafia connections, secret lovers, attractive hitmen, and one extremely corrupt priest, all of whom are starting to catch on to her charade. Now Alvie has to rely on all the skills that made her unemployable--a turned-to-11 sex drive, a love of guns, lying to her mother--if she wants to keep her million-dollar prize. She is uncensored, unhinged, and unforgettable.


When this arrived unexpectedly I was really excited, looking at the front cover and reading the blurb I couldn't wait to get started, so I did, straight away! I read this book in 24 hours, as soon as I started I was hooked and needed to get to the next chapter.

This book is set over the period of a week and oh my word does a lot happen, I had to keep reminding myself that it was just a week, which when you read it will agree that that is insane!

'Mad' is such an easy book to get into, Chloe's writing is almost conversational and flows well, I guess this is because it is written in the first person, you feel you know the main character very well. Our main character is Alvina, a identical twin of a sister she hasn't seen in two years, who now lives in Sicily.

Alvina is the 'poorer' sister, the 'outcast' of the family, the one that no one loved and this is evident through flashbacks in the book. Her behaviour most of the time is unacceptable, but at times I was warming to her in the book, feeling sorry for her and starting to perhaps understand at times why she was the way she is, however this does wear off at I read further into the book. She is not particularly very likable and if you are looking for a lovely protagonist this book is not for you.

Beth, Alvina's sister wants her to go and visit but Alvina cannot think of anything worse, that is until she loses her job, gets kicked out of her flat and has no money. She is then on the next flight to Sicily.

I won't go into too much detail from here as I don't want to spoil it for you. What I would stay is that I was very surprised about this. At times I was unsure what genre it was as there are elements from women's fiction, thriller, erotic fiction and even has humour in it. I think that is a major asset this book has as it could appeal to many audiences.

I really, really enjoyed the first half of the book and as I said I couldn't put it down, towards the end though and I suppose indicates how the book got it's title 'Mad' it got a bit far-fetched for me and perhaps loses reality. However, it did not spoil the enjoyment for me and I continued to whiz through the novel. This is not like any book I have read and I really enjoyed it for that reason, I hope to get my hands on the next in the series as I can't wait to find out what Alvina gets up to next one.

I would recommend this as a summer beach read, it is highly addictive and will have you racing through it.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

What Alice Knew by T.A. Cotterell

What Alice Knew by T.A. Cotterell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

How far would you go to keep a secret?

Alice has a perfect life – a great job, happy kids, a wonderful husband. Until he goes missing one night; she receives a suspicious phone call; things don’t quite add up.

Alice needs to know what’s going on. But when she uncovers the truth she faces a brutal choice. And how can she be sure it is the truth?

Sometimes it’s better not to know.


I didn't really enjoy this book. It promised so much and delivered so little. The writing was good and the story line could have had good mileage but I felt the author's characters were flat and unrealistic and he asked the reader to accept some scenarios that really were not believable.

It's essentially about a murder that takes place early on in the novel and the rest is how those involved find their lives changed forever and tests loyalty against truth and justice. There is a heavy slant on art as Alice is a celebrated portrait artist (the author studied Art History at university) and it seems she spends her time comparing and contrasting events to fit in with artistic views of seeing deeper into the canvas of life/humanity and bases her views and judgements accordingly.

I skim read a lot of this book so that I could pass irrelevant annoying passages to try and get to the nitty gritty of the novel although there was none really. It became as much about Alice atoning for mistakenly accusing her best friend of theft and ruining her life and her striving for perfection as it did about an unfortunate accident involving her husband and how it changed their lives. The author had so much to work with but he just didn't deliver.

I didn't like Alice or any of the characters; she came across as selfish and self possessed, the author made much of her love of her family and concern for their well-being but in truth she spent little time with them being self absorbed in her painting and seeing little around her. I didn't like Ed who was also wrapped up in his work as an obstetrician and more concerned with his reputation and social standing than his wife and family. Both the characters were under developed and lacked any qualities that would create a connection to the reader (or indeed a credible connection to each other) or invoke empathy. Random sub plot of Alice's family and that of her school days didn't do anything to lift this rather boring novel. It poses the question of how far would you go to protect someone you love but really falls short on reality. The ending was in my opinion just not believable especially since Ed gets off scot-free and it begs the question why she feels she has to become the victim in all this, her action even at the end is not selfless to protect those she loves it comes across as someone who wants to be seen as a martyr.

Really didn't like this one at all and can only give it 2 star rating.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

Ragdoll by Daniel Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A body is discovered with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together, nicknamed by the press as the 'Ragdoll'. Assigned to the shocking case are Detective William 'Wolf' Fawkes, recently reinstated to the London Met, and his former partner Detective Emily Baxter.

The 'Ragdoll Killer' taunts the police by releasing a list of names to the media, and the dates on which he intends to murder them. With six people to save, can Fawkes and Baxter catch a killer when the world is watching their every move?


Its rare in my opinion that a books lives up to its hype but this one really does. Right from the start the author kicks you on to a high speed thriller ride and won't let you off until the end. Every chapter builds on the suspense and pushes you on this roller coaster of a ride experience. Gory killings/murders, breakneck fast speed and likeable flawed characters all make for a great piece of storytelling.

How can you better the opening discovery of six victims a body part from each sewn together to make one horrific complete body which the press nickname as 'The Ragdoll?' Surely this is the culmination of the story? I wanted to know who these victims were, why they were murdered and what the significance of stitching them together was. This alone makes you read on but there is so much more to this clever plot to come and it was great fun getting there with plenty of blind alleys and red herrings along the way and good dollop of humour that brings this all together. Daniel Cole didn't disappoint far from the discovery of the 'Ragdoll' being the culmination of the story it's really only the beginning.

I loved Wolf the deeply damaged and at times vulnerable Detective who is assigned to the case and his former equally damaged partner Detective Emily Baxter. All the team assigned to this case are realistically crafted characters that work well together. Lots of curve balls in this clever plot made it almost impossible for me to put this one down.

I have to say that I didn't and possibly couldn't have guessed the twists and the ending to come - great mastery of storytelling and 'showing' the reader as the true horror unfolds - brilliant. What a finish or was it? Can't wait to read the next one to find out ........oops.......can't say anymore you'll just have to read it!

If there was any fault with this book it was really only that there were times when things became a bit confusing as the point of view changes within some of the chapters and for this reason I have given the novel a 4.5 star rating. It has been rounded up for Goodreads and Amazon.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

I See You by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation: just a grainy image, a website address and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .


I had this book on my shelf for quite a while and never got round to reading it. When I realised the paper back had just been released I thought this would be a great time to read and review it.

I have never read any books by Clare Mackintosh but was excited to start after hearing such great things about her books. This captured my interest right from the beginning, I think the premise is something most people can relate to, a commute, a journey that someone takes every day. We follow Zoe Walker, a women who takes the same route to work, sits in the same carriage of the train, at the same time of day.

Zoe is on her commute one night and is reading the free paper, when she turns to the classified section and sees an image of herself staring back up at her, this is what she things, although the image isn't clear and she doesn't seem to wearing her glasses. When she arrives home she mentions it to her family, who although agree that the photo is like her don't think it is actually her.

As days pass things don't seem to add up to Zoe and she begins to mention her concerns to the local police, who are investigating a series of crimes in the area. Kelly a British Transport Police Officer takes a special interest in the case and pursues it.

This was a good read, it had good pace and kept my interest throughout. I think the subject matter is relevant and many can relate to the situation. When you get to a part of the book you suddenly see little clues that had been planted throughout the story and were all being nicely tied together. I read this quite quickly, over a weekend and working full time this doesn't happen often. That to me is a sign that it kept me interested and that I wanted to find out what happened.

I give this book 4.5*, for me rounded up to 5 for Amazon and Goodreads, it was excellent, however in places I found it a little far fetched and that it ended a little sudden after all the building of the plot. Overall though I would recommend this to others.

Eyes Like Mine by Sheena Kamal

Eyes Like Mine by Sheena Kamal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It begins with a phone call. Fifteen years ago Nora Watts gave her newborn daughter up for adoption. Now Bonnie has vanished and when the police don't seem to care, her desperate parents turn to Nora as a last resort.

Nora knows only too well what happens to missing girls, especially when they aren't blonde or white enough. Despite herself, she sets out to find the daughter she's never known protected only by her instincts and a freakish ability to detect truth from lies.

As she plunges into her own dark past, Nora uncovers a violent conspiracy on a grand scale that will take her from the rain-soaked streets of Vancouver, to the icy mountains of the Canadian wilderness, and ultimately to a remote island where she will face her most terrifying demon. All to save a girl she wishes had never been born.

The opening of this novel was quite promising; an out of the blue phone call from the adoptive father of the girl Bonnie who Nora Watts gave up for adoption 15 years ago was asking for her help to find her. The reason Nora gave up her child becomes clear as we travel forward through the book and it seems history is about to repeat itself with her daughter.

Bonnie's disappearance is linked to Nora and her abduction 15 years previously and Sheena Kamal takes us on the journey to find her. Although the story was OK it wasn't the best psychological thriller I've read and I just didn't feel any emotional attachment to Nora. For me Nora's character was devoid of any warmth and although I appreciate that what she went through must have shaped her character she didn't show any human natural response for me. Because I couldn't emotionally connect with her (although I was curious about where Bonnie was and the story behind the abduction) I didn't really 'buy' into the story. I also felt that in places the pace was laboured and sometimes slow which is not what I expect from this genre.

I did guess the reason why Nora's daughter was abducted but felt the ending was a bit flat. Nora was quite a cold character and pushed everyone away from her (including me as a reader) so that in the end I didn't really care about her at all. I did care about her dog Whisper and was glad she eventually went to people who would give her a a decent home but overall the book was too long and too cold for me. Can only give this one 3 stars.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Simple by Harry Bingham

Dead Simple by Harry Bingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A woman reports a crime to the police, with unexpected results
The grieving widow who finds that she's about to lose more than just her husband
When a man attempts the perfect murder, it's not quite as easy as he thinks
Two men in prison play a deadly game of Scrabble
A young woman tries to trick an old man and gets more than she bargained for
Sometimes crimes are solved in ways you can't explain
A murderer about to be hanged finds that's not the worst thing that can happen
You never know who's going to turn up at your door

Original stories from Mark Billingham, Clare Mackintosh, James Oswald, Jane Casey, Angela Marsons, Harry Bingham, Antonia Hodgson and CL Taylor - specially written for Quick Reads.


By now you know that I love short stories as I can finish something during week after a busy day. It really makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

This is a collection of eight short stories from best selling crime authors. This is where I have a confession, I have never actually actually read any of these authors, so I was excited to get started to see if I will discover a new favourite. I do have quite a few novels by these authors though on my shelf to read soon!

These stories range from a couple of pages to 20-30. I didn't enjoy all of the stories, however my favourite three were: The Funeral by Clare Mackintosh, Old Tricks by Jane Casey and The Perfect Murder by Harry Bingham. I really managed to get into these and I would have enjoyed fuller length novels featuring these I think.

Overall this is a good Quick Read, it allows you to try authors work perhaps you haven't before and You can finish a story in around 15 minutes. Some of the stories I felt did need to be longer as it didn't give the reader long enough to get into it, however I think this is a brilliant book to release fo the Quick Reads program this year and recommend you to pick this up. Like me, you may discover some brand new authors.

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did she leave or was she taken?



The day Adam Dunne's girlfriend, Sarah, fails to return from a Barcelona business trip, his perfect life begins to fall apart. Days later, the arrival of her passport and a note that reads 'I'm sorry - S' sets off real alarm bells. He vows to do whatever it takes to find her.

Adam is puzzled when he connects Sarah to a cruise ship called the Celebrate - and to a woman, Estelle, who disappeared from the same ship in eerily similar circumstances almost exactly a year before.

To get the answers, Adam must confront some difficult truths about his relationship with Sarah. He must do things of which he never thought himself capable. And he must try to outwit a predator who seems to have found the perfect hunting ground...



Wow, what can I say about this book? I was hooked from the first chapter, this is the type of book you think, oh it's ok I can dip in and out of it but no, I didn't want to put the book down. When I had to put it down I spent all my time not reading it, thinking about it! It has been a long time since this has happened when reading a book.

Adam and Sarah have been together for 10 years, Sarah, the bread winner has been supporting Adam while he has been writing a play, he is a screenwriter and waiting for his big break. Sarah heads off to Barcelona for work, but while she is only way for about 5 days, Adam starts to question their relationship, prompted by Rose - Sarah's best friend. Suddenly Sarah's parents can't get in contact with her and she isn't answering her phone. Adam starts to question everything, especially when she doesn't appear at the airport after her flight.

There were different parts to this story with different peoples points of view, it switched from the past and into the present. Although for a long while I couldn't understand how the two were connected, this didn't bother me as I was enjoying every part of the book. Distress Signals was a face paced novel that really drew me in, I raced through the story and although I did guess I think quiet early on, this didn't matter and I was surprised by the ending. To be honest I am not sure how I felt about the ending, I think I would have liked a little more... but it was a surprise and unexpected, which I did like.

This was a brilliant read, one that got me out of my reading slump and perfect for fans of crime and thriller. This was a very cleverly written book and an excellent start into writing, I couldn't believe this was a debut! Howard has set the standard now and if all her books are as good as this I think she would fast become one of my favourite authors.

This is a gripping book, I don't want to give too much away in the plot as this is a book you have to read. You will race through it as you need to know the truth, I am so glad I read this and I would recommend it to anyone who loves crime and thrillers. I really cannot do this book justice, you just have to grab a copy.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.