#TheQuietPeople by by Paul Cleave @PaulCleave @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #BlogTour #BookReview

Title: The Quiet People by by Paul Cleave

Publisher: Orenda Books

Date Published: 25th September 2021

Genre: Thriller

Description:

Cameron and Lisa Murdoch are successful New Zealand crime writers, happily married and topping bestseller lists worldwide.

They have been on the promotional circuit for years, joking that no one knows how to get away with crime like they do. After all, they write about it for a living.

So when their challenging seven-year-old son Zach disappears, the police and the public naturally wonder if they have finally decided to prove what they have been saying all this time… Are they trying to show how they can commit the perfect crime?

Multi-award winning bestseller Paul Cleave returns with an electrifying and chilling thriller about family, public outrage and what a person might be capable of under pressure, that will keep you guessing until the final page…

Review:

I want to thank Anne Cater for inviting me on this tour and Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of The Quiet People in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Paul Cleave novel and I can safely say this won’t be my last. I’m still trying to pick my jaw up from the floor after reading The Quiet People!

The story is told from two perspectives. The first is Cameron, a best-selling crime author, who, along with his wife, finds their son Zach missing. Zach is a bit of a problem child, but you see how much Cameron loves him and all the range of emotions that he goes through after he goes missing and he becomes more and more unpredictable.

The second perspective is DI Rebecca Kent, a solid and experienced copper tasked with finding out the truth, no matter the consequences. 

Goodness, you’re really thrown through a loop during this novel, both emotionally and with all the shocks and surprises the author chucks at you along the way. Honestly, there’s never a dull moment.

The story is also packed with tension. You’re not sure who to trust or whether it’s going to end badly for the characters or not.

I can’t say too much more in case I give away any spoilers, but I can safely say that The Quiet People is up there as one of my top reads of this year.

The Quiet People is a twisty read that will keep you on your toes throughout, not knowing what will happen next.

About The Author:

Paul is an award-winning author who divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where most of his novels are set, and Europe. 

He has won the New Zealand Ngaio Marsh Award three times, the Saint-Maur book festival’s crime novel of the year award in France, and has been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Barry in the US and the Ned Kelly in Australia. 

His books have been translated into over twenty languages. He’s thrown his frisbee in over forty countries, plays tennis badly, golf even worse, and has two cats – which is often two too many.

Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulCleave, and his website: paulcleave.com

Find Me In The Dark (Detective Harlow Durant 1) by Dea Poirier @bookouture @deapoirierbooks #BooksOnTour #BookReview

Title: Find Me In The Dark (Detective Harlow Durant 1) by Dea Poirier

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 21st October 2021

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

She’d been running for so long, it felt like her legs were on fire. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure it would give out. Around her, the snow was falling, casting an eerie silence over the town. A crack behind her, a foot snapping a branch, it warned her that he was still coming. She whipped around and saw the knife gleaming in his hand…

As the snow begins to melt across Plattsburgh, New York, the body of a young woman is found buried in a snowbank. When Detective Harlow Durant arrives at the scene she discovers that the victim has lain there for months: her arresting beauty, brightly-coloured nails and a distinctive gold bracelet perfectly preserved in the ice.

Searching missing person reports, Harlow soon identifies the victim as college student Alyssa Trent. Her grieving family describe her as someone who had no enemies and was a dedicated student. But Alyssa’s tutor has a different view: they claim Alyssa had another life that she kept hidden. But who would want her dead?

Harlow knows all about secret lives. She has spent years running from her past and from her father, a convicted serial killer. As the only female detective at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Harlow has vowed to bring killers to justice. Now she needs to find justice for Alyssa.

When another female student is found in the thawing snow, Harlow knows that she is hunting a twisted killer. The victims knew each other but what dark secret connects them? With the small-town reeling in shock and more snow coming, Harlow knows she needs to stop a killer dead in their tracks before another innocent life is lost.

From the bestselling author of Next Girl To Die comes an addictive crime thriller perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series.

You can buy your copy here: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ax5vki

Review:

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me a copy of Find Me In The Dark in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first in the Harlow Durant series and my first book by Dea Poirier, but it certainly won’t be my last.

What an utterly compelling read Find Me In The Dark was! 

Harlow is a complex character. Raised by a serial killer and abusive mother, she’d used to people letting her down and moving from place to place, never feeling at home. She’s a bit standoffish, understandably, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly, which I enjoyed, especially when faced with the vile local officers she had to deal with.

Lucas made a nice foil for Harlow. New to the homicide department, he’s still a little inexperienced, but he’s loyal and determined. He also carries his own hurt from the past. It was also nice to see that there was any romance between him and Harlow, which made a pleasant change.

With all the buildup and tension in the story, I found the murderer reveal a little lacklustre, although at the end there is a little surprise that will lead nicely onto the next book.

Find Me In The Dark is a gripping serial killer thriller packed with action from the very beginning.

About The Author:

Author Dea (D.H) Poirier is the author of NEXT GIRL TO DIE, which hit #1 in the Amazon charts. She was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she got her start writing in creative writing courses. She attended The University of Central Oklahoma for Computer Science and Political Science. Later, she spent time living on both coasts, and traveling the United States, before finally putting down roots in Central Florida. She now resides somewhere between Disney and the swamp. She spends her days at her day job as a President of Digital Marketing, and her nights writing manuscripts.

Welcome

https://www.facebook.com/dhpoirier/

https://www.instagram.com/deapoirier/

Tweets by deapoirierbooks

#BookReview The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell @emblabooks

Title: The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell

Publisher: Embla Books

Date Published: 13th October 2021

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

From number one bestselling author Caroline Mitchell, comes the first chilling Slayton thriller for fans of C. J. Tudor and Stephen King.

If you open your door to the Midnight Man, hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near, because one of you won’t be leaving here…

On Halloween night in Slayton, five girls go to Blackhall Manor to play the Midnight Game. They write their names on a piece of paper and prick their fingers to soak it in blood. At exactly midnight they knock on the door twenty-two times – they have invited the Midnight Man in.

It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home.

Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. It’s a case that will take Sarah back to everything she’s been running from, and shake her to the core.

Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?

Review:

I want to thank Embla books for providing me with a copy of The Midnight Man in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Caroline Mitchell’s Detective Amy Winters series, so when I read the synopsis for Midnight Man, I knew I had to read it.

The Midnight Man is a police procedural with a creepy edge to it. It was a perfect read for this time of year, especially as the nights are drawing in and it’s getting colder.

There are a couple of horror tropes throughout, like the abandoned and possibly haunted mansion and the urban legend of the midnight man. They both added another dimension to the story, and I especially loved the chilling rhyme that warned against invoking the midnight man.

Detective Sarah Noble was a flawed and believable character. After a hellish year, you can’t help but root for her to get her life back on track. Another interesting character was seven-year-old Elliot. I can’t tell you too much about him, but he was a bit of a scene stealer.

I’ll be honest, when I read the blurb I was expecting more of a horror novel than the police procedural that it turned out to be. It didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment, but I was hoping for a little more creepiness/spookiness. 

The Midnight Man is a decent start to this series and I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of these characters.

About The Author:

USA Today and Global #1 Bestselling Thriller Author.

Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives with her family in a pretty village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, Caroline has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.

Set in Shoreditch, London, her DS Ruby Preston trilogy is described as terrifying, addictive serial killer thrillers.

Caroline also writes psychological thrillers. The most recent, Silent Victim, has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’. Her new DI Amy Winter series is published by Thomas & Mercer.

Sign up to join her Reader’s club for access to news, updates and exclusive competitions and giveaways. http://eepurl.com/IxsTj

Black Reed Bay (Detective Casey Wray 1) by Rod Reynolds @Rod_WR @OrendaBooks #BookReview

Title: Black Reed Bay (Detective Casey Wray 1) by Rod Reynolds

Date Published: 28th May 2021

Publisher: Orenda Books

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

When a young woman vanishes from an exclusive oceanfront community in the middle of the night, Detective Casey Wray’s takes on a case that leads her in chilling, unexpected directions … A twisty, breath-taking police procedural. First in a heart-pounding new series.

Don’t trust ANYONE…

When a young woman makes a distressing middle-of-the-night call to 911, apparently running for her life in a quiet, exclusive beachside neighbourhood, miles from her home, everything suggests a domestic incident.

Except no one has seen her since, and something doesn’t sit right with the officers at Hampstead County PD. With multiple suspects and witnesses throwing up startling inconsistencies, and interference from the top threatening the integrity of the investigation, lead detective Casey Wray is thrust into an increasingly puzzling case that looks like it’s going to have only one ending…

And then the first body appears…

For fans of Susie Steiner, Peter Swanson, M J Arlidge, James Lee Burke and Tana French.

Review:

I want to thank the TBC reviewer group and Orenda books for providing me with a copy of Black Reed Bay in exchange for an honest review.

Rod Reynolds has been on my radar for a while now, but this is actually the first book I’ve read by him, but it certainly won’t be the last!

A young woman makes a 911 call and seems to vanish. The people of the wealthy neighbourhood that she went missing from claim to have no clue where she went or why she was so distressed. Casey Wray is put on the case and is the only person intent on finding her. Then a body turns up and Casey realises there’s something more sinister going on than she first thought.

Black Reed Bay was one of those books that really kept me on my toes throughout, with plenty of twists and shocks along the way. 

I loved Rod Reynolds’ writing style. Descriptive and evocative without bogging you down with too much detail. Added to that, a cleverly concocted mystery and realistic characters, making it a really entertaining read.

Casey Wray is a fantastic character that I really rooted for. An older officer, she’s worked hard to become a detective and still at times struggles with it all. It’s her sheer determination and need for justice that seems to drive her on. 

Black Reed Bay is a tense and atmospheric police procedural that kept me gripped throughout. I will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

About The Author:

Rod Reynolds is the author of five novels, including the Charlie Yates series, the standalone Blood Red City and the forthcoming Black Reed Bay.

His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian have called the books ‘Pitch-perfect American noir.’ A lifelong Londoner, in 2020 Orenda Books published his first novel set in his hometown, Blood Red City, which was a Summer 2020 pick in the FT. In 2021, he again turns to the US, this time to present-day Long Island, with Black Reed Bay.

Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in Novel Writing from City University London. Rod lives with his wife and children and spends most of his time trying to keep up with them.

Contact him:

http://www.rodreynolds.com

twitter: @Rod_WR

facebook: @RodReynoldsBooks

#HalfPastTomorrow by Chris McGeorge @crmcgeorge @orionbooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #BookReview

Title: Half Past Tomorrow by Chris McGeorge

Date Published: 5th August 2021

Publisher: Orion Publishing

Genre: Thriller

Description:

Shirley Steadman, a 70 year old living in a small town in the North East of England, loves her volunteer work at the local hospital radio. She likes giving back to the community, and even more so, she likes getting out of the house. Haunted by the presence of her son, a reluctant Royal Navy officer who was lost at sea, and still in the shadow of her long dead abusive husband, she doesn’t like being alone much.

One day, at the radio station, she is playing around with the equipment and finds a frequency that was never there before. It is a pirate radio station, and as she listens as the presenter starts reading the news. But there is one problem – the news being reported is tomorrows. Shirley first thinks it is a mere misunderstanding – a wrong date. But she watches as everything reported comes true. At first, Shirley is in awe of the station, and happily tunes in to hear the news.

But then the presenter starts reporting murders – murders that happen just the way they were reported.

And Shirley is the only one who can stop them. 

Review:

I want to thank Tracy Fenton for inviting me on this tour and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve not read any books by this author before but when I saw it was about a radio station that reports about murders before they happen I was like, yes, I need to read that! 

The story centres around Shirley who, while volunteering at the local hospital radio station, comes across Mallet AM, a pirate radio station that reports tomorrow’s news. At first, the incidents that are reported were simple accidents, but it slowly becomes more sinister and reports a murder. Shirley can’t leave it alone and sets out to stop the murder from happening.

I love an older main character, especially in a mystery, and I thought Shirley was wonderfully done. She’s headstrong, determined, and won’t let even her frail health stop her from getting to the bottom of the mystery. She also carries pain and guilt around from her past, making her you root for her even more.

I also loved the hospital radio setting, as it gave me a bit of nostalgia for the days when I used to listen to the radio myself.  

There were some good shocks and surprises along the way, but for me, the story was a little slow burn. That’s not a bad thing, but I was just expecting some more chills and thrills.

Half Past Tomorrow is a solid thriller with memorable characters and an original and intriguing storyline.

About The Author:

Chris McGeorge studied MA Creative Writing (Crime/Thriller) at City University London where he wrote his first novel as his thesis. His interests are broad – spanning film, books, theatre and video games. He is a member of the Northern Crime Syndicate, a supergroup of writers from Northern England. He lives in County Durham with his partner and many, many animals.

Little Girl Taken (Detective Madison Harper 3) by Wendy Dranfield @WendyDranfield @bookouture #BookReview #BooksOnTour

Title: Little Girl Taken (Detective Madison Harper 3) by Wendy Dranfield 

Date Published: 29th July 2021

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Crime Thriller

Description:

Rain rattles through the trees as she leans into the car, careful not to touch anything. Two pretty blue eyes stare back through the dark, wide with relief, or maybe fear. A baby girl, wrapped up in a pink snowsuit, reaches out a tiny hand. Her mother is nowhere to be found…

An abandoned baby is the last thing Detective Madison Harper expects to find as she drives to her first day back at work since the case that ripped her life apart. But as she cradles the shivering child close, all her instincts tell her there’s something more sinister at play. Then she finds a lone sneaker down a muddy trail nearby, the laces spattered with blood…

In a town as small as Lost Creek, Colorado, the baby and the shoe are quickly identified as belonging to Kacie Larson, a waitress at the local diner who quietly stashed away her tips to make a better life for her daughter. A mother herself, Madison can’t believe that Kacie would just abandon her child, but she also can’t convince her new team. Not for the first time, Madison feels she must go it alone to get the job done.

But when a body is pulled from a nearby lake, and it’s not Kacie, the case takes an agonizing turn. Is this missing mother really who she says she is? Is there a chance she’s still alive? Madison barely has time to think before the sweet little girl she rescued is snatched on a crowded street. Gone, in the blink of an eye.

To break this case and earn her place back on the force, Madison must learn to trust her team, and herself again—and fast. If she doesn’t find this twisted individual in time, a little girl could die…

A pulse-pounding, absolutely gripping and totally addictive page-turner that will have you racing through the pages and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot, you’ll be sleeping with the lights on!

You can buy your copy here: https://geni.us/B093C9HN79cover 

Review:

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I swear this series is getting better and better! It’s the third in the Detective Madison Harper series, while it can be read as a standalone I would suggest reading at least the previous book Cry For Help just to get more on the background on the characters.

Madison has got her job back as a detective but it will not be easy for her, after so many years away and suspicions about her still swirling. It doesn’t help that on her first day back she finds a crashed car with a baby in the back. Where is the baby’s mother and will Madison be able to find her alive? She enlists the help of her friend and PI Nate to help her crack the case.

As always with Wendy’s books, she puts her characters through it! It’s Nate’s turn in this book when his friend Rex turns up dead, bringing with him some revelations about his Father Connor, the man he’s been trying to track down for years.

This novel really hit me hard in the emotions and after I put it down, I honestly couldn’t stop thinking about the ending.

Little Girl Taken is a well written and fast-paced thriller full of plenty of shocks and surprises along the way to keep you guessing. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in this series!

About The Author:

Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband and 3 cats.

Her first novel (The Girl Who Died) was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition. Since then she has written two crime series – one follows Officer Dean Matheson on his quest to make detective, and the other is her current series which follows Detective Madison Harper as she tries to reclaim her life after spending six years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.

As well as crime novels Wendy also has short stories published in various anthologies in the UK and the US, and she has been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions.

Wendy’s social media:

Website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

Facebook: Wendy Dranfield Author

Pinterest: Wendy Dranfield

Instagram: Wendy Dranfield Author 

Me Tender by Lorraine Mace @lomace @rararesources #BookReview

Title: Love Me Tender by Lorraine Mace

Date Published: 21st January 2021

Publisher: Headline 

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

IF HE WANTS YOU . . . THERE’S NO ESCAPE.

A brutal murder . . .
Responding to a tip-off, newly promoted Detective Chief Inspector Paolo Sterling arrives at an apartment block to find the dismembered body of a young woman. And with no indication of a break-in, all signs suggest the killer was known to her.

An abduction in plain sight . . .
Then the victim’s friend is snatched with no witnesses and the unanswered questions mount up.

At the same time, Sterling’s team are leading the surveillance of a local club, thought to be involved in a drug operation. But when one of his colleagues ends up in hospital close to death, Paolo begins to lose his grip.

A detective on the edge . . .
With the odds stacked against him, and time running out, can DCI Sterling uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will this case finally tip him over the edge?

You can buy you copy here:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3vHyDxT

Review:

I want to thank Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on this blog tour and the publisher for providing me with a copy of Love Me Tender in exchange for an honest review.

I’m back with the fifth installment of the DCI Paolo Sterling. I absolutely love this series so I’m always eager to get my hands on a new book.

Love Me Tender has everything I want in a police procedural, a twisty complicated investigation, an insight into a deranged killer’s mind and tenacious detectives out to solve the case.

Two cases run side by side in this novel. The first is the investigation into a club called ‘The Pipe’ that they believe is trafficking illegal drugs that lead to a young woman’s death. The other is the death of a young woman in her flat, along with the disappearance of her friend. It’s also interspersed with brief insights into the killer’s mind and their warped world.

Paolo really goes through it during this story. Struggling after the death of his friend and colleague, he has a promotion thrust upon him that he doesn’t want. He’s also facing opposition from a member of his own team, not even mentioning the fact his love life is its usual tangled mess.

As always with this type of book there’s a few gruesome scenes that are not for the faint of heart.

Love Me Tender is a dark, gritty and highly addictive read that reminded me just how much I love this series. 

About The Author:

Born and raised in South East London, Lorraine lived and worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo and in France before settling on the Costa del Sol in Spain. She lives with her partner in a traditional Spanish village inland from the coast and enjoys sampling the regional dishes and ever-changing tapas in the local bars. Her knowledge of Spanish is expanding. To stop her waistline from doing the same, she runs five times a week.

Author of the D.I. Sterling series of novels, Lorraine has been engaged in many writing-related activities. A columnist for Writing Magazine, she has recently stepped down from writing two columns for Writers’ Forum and also her role as head judge of the magazine’s monthly fiction competitions in order to concentrate on her own writing. She is currently writing two standalone psychological thrillers for Headline Accent.

She also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service.

Social Media Links – 

Website: www.lorrainemace.com 

Blog: http://thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lomace 

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

Cry For Help (Detective Madison Harper 2) by Wendy Dranfield @bookouture @WendyDranfield #BookReview

Title: Cry For Help (Detective Madison Harper 2) by Wendy Dranfield

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 22nd February 2021

Genre: Thriller

Description:

Shivering in the early morning chill, the caretaker flips the switch on the Ferris wheel and stumbles back in shock. The teenage girl’s body is slumped in a halo of pretty colored lights, long red hair spilling over her tear-stained cheeks, her eyes fixed forever on her dangling feet.

When teenager Nikki Jackson’s body is found at an amusement park, just hours after Fourth of July fireworks lit up the night sky, the Lost Creek police rule her death as suicide––a devastating final act from a girl who had lost all hope. But the absence of the knife used to make the wounds on her delicate wrists makes Detective Madison Harper think otherwise. And the partial fingerprint found on the girl’s face proves her right. Someone else was with Nikki in her final moments…

Back home in Colorado for the first time in seven years to investigate the murder of a woman with ties to the son she lost to the care system, the pressure is on for Madison to work both cases at once. Fearing the team has missed a vital clue, Madison searches the crime scene alone and finds the last thing she ever expected: a note proving the victims knew each other, and that the cases are linked. Is this a coincidence, proof a dangerous murderer is on the loose, or a trap set to lead Madison off the trail?

It’s only when Madison finally finds the knife used to harm Nikki, tucked in an almost impossible to find hiding place, that she knows she is closing in on a twisted killer. But the last person she expects to see dragged into the department in handcuffs is her own missing son…

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Addictive reading for anyone who loves Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Melinda Leigh.

Review:

I enjoyed the first in this series earlier this year and as I know the third is coming out soon; I thought I’d better catch up with this one.

Madison is heading home to clear her name and find her son, but things get complicated when the body of a teenage girl is found. She and Nate can’t leave it unsolved, but the case quickly gets personal for Madison.

Cry For Help is one of those books that grabs you from the very beginning, getting more and more taut with tension building to a satisfying and action packed ending.

This book had so many little shocks and surprises along the way, which I didn’t see coming and absolutely loved!

I really enjoyed getting the full story of Madison’s arrest and more bits and pieces from her past, something I felt was missing from the first book. Of course that meant Nate sort of took a back seat for most of the book but I think it worked out well and I wonder what Wendy Dranfield will do next with these characters.

I absolutely flew through the first half of this book but for some reason I found the second half a little more slow going, maybe it’s just I didn’t want it to end!

Cry For Help is a fast-paced and addictive read and I can’t wait to read more from this series!

About The Author:

Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband and 3 cats.

Her first novel (The Girl Who Died) was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition. Since then she has written two crime series – one follows Officer Dean Matheson on his quest to make detective, and the other is her current series which follows Detective Madison Harper as she tries to reclaim her life after spending six years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.

As well as crime novels Wendy also has short stories published in various anthologies in the UK and the US, and she has been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions.

Wendy’s social media:

Website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

Facebook: Wendy Dranfield Author

Pinterest: Wendy Dranfield

Instagram: Wendy Dranfield Author

#BlogTour #BookReview Small Bones by Kerry Buchanan @DabblinginCrime @JoffeBooks

Title: Small Bones by Kerry Buchanan

Publisher: Joffe Books

Date Published: 3rd June 2021

Genre: Mystery

Description:

DON’T MISS THE MUST-READ CRIME THRILLER OF SUMMER 2021

AN ABSOLUTELY JAW-DROPPING CRIME THRILLER FEATURING DETECTIVES ASHA HARVEY & AARON BIRCH
 
If you can’t trust your father and you can’t trust the police, who can you trust?
 
Sue Hearn is planting a herb garden on the site of her grandfather’s old greenhouse. She’s spent the morning digging up all sorts of odds and ends already. But she doesn’t expect this grisly find.
 
Could it be the remains of her mother, Monica, who went missing thirty years ago?
 
Sue’s father, in hospital with dementia, insinuates that a police officer was involved in her mother’s disappearance. But can he be trusted?
 
So now Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch might be looking for a bent copper.
 
As they dig deeper into the past, Sue and Asha find secrets so dangerous it will put all their lives in danger.
 
Fans of BBC’s Line of Duty, Lynda La Plante, Tana French, Patricia Gibney, Brian McGilloway, Ann Cleeves, Caro Ramsay and Helen H. Durrant will devour this electrifying crime thriller by one of Northern Ireland’s newest talents.
 
MEET THE DETECTIVES
DETECTIVE ASHA HARVEY
Asha Harvey has always had a powerful sense of right and wrong. She has wanted to be a detective since she was a child, and while she can be a little too trusting, her open manner makes people want to confide in her. She is especially driven to succeed as a woman of colour in a largely white, male police force in Northern Ireland. Her family support her and are ridiculously proud of her, which adds to her internal pressure to succeed.
 
DETECTIVE AARON BIRCH
Boyish and gangly, Aaron Birch entered the police force as a detective through a graduate recruitment scheme. This makes him the butt of snide remarks by fellow officers, so he always feels he has something to prove. He also has a tendency to stretch the rules to suit himself, which can lead to him getting into trouble.
 
THE SETTING
A city of contrasts, Belfast is filled with beautiful old relics dating back to a golden age of shipbuilding and wealth, as well as the scars of more recent wounds. The city has an exciting sense of newness and potential, but it can’t quite shed those who lurk in the darker shadows born of its turbulent past.
 
WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT KERRY BUCHANAN:
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Oh my this book . . . so fast paced, I enjoyed chapter after chapter. It will send your heart pounding, it’s full of massive twists . . . this book will shock you to the core right till the very end.” Booklover Bev
 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Its not often a debut novel is as well written as this. I found myself utterly riveted from very early in the book, and when I wasn’t reading it, I was spending my time wishing I was . . . highly, highly, recommended.” Sean S.
 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “If you love an intense, creepy, and suspenseful psychological thriller that you cannot put down once you’ve started it, this book will absolutely thrill you.” L. M. Darter
 
DETECTIVES HARVEY & BIRCH MYSTERIES
Book 1: KNIFE EDGE
Book 2: SMALL BONES

Review:

I want to thank Jill Burkinshaw for inviting me on this tour and Joffe books for providing me with a copy of Small Bones in exchange for an honest review.

Acting DI Asha Harvey, along with her partner Aaron Birch, are back to solve another mystery. This time when Sue Hearn finds the skeleton in her garden. As they dig further into the mystery, they find that Sue’s mother Monica went missing thirty years ago and was never heard of again. Are the two cases linked or is there something more going on?

This series is part psychological thriller, part police procedural with a whole heap of twists and turns along the way.

I enjoyed that we got to see a bit more of Asha and Aaron in this book than we did in the first, getting to know them a bit better. Asha is a kind and caring copper, trying to prove herself, which bumps up nicely next to the loyal and sweet Aaron. 

Sue was an interesting character, too. Looking after her dad, who had dementia, full time would be enough for anyone to cope with, but finding a body on top of all that? It amazed me to see she didn’t fall to pieces (I would have) and became integral to the case.

I would say that I found this story a little slower to start than the first in the series but of course that’s just my opinion. 

Also, it leaves a few unanswered questions, paving the way for the next in the series which I’m looking forward to.

Small Bones is a well written and action packed mystery that was both entertaining and intriguing in equal measure. 

About The Author:

Kerry Buchanan has had numerous short stories published internationally, including some prize-winners, but her heart lies with novel-writing. Her crime series is set in Belfast and in the rolling County Down hills she sees from her window as she writes. She is often invited to perform her work at literary events or to be a member of panels at conventions, and she loves to help new writers by facilitating writing groups and classes in her local community.

Although Kerry is disabled, her hobbies include sailing and attempting to outwit the slugs in her vegetable patch. Generally, the slugs win.

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The Pact by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton @Tr4cyF3nt0n @TrapezeBooks #BlogTour #BookReview

Title: The Pact by Sharon Bolton

Date Published: 1st May 2021

Publisher: Trapeze 

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Description:

A golden summer, and six talented friends are looking forward to the brightest of futures – until a daredevil game goes horribly wrong, and a woman and two children are killed.

18-year-old Megan takes the blame, leaving the others free to get on with their lives. In return, they each agree to a ‘favour’, payable on her release from prison.

Twenty years later Megan is free.

Let the games begin . . .

Review:

I want to thank Tracy Fenton for inviting me on this tour and Trapeze for providing me with a copy of The Pact in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Sharon Bolton so I’m always excited when I hear she has a new novel out, especially after her last novel, The Split, was one of my top reads last year. 

The story starts off with six friends, all about to get their A-level results and go off to university. That night they decide to do a dare, drive the wrong way down a motorway. Tragedy strikes and a family is killed. Megan agrees to take the blame but for a price, a favour when she gets released. They agree to the pact but once Megan is released she’s not going to leave them alone until she gets what she wants.

What I liked about this book is I went in expecting something very different but the author surprised me and took me in a much darker and devious direction.

None of the characters were likeable, they’re privileged, spoiled and more than a little selfish, but there was just something about them all that drew me in and made me want to carry on reading. 

I don’t want to say too much about the story line because this is one of these novels that I think you have to go into knowing as little as possible to really appreciate it but all I will say was it was a little slow burn to begin with, the tension slowly going up and up until it all culminated in a nail biting ending.

The Pact is a well crafted psychological thriller that was compelling and cleverly plotted.

About The Author:

Sharon Bolton (previously S. J. Bolton) is the critically acclaimed author of some of the most bone-chilling crime books ever written. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2014 she won the CWA Dagger in the Library for her whole body of work.

Sharon lives near Oxford with her husband and son.