A Body in the Lakes By: Graham Smith (Reviewed by Rochelle)

Hello all of my book followers, can you believe that March is just about over and April will be here before we know it.  I am so behind in writing my reviews for this year thank goodness for my journal of books a place I write notes of what books I have read, although my Goodreads book challenge is now moving right along, I have read 18 books so far my goal is 50 leaving me with 32 more to go.  And now on to my review.

About Book:

The woman’s limbs were so thin; the skin on her arms as translucent as tracing paper. Around her neck lay a faint string of purple bruises. In one so frail, darker, angrier marks might be expected but Beth knew the bruising would have stopped the moment her heart stopped beating.

When a hiker finds the body of a woman by the shores of Lake Ullswater, the police are put on high alert. Felicia Evans was known to be a tough character, but who would have strangled her?

Detective Beth Young quickly spots the links to three cold cases. Three women strangled and discarded in the stunning, wild hills of the Lake District.

As Beth begins tracking down witnesses, the team receives an anonymous letter claiming the charming mayor of Carlisle is behind the murders. There’s pressure from the top to clear his name. But Beth is determined to find the truth no matter whose feathers she ruffles in the process.

Beth knows the clock is ticking. The killer is hunting again. And it’s down to her to find who’s responsible before another woman becomes his prey…

About Author:

Graham Smith is the author of the highly anticipated The Darling Dead which features a dynamic female lead in DC Beth Young.

He is also the bestselling author of two explosive crime thrillers in the Jake Boulder series, Watching the Bodies and The Kindred Killers. Watching the Bodies spent over two weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart and Amazon CA charts. Graham is also the author of the popular DI Harry Evans series and has collections of short stories and novellas.

  • Print Length:  372 pages
  • Publisher:  Bookouture (March 15, 2019)
  • Publication Date:  March 15, 2019

My Review:

I am grateful to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.
An interesting read.

This is the first that I have read anything from this author and I didn’t know that there was a first book in this series, but I have to say I didn’t need the first book, the story was well written and I felt like I knew the characters.  A Body in the Lakes is the second book in the Detective Beth Young series by Graham Smith Beth is the newest member of the Force Major Investigation Team and once again she is a force to be reckoned with and this second installment to the series shows why she is such a great asset to the team.  I really enjoyed this book from the start to finish, and at times I had to tell myself that’s it, but no on to the next chapter.  I definitely am going to look for more books from this author, and in hopes that there will be another to this one.  Love his style of writing, he knows how to keep the reader wondering.  I am giving this 5 stars.

 

Happy reading all of my book followers.

 

The Last Thing She Remembers By: J.S. Monroe (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

Who can you trust if you don’t know who you are?

She arrives at the train station only to realize her bag had been stolen—her passport, credit cards, laptop, house key now all gone. And even more disturbing, when she goes to report the incident, she can’t recall her own name. All she has on her is a train ticket home.

Suffering from stress-induced amnesia, the woman without a name is a source of mystery when she appears at the sleepy Wiltshire village where she thought she lived. She quickly becomes a source of conspiracy and fear among the townspeople. Why does one think he recognizes her from years earlier? And why do the local police take such a strong interest in her arrival?

From the critically acclaimed author of Find Me comes a shocking new tale of dark pasts and deception, leaving us breathlessly analyzing the role memory plays in defining who we are—and who others think we might be.

About Author:

J.S.Monroe’s new novel, Forget My Name, published by Head of Zeus in the UK on 4 October 2018. It will be published in the US as The Last Thing She Remembers by Park Row Books (HarperCollins) in May 2019.

Monroe’s best-selling debut, Find Me, was published in the UK and the US in 2017. Translation rights have been sold to 14 countries.

J.S.Monroe is the pseudonym of author Jon Stock (see separate author page). After reading English at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Jon worked as a freelance journalist in London, writing features for most of Britain’s national newspapers, as well as contributing to BBC Radio 4. He was also chosen for Carlton TV’s acclaimed screenwriters course. In 1995 he lived in Kochi in Kerala, where he worked on the staff of India’s The Week magazine. Between 1998 and 2000, he was a foreign correspondent in Delhi, writing for the Daily Telegraph, South China Morning Post and the Singapore Straits Times. He also wrote the Last Word column in The Week magazine from 1995 to 2012.

On his return to Britain in 2000, Monroe worked on various Saturday sections of the Telegraph before taking up a staff job as editor of its flagship Weekend section in 2005, which he oversaw for five years. He left Weekend and the Telegraph in 2010 to finish writing his Daniel Marchant trilogy (under the name Jon Stock) and returned to the Telegraph in February 2013 to oversee the Telegraph’s digital books channel. In May 2014 he was promoted to Executive Head of Weekend and Living, editing the paper’s Saturday and Sunday print supplements, as well as a range of digital lifestyle channels. He left the paper in October 2015 to resume his thriller-writing career.

His first novel, The Riot Act, published by Serpent’s Tail, was launched on the top floor of Canary Wharf tower in 1997. The book was shortlisted by the Crime Writers’ Association for its best first novel award and was subsequently published by Gallimard in France as part of its acclaimed Serie Noir. The Sunday Times called it a “darkly sparkling crime thriller”. The Cardamom Club was published in 2003 by Blackamber (now Arcadia Books) in Britain and by Penguin in India. It was hailed by the travel writer William Dalrymple as a “witty, fast-moving, cleverly plotted espionage romp”.

Dead Spy Running, his third novel and the first in the Daniel Marchant (or ‘Legoland’) trilogy, was published by HarperCollins (Blue Door) in 2009 and has been translated into five languages. It follows Daniel Marchant, a young MI6 officer, as he tries to clear the name of his disgraced father, the former Chief of MI6. The sequel, Games Traitors Play, was published in 2011, and the final part of the trilogy, Dirty Little Secret, was published in 2012.

  • Print Length:416 pages
  • Publisher:Park Row; Original edition (May 28, 2019)
  • Publication Date:May 28, 2019

My Review:

I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

First time reading anything by this author; It was a pretty quick read, I felt like there were two stories in one and then as you start reading it all come together.   The story starts off good… it has an air of mystery about it .. it keeps you turning the pages until the very end to find out what happens and you finally learn the truth.. it leaves you mind blown!  I enjoyed the characters and they seemed to fit with the story line of the book.  There were some chapters that I thought dragged and I was losing interest.  Over all I enjoyed this book and I am giving it 4 stars.

 

Turn The Other Way By: Stuart James (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

Sometimes revenge is the deadliest game of all.
A derelict farmhouse in the Essex countryside.
A deranged family.
Innocent victims picked at random.
If you’re chosen, Turn The Other Way.
Simon Bairstow is a top London surgeon. He’s performed dozens of life-saving operations. But something goes horribly wrong. The machine Eve Johnson is attached to flatlines, and suddenly her parent’s world has collapsed.
They’re hellbent on revenge, someone to answer for the horrific error that’s been made.
Noah and Jess are driving home on a busy dual carriageway and stuck in traffic. They hear thumping coming from the back doors of the transit van in front of them. When Noah steps out onto the road, he hears muffled screams.
He opens the back doors and what he sees shocks him to the core.
The van pulls off, spilling Noah onto the road.
Ignoring his wife’s plea to leave it, he hits the accelerator in pursuit of the van.
Chloe’s parents are missing. She hasn’t seen them since they left the party in Hampstead on Friday night. She needs answers, deciding to take matters into her own hands.
A serial killer is stalking the streets of Islington in North London late at night leaving his victims in a horrific way.
The press have dubbed him the Angel Attacker.
A terrifying tale of revenge with a twist that will hit you like a sledgehammer.

What authors have said about Stuart James.
Lisa Hall, author of The Party and Between You and me: Tense and thrilling, with an ending you won’t see coming.
John Marrs, author of The Good Samaritan and The Wronged Son: Fans of Mark Edwards will very much enjoy. Definitely a
writer to look out for.
Natasha Harding, The Sun newspaper: A spooky read that will grab your attention from the very first page.
Jennifer Jayne, USA Today best selling author of Malice, Disturbed and The Stranger: Great job. Well-crafted, deliciously
twisty and kept me glued to the pages.

About Author:

Hello everyone.
Thanks for taking a look at my author page on Amazon.
I’m a psychological thriller writer and publish here on Amazon.
I have two thrillers out at the moment, The Mortuary and The House on Rectory Lane.
My new scary thriller called Turn The Other Way is available as a pre-order now and will be released on 8th February.

  • Print Length:361 pages
  • Publication Date:February 8, 2019

My Review:

Thank you The Fiction Café-Review and Stuart James for this arc copy.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and man he keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat.  I love psychological thrillers and this one was a great read. Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down, I had to find out what was going to happen.  The book has multiple POVs and past and present chapters. Contains graphic event details.  READ THIS BOOK NOW! Stuart James’ newest thriller Turn The Other Way is an adrenaline ride with twists and turns along the way. His newest novel takes place over the past and present, as well as over several character story lines.

I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Thank you Stuart James for the fantastic ride! Can’t wait for your next thriller…  I am giving this 5 stars!!!!

Happy reading.

Schoolgirl Missing By: Sue Fortin (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

The USA Today Bestselling Author
Her step-mum has a secret.
Her father in lying.

Everyone is watching.

Who do you believe?

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

When fourteen-year-old Poppy vanishes on a family boating trip, suspicion soon turns close to home – to the two people who should do everything to keep her safe, her parents, Kit and Neve. Can they really be responsible for their little girl’s disappearance?

Neve loves Poppy like her own daughter, but the truth is, she isn’t. And her very existence means Neve will never have a precious child to call her own. But would Neve harm her step-daughter simply to get her own way? In times like this Neve has always turned to her sister Megan to help. Megan will know what to do…

Kit would do anything to keep his family safe and happy. But his refusal to have another child has been causing a strain on his marriage. And he’s worried Neve’s mental state is growing increasingly unstable. But would he harm his own daughter just to prove he is in control?

As the frantic search for Poppy grows, Kit and Neve’s marriage is close to breaking point. And only one person can get what they want.

About Author:

Sue Fortin is an award winning USA Today and an Amazon best selling author, an international bestseller and has reached #1 in the Amazon UK Kindle chart and #3 in the US Kindle chart. Sue writes mystery, suspense and romance, sometimes combining all three.

Sue was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex where she now lives on the south coast with her husband and family.

  • Print Length:416 pages
  • Publisher:HarperCollins (January 10, 2019)
  • Publication Date:January 10, 2019

My Review:

Thank you The Fiction Café-Review and Sue Fortin for this arc. copy

WOW WOW I loved this book, once I started I could not put it down.  The story is centred around the disappearance of Poppy who vanished on a family boat trip leaving dad Kit and step-mum Neve devastated and very worried.   Prior to this incident, we get a glimpse into the life of our family and it soon becomes evident that not all is rosy in their garden. Not at all. This family had some secrets, and their lives were not at all perfect, Neve, had a lot of secrets that had her hiding and running from.   Kit doesn’t really help matters with his flat out refusal to have a second child, which Neve knew that from the beginning.  Neve turns to her Art instructor for support.  When I thought I had gotten what was happening there were more twist and turns that kept me reading until I thought I had who had taken Poppy, but no I was wrong again, so on to find out more.  Once I figured out who did it, I was amazed with what Kit had done to cover it all up just so that he could keep his family together.   This book’s ending will have you quessing a lot …   I am looking for Sue Fortin’s other books in hopes that I can read more of her novels.  I loved this one.

Website  Twitter  

 

Happy reading!!!

Milk and Honey By: Rupi Kaur (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

#1 New York Times bestseller Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.

The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.

About Author:

Rupi kaur is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of two collections of poetry. She started drawing at the age of five when her mother handed her a paintbrush and said–draw your heart out. Rupi views her life as an exploration of that artistic journey. After completing her degree in rhetoric studies she published her first collection of poems ‘milk and honey’ in 2014. The internationally acclaimed collection sold well over two million copies gracing the New York times bestseller list every week for over a year. It has since been translated into over thirty languages. Her long-awaited second collection ‘the sun and her flowers’ was published in 2017 and debuted as a #1 New York Times bestseller. Through this collection she continues to explore a variety of themes ranging from love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, migration, and revolution. Rupi has performed her poetry across the world. Her illustrations, along with her design and art direction are warmly embraced and she hopes to continue this expression for years to come.

  • Paperback:208 pages
  • Publisher:Andrews McMeel Publishing; Reprint edition (October 6, 2015)

My Review:

I read the Sun and her Flowers and then I saw that she had Milk and Honey.  I requested it from my local library and finally it came available in my account. .  It’s a short book and some poetry that I really liked and then there was some that I thought didn’t really had any meaning.   This book had me hooked from the beginning to the end. Great book for anyone going through any sort of a rough time. Or even if you’re feeling great. Either way it’s empowering.    I am giving this a 5 star review.

Happy Reading everyone