Tightrope by Marnie Riches

Tightrope by Marnie Riches
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What happens when a private investigator ends up being the one uncovered?

Having lost everything after a failed marriage, Beverley Saunders now lodges in the basement flat of a house owned by her best friend Sophie and her husband, Tim. With Bev's former glittering marketing career in the gutter, she begins to do investigative work for other wronged women, gathering dirt on philanderers, bosses and exes.

But when Beverley takes on the case of Sophie's friend Angela, who is seeking to uncover grounds for divorce from her controlling husband, Jerry, the shadow Science Minister, she soon discovers that she isn't the only one doing the investigating...

Beverley has a secret history she doesn't want coming out - but will she manage to stay hidden long enough to give Angela the freedom she deserves?

Well put together tale about Bev who is a PI and lives in her friend Sophie’s basement flat. When she is asked to investigate one of Sophies friends husband who happens to be a government minister she finds herself entering a dark and sinister world. Once she finds a link between him and a Russian girl who has been murdered events spiral out of her control.

With issues of her own and demons to lay her life becomes evermore entwined with the case.

It was a well paced novel with short chippy chapters and a raft of characters but only really one that was pleasant. I didn’t like Bev much at all which spoilt the story for me. She was damaged but she had a ruthless side that was great for her profession but not for her character.

This one gets a 3 stars from me

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

Killer Affair by Rebecca Chance

Killer Affair by Rebecca Chance
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A shocking betrayal deserves a wicked revenge . . .

Stunning, charismatic Lexy O’Brien is the reigning queen of British reality TV. Her life in front of the camera is planned and manipulated as successfully as any military assault.

But success breeds jealousy. When you’re on top, the only way is down and there’s always someone standing by to give you a shove . . .

Dowdy Caroline Evans, a part-time blogger and writer of erotic fiction, is brought in to chronicle Lexy’s life. Being taken under Lexy’s wing is a dream come true for Caroline. But sampling the star’s lifestyle is like tasting the most addictive of drugs, and it’s not long before she is craving what she can’t possibly have – or can she?

And as Caroline and Lexy’s lives and loves become increasingly entwined, it’s only a matter of time before the hidden rivalry becomes a powder keg waiting to explode . . ."


Very Hollywood wives kind of tale with quite a lot of soft porn included to spice up the read. I sometimes wonder if this is added to compensate for poor writing skills - the amount in this book really didn’t add anything meaningful to the overall ‘story’.

The ‘story’ wasn’t really that good - social climber looking for fame and fortune, rises to top on the back of someone else then proceeds to fall from a great height when revenge is exacted.

Not a great plot line, sex scenes keep this one afloat if you like that kind of writing.

Very average writing skills can’t separate this from a trashy novel. Sorry not for me - 2 stars

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

Caught by Harlan Coben

Caught by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

17 year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.

Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.


I’m a fan of this writer who consistently turns out novels of the highest quality - Caught is not a disappointment.

Pacy dialogue and short meaningful chapters has this book moving at speed to keep the reader engaged. Harlen Coben is such a good story writer, characters that are so identfyible and convincing with just enough suspense and twists to give his novels staying power.

I won’t retell the story or give spoilers you need to read this and enjoy it as it was intended, no hype, no tricks, just a great read. Obviously for me a five star book.

Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This year spend a wonderful Christmas on Juniper Island, where love can melt even the iciest of hearts…

Piper Chesterfield lives a glamorous life travelling the world and reviewing the finest hotels. She calls nowhere home, she works alone and that’s how she likes it. For long ago Piper decided that to protect her heart she should lock it away.

So when Piper’s next assignment brings her to the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season, the last person she expects to face is Gabe Whitaker, the man who broke her heart so completely she could never love again.

But Piper isn’t the only one who has been frozen in time by heartbreak. Gabe hasn’t forgotten the golden-eyed girl who disappeared from his world without a trace.

Now fate has reunited them on Juniper island, can the magic of Christmas heal old wounds? And can this enchanting town be the one place Piper can finally call home?

Curl up with this gorgeously romantic tale and let the glistening snow and the roaring fires of Stardust Lake Hotel get you in the festive spirit this Christmas.


Nothing separates this Christmas chic lit novel from any other for me. Lots of atmosphere, the place sounded amazing and the main character Pip was likeable but Gabe her ex boyfriend was a bit of a whiny character, declaring his undying love for her one minute and throwing a hissy fit the next. Gabe came over as whiny and self absorbed, wimpy and not prepared to put aside his feelings for her, he was quite childish and immature. Not sure I’d want someone like that but Pip did - each to his own.

Overly long and somewhat repetitive dialogue left this a boring read once they’d got back together again there was really no where else for this story to go.

Can only give this 3 stars - too schmultzy and lacked drama, for me a boring read.

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

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

The Stranger by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.

Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.

Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.


I’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben and no matter what he writes he never disappoints.

This is a clever story and written so well. Adam Price’s world is blown apart one night when a total stranger approaches him in a bar and tells him a secret about his wife Corinne. Corinne then disappears, Adam, confused and desperate to find out the truth, finds himself drawn deeper into something dark and dangerous.

Adam discovers this stranger is revealing other people’s secrets that are destroying their lives. He knows he has to find out who the stranger is and stop him but also he believes he is the key to his wife’s disappearance.

Well formed characters with good pace and suspense has this novel racing you towards the end.

Another success for this prolific writer. Easily a five star read.

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else. 


Not really my cup of tea, a very well written piece but not sufficiently intriguing or interesting enough to keep me entertained. Would probably come across better as a tv drama where the tension could be ramped up but reading it didn’t do that.

It was promising at the start when a neighbour and her twin children go missing but it focuses on the neighbours and husband with such intensity that they are all but forgotten until the end. It only really got interesting again for me when we were about to uncover what happened that night of the drinks party when they disappeared.

I felt it was overly long and lacked pace however it was well written and I’m sure others would find it enjoyable. This one gets 3 stars from me but only because it wasn’t really my kind of read.

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.

Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime -- alone.

Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated.

Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything.

Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle.

Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way -- as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back.

Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know -- and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.


Three ex college friends meet up at an exclusive luxury hotel for the wedding of a mutual friend Kate, Ginger and Emily are friends of the bride, Lulu who becomes friends to the other three is related to the groom through marriage to Pierce her husband. Lulu is much older than the others and on her forth marriage.

All the friends have secrets and (Lulu apart) having had no contact with each other for five years, they have no idea what each of them has gone through.

We open with a murder and each of the friends confess to the killing. While the confused and exasperated detective tries to unpick the mystery we learn the stories of these friends and what leads each to confess to the murder.

Despite its hefty 319 pages it is a surprisingly quick read, nicely written with interesting flawed characters. There was a little twist at the end, not completely surprising but it rounds things off. Nothing too heavy with his novel, recommended read - four stars.

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