Deadly Deep (Dread Wood Book 4) - Jennifer Killick

The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spooky Crater Lake. Perfect for 9+ fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps and Stranger Things!

It’s summer term and time for a school trip with a difference! Year 8 are on a boat off the coast of France, learning about ocean life. But things are about to get WEIRD . . .

Who is the creepy man on board the ship? And what IS the vast, shadowy creature seen lurking at the bottom of the ocean?

When the ship is sunk Club Loser realise that they are the only ones who can save the day, and their classmates. Can they outwit and defeat a giant, deadly sea monster from the depths? It’s a fight for survival and if they fail, Club Loser will find themselves in a watery grave . . .

 

What did I think?

Deadly Deep is aimed at 10-12 year olds but I’m in my fifties and I loved it.  I actually didn’t realise this was book four in the series when I ordered it, but I didn’t feel at a disadvantage at all having not read the first three books as I quickly got to know the vividly drawn characters.

The classmates from Dread Wood High are onboard a boat on a school trip and this is one trip they will never forget.  They are set to learn much more than they expected about ocean life as they get up close and personal with one particular creature of the deep.

I found this book incredibly entertaining and could totally visualise everything that was happening on board the boat.  So much so that my heart was pounding and my pulse was racing as events unfolded.  

The only thing I struggled with (as an oldie) was some of the teenage slang words but I made a good guess at their meanings as I didn’t want to stop reading to look them up.

Deadly Deep is massively entertaining, incredibly funny and a little bit scary.  I really enjoyed it; it’s something completely different for me and I’d highly recommend it.

My rating:

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JACK JORDAN BLOGATHON: Do No Harm

It's the start of the Compulsive Readers Jack Jordan blogathon and first up is Jack Jordan's unmissable thriller Do No Harm!  

For my stop on the tour I am resharing my review and if you haven't read Do No Harm yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.

My son has been taken. And I’ve been given a choice…

Kill a patient on the operating table. Or never see him again.

The man lies on the table in front of me.

As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.

As a mother, I know I must kill him.

You might think that I’m a monster.

But there really is only one choice.

I must get away with murder.

Or I will never see my son again.

Could you kill another person to save your own child?

When heart surgeon Dr Anna Jones returns home to find her son kidnapped, she is forced to make an impossible choice. Kill a high-profile patient on the operating table, or never see her son again.

Told from the perspectives of Anna, her scrub nurse, Margot, who has her own secrets to protect and DI Rachel Conaty, Anna must first make the impossible decision…

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.

WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

 

What did I think?

This is THE book that everyone is talking about this year and rightly so as it's BRILLIANT!!  I've been a fan of Jack Jordan since I started my blog in 2015, the same year he wrote his stunning debut, Anything for Her and I have been itching to get my hands on a copy of Do No Harm.  It wasn't in my hands long though as I couldn't put it down.

The characters, the plot, and the writing are all exceptional.  This is the definition of a heart-pounding thriller as the writing is so vivid that I felt like I was in the operating theatre myself.  The different character perspectives add depth to the already gripping story as each character struggles with their own demons.

Any story with a moral dilemma begs the question: "What would you do?" and it's a question that I asked myself over and over again as I was reading.  I think it would be a quick and easy decision for anyone who is a mother but I found that I was able to look at it more objectively.  Anna's not exactly the nicest character so that adds another element into the equation. 

Do No Harm is unputdownable and unmissable - it is definitely the book that everyone should read this year.  I would be very surprised if it's not picked up for TV or film as it's such an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a thriller that is so entertaining, gripping and fast-paced from start to finish.

Jack Jordan's star continues to rise and Do No Harm is easily his best novel yet (and I've absolutely LOVED all of his others).  I don't know how he will follow it, but I'm looking forward to seeing him try.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour in May 2022 and I am reposting my review on the paperback publication day.  I chose to read this book (TWICE!) and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…

Follow Jack on social media:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @jackjordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

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The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told - Jack Rosewood

A collection of the most mind-boggling and outrageous True Crime cases you've ever read. Stories so bizarre, creepy and compelling that you can't stop turning the pages - the perfect gift for True Crime lovers.

Are you a hardcore true crime fan? Do you know all the ins and outs of popular cases and killers? Are you kind of sick of hearing the same old stories over and over? Do you long to be truly disturbed by strange and scary details that just don't happen every day?

Then you are sure to enjoy The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told!

Inside you'll find:

- Tales of the paranormal: Did a dead woman really solve her own murder? Have dreams helped investigators track down killers? Did a demon possess a man and force him to kill?

- Terrifying mysteries: What was happening in the Soka Forest of Horrors? How can authorities have stacks of DNA evidence and still not be able to track down such a careless killer? How many innocent people have been killed because they knew too much.

- The strangest details of any true crime cases: How many murder attempts can one man survive? How long can someone live with a corpse in their house? How did a cannibal who committed a horrific crime not only walk free, but become a celebrity?

- Bizarre true crime stories you've never heard before!

As horrifying as the details of well-known cases can be, real true crime fanatics are looking for something more than the run of the mill murders they've heard about a thousand times. They're looking for mysteries, twists and turns, and seemingly-impossible circumstances that take a case from lacklustre to legendary.

The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told delivers the horrifying, interesting, weird, and disturbing tales that really get true crime connoisseurs excited. Lock your doors, close your blinds, and get ready to read about some of the strangest, and most bone-chilling true crime cases the word has ever seen.

 

What did I think?

Yikes!  This true crime book is not for the faint hearted.  It chilled me to the bone and it had my stomach clenching as these 20 true crimes were revealed in all their grisly glory.

I read a lot of crime fiction but these true crimes are certainly stranger than fiction.  It’s actually quite shocking to not only read the true stories in this book but to further research them on the internet afterwards, especially as some of them remain unsolved to this day.

It’s very well written in an entertaining, informative and compelling way.  The chapters are quite short so it’s a book you can dip in and out of but I devoured it cover to cover.

I loved it and would highly recommend this book to both true crime fans and fans of crime fiction.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Haunted World - Theresa Cheung

Paranormal expert Theresa Cheung shares 101 of the most mysterious and spooky true stories of hauntings from around the world together with the latest afterlife science and research, providing fascinating insight into our never-ending love affair with ghosts.

Belief in ghosts is surprisingly common worldwide. Mysterious glowing orbs, unexplained chills, things that literally go bump in the night: signs of paranormal activity have reportedly surged during the pandemic. As have specialist investigators, organised ghost hunts, eerie podcasts, TV shows and reports of everyday hauntings.

Sharing the details of some well-known and particularly mysterious hauntings together with some less-well-known tales and personal stories from her readers and listeners, Theresa explores these ghostly encounters through four categories of hauntings: residual, poltergeist, inhuman and intelligent.

With an introduction to modern parapsychology, a look at the latest science that digs deeper into our never-ending love affair with ghosts, psychic-themed self-help advice and ghost hunting tips, Haunted World is a timely and entertaining journey through the thrilling world of afterlife research.

 

What did I think?

This is a great book to read as the nights get darker and the spooky season approaches.  Let's just say I'm glad I read it during the day as I was creeped out enough, thank you very much.  It's a great book for dipping in and out of but I read it cover to cover as I couldn't put it down.

In this spooky virtual tour of 101 paranormal events from around the world, Theresa Cheung both captivated and chilled me with these ghostly tales.  There were some I had heard of but most of them were new to me.  I loved how each story is written concisely but often directing the reader to do some further research on the internet.  I would have read the book a lot quicker if I hadn't been googling to see the creepy photos. 

The book is split into four parts: residual, poltergeist, inhuman and intelligent.  Residual hauntings is the largest part as it's the most common type of haunting, that of past events playing on a loop, such as reports of the sighting of two young princes in the Tower of London.  The scariest haunting is that of the poltergeist that can move objects and people, but is often faked.  Equally scary perhaps (for me, at least) are the inhuman hauntings; things like dolls, paintings or other inanimate items.  I was particularly interested in the intelligent hauntings which suggest a level of consciousness remains when a person has died.

Whatever your interest or belief in ghosts, this is a very interesting and informative book.  It has a good spread of stories from around the world, although there are a few geographical bloopers that might annoy readers from Pontefract and Vancouver.  

Haunted World is chilling, goosebumpy read that both enlightens and entertains the reader and I highly recommend it for Hallowe'en reading.

I chose to read the paperback I received from Tandem Collective as part of a TikTok mailout and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Torments (The Annie Jackson Mysteries book 2) - Michael J Malone

Hiding from the world in her little white cottage on the shores of a loch,  Annie Jackson is fighting to come to terms with the world of the murmurs,  a curse that has haunted female members of her family for centuries. 

While she is within the ancient, heavy stone of the old dwelling, the voices  merely buzz, but the moment she steps outside the door they clamour to torment her all over again, bringing with them shocking visions of imminent deaths. 

Into this oasis comes her adoptive mother, Mandy McEvoy, begging for  Annie’s help. Mandy’s nephew Damien has gone missing, after dropping  off his four-year old son at his mother’s home. 

Unable to refuse, but terrified to leave her sanctuary, Annie, with the help of her brother Lewis, is drawn in to a secretive, seductive world that will have her question everything she holds dear, while Lewis’ life may be changed forever… 

 

What did I think?

I loved The Murmurs, the first book in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, so I couldn't wait to read the sequel, The Torments, and I was not disappointed.  Although you could read The Torments as a standalone, I think it's beneficial to have read The Murmurs first to really get to know the characters of Annie Jackson and her brother Lewis and to understand Annie's curse.

Annie finally has her curse under control, at least when she's at home in her isolated cottage.  If only she could stay behind closed doors, she wouldn't be plagued by the murmurs and the death visions. When her cousin Damien goes missing, Annie and her brother Lewis are called upon to help find him but the world outside Annie's four walls is filled with danger for someone like Annie.

I really enjoyed reading about Annie Jackson again and it was like meeting up with an old friend so I was very invested in her story.  I was on the edge of my seat as the danger level ramped up and I was suspicious of everyone linked with Damien's disappearance.  With Hallowe'en approaching, the clock is ticking for Annie and Lewis to uncover the truth behind Damien's disappearance, and a whole lot more than they bargained for.

Spooky, chilling and compelling, The Torments is a book that will keep you up at night, both when you're reading it and after you've finished it.  It's the perfect book to read on Hallowe'en and I most definitely recommend it.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines  throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood  Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His dark psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and  is currently in production for the screen, and five powerful standalone thrillers followed  suit. The Murmurs, first in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, was published to critical  acclaim in 2023. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as  an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, where he also works as a hypnotherapist. 

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BLOG TOUR: The Flower House (The Valley Park Series) - Nicky Black

THE THIRD STAND-ALONE STORY IN THE GRITTY VALLEY PARK SERIES

When Vivien Young wins the contract to redevelop the Valley Park estate in Newcastle, she is faced with a fierce adversary: a woman who would rather die than leave her crumbling home on the estate. With her company in trouble, Vivien must find a way to persuade the woman to sell up. If she doesn’t, she could not only lose her business, but also the beloved home she shares with her die-hard, hippy father: the Flower House.

The Flower House stands in the shadow of the Valley Park estate. It was passed to Vivien’s father Jeff after his parents’ death in the 1960s, and now he has entrusted it to Vivien.

But within its walls lie painful memories for the father Vivien adores, and a past full of secrets. Secrets that could destroy everything Vivien Young holds dear.

HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS FOR THE MOST GRIPPING STORY IN THE VALLEY PARK SERIES YET

 

What did I think?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!  It's SO good I just had to shout about how much I loved it.  I have loved every book in The Valley Park Series so far but I think The Flower House is the best one yet.

Set in Newcastle upon Tyne, there's a completely gripping dual timeline in The Flower House but there's also a sharp contrast between people's lives on either side of the Valley Park estate's boundary.  Vivien wants to develop the estate and create new homes and amenities but Binty wants to hold on to her home and refuses to sell.

The Flower House is almost a character in its own right as it holds so many secrets within its walls.  Jeff and his sister lost their parents at a young age but they inherited the family home.  Their naivety is exploited and before they know it, there's a bunch of strangers living in the house and flowers are being painted on the walls.  

I was incredibly intrigued by Binty and couldn't read the book fast enough to discover all of her secrets (and there's a lot of them).  I had so many questions as I was reading, and they all get answered absolutely brilliantly.  If it was a play, I'd have given it a round of applause and a standing ovation.  As they say up here in Geordieland, it's pure belter like.

Riveting, compelling and simply brilliant, The Flower House is as impossible to put down as it is to predict.  It's a cracking read and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  An easy five stars!

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Nicky Black writes gritty, North East fiction, full of drama, twists and turns. Geordie criminals divide and rule their territories with a mixture of fear, threats and violence.

The Prodigal and The Rave are the result of a collaboration between two writers, Nicky and Julie. Julie's TV and movie scripts have provided the blueprint for Nicky's creation of these two novels, both set on the fictional Valley Park estate in Newcastle upon Tyne. Both Nicky and Julie have had careers working at the heart of disadvantaged communities in the North East of England, where they experienced the real grit and struggle of peoples' every-day lives, as well as their humour and determination to lead a happy existence, whatever that meant to them.

Nicky was born and brought up in Alnwick in Northumberland and now lives in North Tyneside. Julie is a born and bred Geordie and still lives in the Toon.

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BLOG TOUR: Private Investigations (Lara Arden Crime Series Book 2) - Rob Gittins

A young girl is in a coma after a tragic road accident. Another young girl has washed up on a remote beach, her identity unknown. An old man is murdered and hastily buried in a makeshift grave. A tormented pastor is unable to erase old misdeeds.

Different souls, but with one common link – the past.

Detective Inspector Lara Arden has her own demons to deal with. But as she investigates this raft of seemingly disparate crimes, she begins to suspect there’s a further common link at work here – her own past.

When all roads lead back to a former children’s home called Kenwood – and a macabre half-size windmill sited in its grounds – suspicion hardens into conviction.

Lara always believed that Kenwood had to be destroyed. Its old stories haunted it too strongly, like spirits yet to find their voice.

But do the tendrils of its past cling to everyone associated with it, too?

And do they need to be destroyed as well?

 

What did I think?

Wow! I really enjoyed this fantastic book.  Private Investigations is the second book in the Lara Arden crime series but you can read it as a standalone as it has its own contained storyline.  I was introduced to DI Lara Arden in the first book of the series, I'm Not There, and I absolutely loved it, so I was looking forward to virtually visiting the Isle of Wight once again.

The bodies are mounting up for DI Lara Arden and her team and Lara thinks she sees a link, one that is very personal to her.  This is where it is beneficial to have read the first book in the series, but enough of the story is recounted for anyone who hasn't read it.

As well as the gripping storyline of the former children's home and anyone with links to it, I was completely hooked by the intriguing story of Amy Waite who was involved in a hit and run and left in a coma.  Amy has a special link with her brother Aaron and my heart totally went out to Aaron as he felt the severing of that link so severely.  The big question is what or who was Amy running away from?

There are so many layers of intrigue in this story that keep the pages turning so rapidly it's a wonder I didn't end up with a million paper cuts.  Even though it's only the second book in a series, the characters of Lara and her team are so wonderfully developed that I feel as if I know them well.  They all have their own demons to contend with whilst fighting crime on the Isle of Wight.

Incredibly intriguing, blisteringly fast-paced and completely unpredictable, Private Investigations is a stunning crime thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.  I absolutely loved it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck

Amazon

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