#BlogTour #Review Bring Them Home by D.S. Butler @ds_butler

Title: Bring Them Home by D.S. Butler

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Date Published: 11^th October 2018

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

A perfect village. A perfect crime.

When two young girls disappear from their primary school, the village of Heighington is put on high alert—and not for the first time. Called in to investigate, Detective Karen Hart is sure that parallels with a previous disappearance are anything but coincidental.

DS Hart is still reeling from a case she tried and failed to solve eighteen months ago, when a young woman vanished without a trace. She’s no nearer to the truth of what happened to Amy Fisher, but with two children missing now too, the stakes have never been higher. As she looks to the past for clues, she must confront her own haunting loss, a nightmare she is determined to spare other families.

Hart soon realises that nothing in this close-knit Lincolnshire community is what it seems. Pursuing the investigation with personal vengeance, she finds herself in conflict with her scrupulous new boss, but playing by the rules will have to wait. Because while there’s no shortage of suspects, the missing girls are running out of time…

Characters:

DS Karen Hart is the lead character, a woman who has struggled through a recent personal tragedy. She is a strong woman, who can be a little obstinate at times. DI Scott Morgan is her mysterious new boss, who seems as though he has something to hide. Karen wants to get on with the job, but can she put her trust in an officer who is so distant and secretive about his past.

Setting

Heighington, Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire is an evocative setting for a mystery series. The wide-open farmland, quiet country lanes and tight-knit communities can hide a wealth of secrets.

Review:

Ten year old Emily Dean and her best friend Sian Gibson disappear from their primary school in Heighington. DS Hart and her team are tasked to investigate but she is already on alert as nineteen year old Amy Fisher disappeared from a nearby farm, owned by Nigel Palmer, eighteen months previously.

Hart is sure that the two crimes are linked and that the Palmer family are involved but her boss DI Scott Morgan is not convinced. Is she seeing links where there are none, just like after the accident when she lost her family?

This is the first in the DS Hart series and the first book I’ve read by DS Butler. It was a well written police procedural with a good cast of characters and plenty of suspects which captures the shear terror of a child going missing.

DS Hart is an interesting character. She relies on her gut and really goes beyond the call of duty to help victims. Throughout the book she really struggles to keep it together and rein in her temper which considering she lost her family, including her young daughter I found understandable. Then we have DI Scott who is a bit of a mystery, relying on evidence, seems a little cold and remote too. I’m hoping in the next book we get to really dig into his character a bit more.

There’s also the junior members of the team, DC Rick Cooper and Sophie Jones. Sophie is the more junior of the two but is very ambitious and has a tendency to where her emotions on her sleeve. Then there’s Rick who’s a self confessed ladies man and a bit of a charmer but he has a secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know. They both play off each nicely and their competitiveness added a nice bit of conflict.

I have to be honest while I did enjoy the book, I just didn’t quite get that urgency to find out the who, what and why behind the crime which I usually get with this type of novel. Of course that is probably down to me as I read a book recently with a fairly similar storyline.

Overall Bring Them Home is a solid start to a series that I look forward to reading more of and a must for fans of police procedurals.

About the author:

Born in Kent, D. S. Butler grew up as an avid reader with a love for crime fiction and mysteries. She has worked as a scientific officer in a hospital pathology laboratory and as a research scientist.

After obtaining a PhD in biochemistry, she worked at the University of Oxford for four years before moving to the Middle East. While living in Bahrain, she wrote her first novel and hasn’t stopped writing since.

She now lives in Lincolnshire with her husband.

Other Books by DS Butler:

DS Karen Hart Series:

1.) Bring Them Home

2.) Where Secrets Lie

DS Jack Mackinnon books:

1.) Deadly Obsession

2.) Deadly Motive

3.) Deadly Revenge

4.) Deadly Justice

5.) Deadly Ritual

6.) Deadly Payback

7.) Deadly Game

Dani Oakley Books

1. East End Trouble
2. East End Diamond
3. East End Retribution

Harper Grant Mystery Series (written as Danica Britton)

1.) A Witchy Business

2.) A Witchy Mystery

3.) A Witchy Christmas

4.) A Witchy Valentine

5.) Harper Grant and the Poisoned Pumpkin Pie.

Bring Them Home Links:

GB: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BDDKN2F

US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07BDDKN2F

NZ: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/aw/d/B07BDDKN2F

Social Media Links:

Website: www.dsbutlerbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/D.S.Butler.Author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ds_butler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsbutlerauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/dsbutler

Email Newsletter: http://www.dsbutlerbooks.com/newsletter/

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Bedtime Book #Review The Shout by Stephen Leather #Thriller

So it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these and I thought it was long overdue! You can read my last bedtime book review, Three Things About Elsie, here.

Title: The Shout by Stephen Leather

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Date Published: 12^th July 2018

Genre: Thriller

Description:

He hunts. He kills. He burns.

Vicky Lewis is a force to be reckoned with: not yet thirty and already crew manager in the London Fire Brigade, she’s destined for great things.

But when she enters a burning building to save a man’s life and leaves it with catastrophic injuries, all that changes. She’s shunted over to the Fire Investigation Unit, where she’s forced to team up with cantankerous veteran Des Farmer, aka the Grouch.

When Vicky stumbles across the Grouch’s off-the-books investigation into the fiery deaths of a series of young, blonde women, she decides to join him in his search for the truth.

The answer is close – perhaps too close. Vicky’s already been burnt once, and now she’s playing with fire..

Review:

I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton for my physical copy of this book, I received via BookBridgr in exchange for an honest review.

Vicky Lewis is called to what she thinks is an ordinary fire at an empty old hotel but it turns out there are squatters. Ignoring advice and going against protocol, she stays behind to save a man’s life when the ceiling gives way and she ends up with terrible burns.

Unable to sack her the fire brigade shift her to somewhere that nobody will see her, the Fire Investigation Unit. Her boss Des Farmer, otherwise known as the Grouch makes it clear that he doesn’t want her there and must prove herself.

After a drunken night out, Vicky stumbles across The Grouch’s off the books investigation into the deaths of several women. All blonde. Not too old, not too young. There’s a serial killer and he has a type. Can they stop him before he kills again?

It’s been a number of year since I read a Stephen Leather book and it’s nice to pick one up again. This is a complete stand-alone, so you don’t need to worry about any other books, I don’t know if it’s going to be turned into a series but I kind of hope so.

The Shout is a quite gritty and realistic novel, that does contain some graphic violence and exceptionally nerve racking scenes.

I liked Vicky. She’s bold, brave and takes no prisoners! Even though the side of her face is badly burned, as is her left hand, all she wants to do is be a fire fighter. She also still lives at home with her mum which I found quite endearing.

Then we have The Grouch, who at first with his sexist attitude (he thinks there’s no place in the fire brigade for women) and old fashioned ways annoyed me but he kind of grows on you as the novel goes on and you see he is a good fire investigator.

There seems to be a good attention to detail with the fire fighting and fire investigation aspects of the novel, obviously I’m not a fire fighter so I can’t say whether it’s completely accurate but it was certainly interesting. It also show some of the reality of living with burns which gave it a more authentic feel.

My only issue is the ending felt rushed. Everything was rounded off nicely but I mean I’d already read 400 pages, a few more wouldn’t have hurt, just to give it a more satisfying ending.

This book also reminded me of one I’d read earlier in the year called Dead Watch written by Steve Liszka (a real life fire fighter) and I’d recommend if you enjoy The Shout you should check that one out too.

About The Author:

Stephen Leather is one of the UK’s most successful thriller writers, an eBook and Sunday Times bestseller and author of the critically acclaimed Dan “Spider’ Shepherd series and the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective novels.

Before becoming a novelist he was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mirror, the Glasgow Herald, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He is one of the country’s most successful eBook authors and his eBooks have topped the Amazon Kindle charts in the UK and the US. In 2011 alone he sold more than 500,000 eBooks and was voted by The Bookseller magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the UK publishing world.

Born in Manchester, he began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into fifteen languages. He has also written for television shows such as London’s Burning, The Knock and the BBC’s Murder in Mind series and two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were filmed for TV. You can find out more from his website http://www.stephenleather.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenleather

#Review The Silent Sister by Shalini Boland @Bookouture @ShaliniBoland

Title: The Silent Sister by Shalini Boland

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 16^th July 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller/ Domestic Thriller

Description:

‘You don’t deserve a sister…’

Lizzy Beresford is at home alone when she finds a chilling letter in her kitchen. Someone has been into her home – someone who wishes Lizzy harm.

In her little country cottage, with her doting boyfriend, not far from the close-knit village, Lizzy can’t imagine who might want to hurt her. But when the threatening letters keep coming, she starts to suspect everyone around her.

Desperate, Lizzy reaches out to her sister, Emma. They haven’t spoken in years, not since the argument that tore them apart.

But what Emma says shocks her to the core:

‘I’ve been receiving letters too…’

Review:

I finally got round to reading this! I adored Shalini Boland’s previous book, The Millionaire’s Wife (you can read my review here), so I was really looking forward to reading this one.

Lizzy Beresford seems to have the perfect life. Gorgeous boyfriend, great job living in the quiet village of Malmesbury but that’s all shattered when she finds a creepy letter in her house.

More threatening letters and incidents make Lizzy suspicious of everyone around her. Who would hate her this much? She automatically thinks of her sister Emma, with whom she had a falling out years ago but it turns out she’s been receiving letters too.

Who could be targeting them both?

So I have to be honest I’ve been struggling with my reading of late, nothing appeals to me and frankly I’m not enjoying anything but picking up Shalini Boland’s book was just what I needed. She has a great writing style with believable characters that pull you and not let you go until you’ve finished!

A lot of people will be like, oh no, not another woman being stalked but Shalini Boland makes this slightly tired trope her own. What was refreshing was the police actually taking the letters seriously, I don’t know how many books I’ve read that the police have just brushed it off and made the character feel like they’re crazy!

I kind of understood Lizzy, even if she wasn’t overly likeable. Her self esteem is a little on the low side and is not one for a confrontation or upsetting people, my problem was she seemed to overreact quite a lot of the time which I found a little frustrating. Also her boyfriend Joe did annoy me with his quick temper and his possessive attitude which made me want Lizzy to just dump him!

I have to be honest, I felt this was a little more slow burn than the Millionaire’s Wife and the majority of the ending was a little predictable which I didn’t mind. My only quibble was the little twist at the end which I didn’t really like but of course that’s just my opinion.

The Silent Sister is a slow burn domestic thriller with believable characters and a realistic setting, a must for fans of psychological thrillers.

About The Author:

Shalini Boland lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two sons and their cheeky poodle-terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

Her debut psychological thriller The Girl from the Sea published in June 2016 reached Number 1 in the US Audible charts. Her second thriller The Best Friend published in October 2016 reached a high of number 10 in Amazon’s UK Kindle charts. It also achieved number 1 in all its categories and was a Kindle All Star title for several months in a row.

#BlogTour #Review Harlequin (DS Jason Smith 5) by Stewart Giles @stewartgiles @books_n_all

Title: Harlequin (DS Jason Smith #5) by Stewart Giles

Date Published: 5^th September 2015

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

From #1 best-selling author: Stewart Giles comes a new addition to the popular Detective Jason Smith series. 

The circus comes to town and children start to disappear.

Detective Sergeant Jason Smith is persuaded to return to work after three weeks of a marijuana induced haze. Forced to endure the leadership of a new DI, the fulsome Bryony Brownhill, Smith is faced with the most difficult investigation of his colourful career.

When the children who vanished are found murdered in various parts of the city, all clues lead to the circus grounds, but Smith and his team are met with a sinister silence everywhere they turn. Smith digs deeper and discovers the cause of this silence; the chain of events that led up to the vile murders that have shattered the hearts of the people of York. 

This is an edge-of-your-seat thriller with an ending that you won’t expect.

If you like Police Procedurals, then this is a series you won’t want to miss.

THE SETTING

York is a historic walled city in North Yorkshire, England.

At the confluence of the River Ouse and Foss, York is the traditional county town of the historic county of Yorkshire. York Minster and a variety of cultural and sporting activities make it a popular tourist destination.

THE DETECTIVES

DS Jason Smith is an Australian who was sent to York to live with his Grandmother when his sister disappeared from a beach. He has suffered many losses in his short life and is now a dedicated detective. He is a bit of a loose cannon he has his own way of doing things and that doesn’t always mean following orders and procedures.

DS Thompson is of the same rank as Jason, but he doesn’t have the same support or success. He and Jason have a love/hate relationship which brings a bit of humour to the series. Thompson is old school and thinks his age should give him respect and privileges, but life doesn’t work that way for him.

DC Erica Witton is Jason’s preferred partner they work well together and share a bond. She isn’t always appreciated by Jason, but they care about each other and that brings a different dimension to the series.

What readers are saying about Occam’s Razor:

‘Excellent and truly chilling murder mystery.’ – Maggie May

‘Another compelling detective thriller in the DS Jason Smith series.’ – Kindle Customer

‘A great writer and a great cast of characters inhabit these books. Well worth the time taken to read them.’ – Amazon Customer

‘What a fantastic book as the ending was not expected. This book is very hard to put down, really good storyline’ – Helen Green

‘What a great book had to keep reading it could not put it down I would look forward to read some more.’ – Peter Goulding

BOOKS BY STEWART GILES

DS JASON SMITH SERIES

Book 0.5 – Phobia

Book 1 – Smith

Book 2 – Boomerang

Book 3 – Ladybird

Book 4 – Occam’s Razor

Book 5 – Harlequin

Book 6 – Selene

Book 7 – Horsemen

Book 8 – Unworthy

DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES

Book 1 – The Beekeeper

Book 2 – The Perfect Murder

Book 3 – The Backpacker

Review:

Jason Smith has been off work for three weeks after the events in the previous book, Occam’s Razor but is drawn back by the kidnapping of a young boy from his house under the watchful eyes of his parents. When his body turns up and yet another child goes missing, the clues lead to the circus but the people there refuse to talk. Can Smith get to the bottom of the case?

So I’m carrying on my binge read of the Smith series with the fifth one, Harlequin, (you can read my review of the previous book Occam’s Razor here) and I would highly recommend to read a couple of the previous books just because you may miss out on a bit of the story.

Can I just take a moment to just say how creepy the cover of Harlequin is? I’m so glad now I’ve finished it, it will no longer be glaring at me from my kindle!

Like all the Smith books, there’s plenty of action packed into it’s pages and never a dull moment. This one stands out a little from the rest as I found it a little disturbing and after reading it, I’ll probably never look at clowns the same way again (a bit like when I watched IT earlier in the year).

Have you ever read a book that you just want to give the character a good shake? I feel that way about Jason Smith. In some ways he’s matured, like not arguing for the sake of it but in other ways he’s still the same self destructive person he always was. Like smoking marijuana on duty, I don’t care if he’s a great detective, I wouldn’t want anyone who was high as a kite being anywhere near a murder case!

I enjoyed the new edition of DI Bryonny Brownhill after the promotion of Smith’s friend and long time supporter DI Chalmers. She’s tough as nails and seems to be trying to rein in his behaviour, which is a bit like trying to herd cats to me, but it makes an interesting dynamic within the book.

Harlequin is a fast paced police procedural, that may at time bend the rules of believability but is a really entertaining read.

About The Author:

After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live. After Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later. 3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series. The Beekeeper hit the shelves and hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well. The third in the series, The Backpacker I have self-published and is now available.

Links:
Website: www.stewartgiles.com
Twitter: @stewartgiles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33

You can join the Stewart Giles reader club by completing this form https://mailchi.mp/a64f6de4c541/sgreadersclub

#BlogTour #Review Before I Trust You by Daisy White @DEWhiteAuthor @JoffeBooks

Title: Before I Trust You by Daisy White.

Publisher: Joffe Books

Date Published: 5^th October 2018

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Description:

Do you love gripping mysteries? Then discover Ruby Baker, a young woman with a talent for uncovering the truth.

Rita Stonehill runs in front of the horses on a sunny day at Brighton racecourse. Why did she kill herself and is there more to it than meets the eye?

Ruby Baker is shocked to witness this dramatic event. Rita’s brother thinks she was murdered, but there’s no evidence to suggest that.

It seems like an open-and-shut case of suicide, but as a sordid love triangle emerges, is there more to it than that?

Ruby plunges into the glamorous world of horse racing to discover the truth. This is her most dangerous case yet and Rita’s death strikes very close to home for Ruby.
And then Ruby’s best friend Mary experiences a very shocking event . . .

Discover a gripping new mystery writer today. Great for fans of Agatha Christie or LJ Ross.

This is the third book in a mystery series set in 1960s Brighton, a tumultuous time of change and opportunity.

RUBY BAKER SERIES
Book 1: BEFORE I LEFT
Book 2: BEFORE I FOUND YOU
Book 3: BEFORE I TRUST YOU

Review:

So I’ve travelled back in time to 1965 for the latest in the Ruby Baker series! This time Ruby is asked to investigate the death of a girl called Rita Stonehill, who everyone thinks committed suicide by throwing herself into the path of a horse. But as Ruby digs further into the case, a prize winning race horse gets stolen, is there more to Rita’s death than she first believed?

Daisy White is actually one of the first Joffe authors I ever read after discovering them last year, which I have to thank Jill Burkinshaw for! It’s so nice to an author grow and the minor concerns I brought up in my review of Before I Left (you can see my review here) have been addressed to create an intriguing and thrilling whodunnit.

This is the third in the series but can be easily read as a stand-alone but I’d recommend reading the first two for those people who want a better understanding of the characters and overall story arcs.

I really enjoyed the setting of the racecourse and the whole racing scene, it was so realistically done with great attention to detail, especially the opening scenes of the book, I could almost picture myself there in the crowd.

Ruby is the same headstrong, modern girl who has problems keeping her nose out of trouble that I loved from the first novel. She’s facing a few personal changes in this book. Firstly, her friend Mary is announces she’s going to get married, her and daughter Summer are about to move out of their little flat. Secondly, her relationship with reporter Kenny seems to be hotting up and add to that she hears from her mother for the first time in years! There’s a little surprise at the end that I can’t wait to see how Ruby deals with it in the next book!

Also I gave my name to one of the characters, keep your eyes peeled for girl by the name Lorna!

Before I Left is a thrilling whodunnit which combines historical details with a puzzling mystery and that will keep you gripped from the first page.

Don’t just take my word for it on this fabulous book! You can check out the rest of the blog tour here:

About The Author:

Hi I’m Daisy White – mum, entrepreneur, and writer. I started off self-publishing, then signed YA series to two fabulous US publishers.

I’ve always wanted to write crime but none of my initial manuscripts were anywhere near good enough to show the world!

In 2016 I rewrote an earlier idea and entered it into the UK International Novel Writing Competition. It was long-listed and that gave me the confidence I needed to submit to publishers.

‘My second novel for Joffe Books, and book two in the Ruby Baker Seaside Mysteries, ‘Before I Found You’, was published in Feb 2018 and became an immediate Amazon bestseller.

My first story for younger children will be published in an anthology for Patchwork Raven later this year. I’m also finishing off a standalone thriller, which I’m really excited about!

Writing is an obsession, and a passion, and I am extremely lucky to have been able to develop my dream into a business. I enjoy sharing my journey, and the knowledge I have gained along the way. I also love to meet other writers, readers and business owners.

Social Media:

Website: https://daisywhiteauthor.co.uk

Twitter: @DEWhiteAuthor

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

#BlogTour #Promo #Excerpt The Finest Supermarket In Kabul by Ele Pawelski @Eleinthecity @RRBookTours1

Today I’m bringing you and extract from The Finest Supermarket In Kabul as part of the blog tour. There is also a giveaway at the bottom of this post to win a copy of the book and $20 worth of Amazon vouchers (North America only). First a little about the book:

Title: The Finest Supermarket In Kabul by Ele Pawelski

Publication Date: 30^th October 2017

Genre: Novella/ Terrorism/ Inspired by True Events

Description:

Kabul, Afghanistan January 28, 2011.

Merza, a freshly minted Parliamentarian receives ominous threats after he wins his seat. Alec, an American journalist, flies from Kandahar without his editor’s permission to chronicle daily life in the capital. Elyssa, a Canadian human rights lawyer in Kabul to train female magistrates, is distracted by unwanted attention from a male justice. On this grey, wintry Friday, all three are embroiled in a dramatic and savage bombing. Inspired by true events and places, The Finest Supermarket in Kabul follows Merza, Alec and Elyssa as their idealistic and visionary hopes for Afghanistan are deeply challenged in the aftermath.

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34714921-the-finest-supermarket-in-kabul?ac=1&from_search=true

Excerpt:

I’ve been in Kabul for just under twenty-four hours. I flew in yesterday from Lashkar Gah, in Helmand Province, after a heated argument with my editor earlier in the week during which I suggested a temporary reassignment to Kabul. Eric demanded I stay in the south for another three-week stint embedded with a US platoon. According to him, my stories from the US outpost were gripping and getting positive reactions from readers. Certainly, the embed was riveting – my first time moving around with US platoons – and gave me stories I couldn’t otherwise have written: intense firefights on a patrol, the evacuation of a wounded soldier, discussions about post-traumatic stress disorder, and fortifying against ambushes. But after three months of only covering action on the front line, I felt my outlook had started to skew by living and breathing the life of an American soldier. The longer I stayed in Helmand, the harder it was becoming to be okay with just telling one side of the story, as opposed to the broader picture. It was when I began saying “T-Ban” instead of Taliban that I knew I needed to get out. Meanwhile, Eric kept insisting that front-line coverage was our best news feature and refused to accept my other ideas, no matter how vigorously I pushed.

So I travelled to Kabul of my own accord to regain some perspective. I figure I’ll hold out an olive branch to Eric later, a magazine-length piece about how local ex-combatants are using the continuing conflict to their advantage. From fellow journalists, I’ve heard about former warlords, their identities and deeds well known, who’ve built massive houses painted in vivid carnival colours in the centre of Kabul and are living the high life, seemingly without repercussion. Interviews with a few of them, along with regular ex-Taliban fighters who got away from the fray, will form the story’s core; here and there, I’ll filter in views from ordinary people. I’m pretty sure Eric will go for an article with a military focus, even if it’s set in Kabul. Plus, he and I go way back, having both started out at the Chicago Tribune after studying at Columbia College Chicago fifteen years ago. If things go completely awry, I’ll hightail it back to Helmand.

I had my initial foray into Afghanistan’s real world yesterday morning. As I entered the plane bound for Kabul, I saw rows and rows of Pashtun men with long beards and turbans or woolen, round-topped hats with thick edging. My heart skipped a beat, as Pashtuns were the ethnic group that had birthed the Taliban, and I wondered if any were Taliban fighters. No one here would protect me from danger, and my visit wasn’t even sanctioned by my boss.

A familiar blast of adrenaline rushes through me.

Jakob stamps out his cigarette and leaps up while I gather my coat and Tish’s things under my arm. We race for the door. Ahead, I see Ben still on his phone but can’t hear him. As news of the explosion circulates, the room’s noise level surges and nervous energy grips the space.

We pick Tish up at the entrance and rush through the security gates, easily retrieving our various IDs and my passport as Ben advises that he’s called for a taxi to pick us up and that Masood, his interpreter, will meet us there.

After three minutes of energetic conversation about what we’ll find at the Finest, the four of us pile into the black Toyota Corolla that has pulled up. Sitting on the raised middle seat in the back, I have to duck my head to glimpse the street scene outside. It looks calm and oddly sedate considering what we know has just happened. Fortunately, traffic is far less jammed than on our morning’s walk over from the Safi.

We’re silent; our initial eagerness to cover this story has given way to an unpleasant realization that we will soon be confronting the bomb’s aftermath of chaos, destruction and injury. Jakob has already explained that the Finest is a convenience store that stocks expensive Western products like Nutella and peanut butter, so almost no Afghans ever shop there. An expat target, then, I ponder.

You Can Buy Your Copy Here:

Quattro Books: http://quattrobooks.ca/books/the-finest-supermarket-in-kabul/

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/Finest-Supermarket-Kabul-Ele-Pawelski/dp/1988254434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538136779&sr=8-1&keywords=the+finest+supermarket+in+Kabul

Amazon CA:

https://www.amazon.ca/Finest-Supermarket-Kabul-Ele-Pawelski/dp/1988254434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538136844&sr=8-1&keywords=the+finest+supermarket+in+kabul

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finest-Supermarket-Kabul-Ele-Pawelski/dp/1988254434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538136909&sr=8-1&keywords=the+finest+supermarket+in+kabul

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-finest-supermarket-in-kabul-ele-pawelski/1126056165?ean=9781988254432

Indigo:

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-finest-supermarket-in-kabul/9781988254432-item.html?ikwid=the+finest+supermarket+in+kabul&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

About the Author:

Ele Pawelski has lived in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Bosnia, Kenya, Uzbekistan and Kosovo. She has climbed in the Himalayas, walked the Camino and hiked in Newfoundland. Now living in urban Toronto with her husband, she’s always planning for her next travel adventure. Her stories have appeared in magazines, journals and newspapers. The Finest Supermarket in Kabul is her first novella.

Ele Pawelski: http://quattrobooks.ca/authors/ele-pawelski/

Twitter: @Eleinthecity

Check Out The Rest Of The Blog Tour Here:

Oct. 1st

Reads & Reels (Review) http://www.readsandreels.com

Cup of Toast (Interview) https://cupoftoast.co.uk

The Reading Mermaid (Excerpt) https://tamarathereadingmermaid.weebly.com/

Oct. 2nd

Loving Life Every Day (Excerpt) https://lauramorningstar.com

The Bookworm Drinketh (Excerpt) http://thebookwormdrinketh.wordpress.com/

Tranquil Dreams (Review) http://klling.wordpress.com

Touch My Spine Book Reviews (Excerpt) https://touchmyspinebookreviews.com

Oct. 3rd

The Voluptuous Book Diva (Excerpt) http://www.thevoluptuousbookdiva.com/

Didi Oviatt (Excerpt) https://didioviatt.wordpress.com

Valerie’s Musings (Excerpt) http://valeriesmusings76.wordpress.com

Oct. 4th

The Genre Minx (Excerpt) http://www.thegenreminx.com/

Just 4 My Books (Review) http://www.just4mybooks.wordpress.com

Oct. 5th

Bri’s Book Nook (Excerpt) http://brisbooknook.wordpress.com

On the Shelf Reviews (Excerpt) https://ontheshelfreviews.wordpress.com

Jessica Rachow (Review) https://Jessicarachow.wordpress.com

My Baby, My Books, and I (Review) https://mybabymybooksandi.wordpress.com

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Blog Tour Organized By:

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#BlogTour #Review Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner

Title: Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner

Publisher: HQ Digital

Date Published: 1^st October 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller.

Description:

Will they ever learn the truth?

Three people, leading very different lives, are about to be brought together – with devastating consequences . . .

John has a perfect life, until the day his daughter goes missing.

Maisie cares for her patients, but hides her own traumatic past.

Miller should be an innocent child, but is obsessed with something he can’t have.

They all have something in common, though none of them know it – and the truth won’t stay hidden for long . . .

A gripping psychological thriller for fans of Clare Mackintosh, Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell.

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40169201-lies-between-us

You Can Buy Your Copy Here:

Kobo   Google Play  Amazon UK   ITunes

Review:

This is three stories woven into one. We have Miller who’s story starts off back in 1984 and we follow this disturbed young boy with his obsessions and jealousies.

Fast forward to 2015, John is a has the perfect life, a bestselling author, married to Jules, they have a daughter Bonnie and another child on the way. Disaster strikes when Bonnie is kidnapped and they receive disturbing messages sent to their loved ones.

2016 – we met Maisie, an intensive care nurse who carries her own secret while caring for the most vulnerable patients at the hospital. A man is brought in a coma, after being attacked, she finds herself wanting to know more and why does his wife look so scared?

How are these three stories linked?

So this is the debut psychological thriller from fellow blogger Ronnie Turner. I really found it a tense and gripping read with some very emotional scenes.

The characters are really well drawn and realistic, I can tell a lot of effort has gone into making them as fully rounded as possible with their own histories and flaws. My favourite character has to be Maisie, she’s just been through so much and carrying so much guilt. Miller also held a fascination for me too, he’s just so disturbed, the term ‘born evil’ applies directly to him.

I will warn you it does contain some emotional subject matter, including stillbirths but I feel Ronnie has handled these with care and compassion.

At the beginning so people may find the different perspectives and timelines a little confusing but I urge you to stick with it, this is one of these novels that your patience will be rewarded.

Whilst I enjoyed the story overall, I was left with a few unanswered questions. I also felt that Miller, at times felt older and I kept having to remind myself he was a child, but of course those are just minor things.

Lies Between Us is an intricate psychological thriller with believable characters and a memorable ending. I am very much looking forward to what Ronnie Turner does next!

About The Author:

Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author. Ronnie now lives in Dorset with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast. She is currently working on her second novel.

Ronnie’s debut novel, Lies Between Us, will be published by HQ Digital in October 2018.

Find her on:

Twitter: @Ronnie_Turner

Facebook: @RonnieTurnerAuthor

Instagram: @ronnieturner8702

Website: www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/RonnieTurner