BLOG TOUR: She's Mine - A. A. Chaudhuri

 

Twenty years ago, Christine Donovan took a call she should have ignored while shopping. In those few seconds while her back was turned, her toddler, Heidi, was kidnapped. She’s never been seen again.

Despite having two other children with husband Greg, Christine remains guilt-stricken that her neglect caused her child to be stolen, while haunted by a secret that consumes her.

Just as she takes measures to finally heal, a note is posted through her door, with the words she has always longed to hear: Heidi isn’t dead.

Christine might finally get the answers she craves - but what she doesn’t know is that finding her daughter will uncover dark secrets close to home.

In seeking the truth, Christine might destroy everything that she loves … so how far is she willing to go to find Heidi?

With a truly jaw-dropping end twist, She’s Mine is a dark, scandalous, and gripping read from a major new talent in psychological thriller writing. For fans of Harriet Tyce, C.L. Taylor and Apple Tree Yard.

What did I think?

I loved A. A. Chaudhuri's legal thrillers that I listened to on audiobook so I was really excited to read her debut psychological thriller She's Mine and what a cracker it is!  It's so gripping that it blew my reading plans out of the water and I raced through it a lot quicker than I had planned.  Even though I thought I had it all worked out (and of course I really hadn't) I just couldn't put it down.

I had conflicting emotions for Christine, whose daughter Heidi disappeared from a department store when she was a toddler.  Of course I felt sorry for Christine as her life changed irreparably the moment that Heidi was taken and her pain and guilt damaged all of her relationships, but Christine was far from the perfect mother.  I don't want to spoil the plot by saying any more than that as you really need to read this book for yourself to experience all of the shocks and surprises.

It's heartbreaking to see how one terrible event can damage a family so badly and I would be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind that Christine only had herself to blame.  Karma is indeed a b!tch, but even more so when it's manipulated.  Christine and her family would be stronger together but they are broken beyond repair and somebody is out to destroy them...

Gripping and twisty doesn't even come close to describing this fantastic book.  With characters you will love to hate, it's impossible to put down and even when you think you have it all worked out, there are still more surprises in store.  A. A. Chaudhuri is super-talented and she's fast becoming one of my favourite authors, so if you haven't discovered her novels yet make sure you pick up a copy of She's Mine.  

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:

A. A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer. After gaining a degree in History at University College London, she later trained as a solicitor and worked for several major London law firms before leaving law to pursue her passion for writing. She is the author of The Scribe and The Abduction, books 1 and 2 of her Kramer & Carver legal thriller series featuring the feisty Maddy Kramer, also published in audio. Her first psychological thriller with Hera Books, She's Mine, will be published in 18th August 2021. Represented by Annette Crossland of A for Authors Literary Agency, she lives in Surrey with her family, and loves films, all things Italian and a good margarita!

#1 Amazon Australia Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Aug '19); #1 Amazon Canada Women Sleuth Mysteries; (Aug '19) top 10 Amazon UK Legal crime thrillers (Aug '19); #1 Amazon Australia Legal Thrillers (November '19)

Find more info at:

https://aachaudhuri.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AAChaudhuri/

https://twitter.com/AAChaudhuri

https://www.instagram.com/a.a.chaudhuri/

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BLOG TOUR: The Abduction (Kramer & Carver, Book 2) - A. A. Chaudhuri

The gripping sequel to Amazon bestselling thriller, The Scribe.

Kramer and Carver are back…

Madeline Kramer has finally got her life back on track at top City law firm Sullivan, Blake, Monroe. But when two armed, masked men burst into a conference room one lunchtime, kidnapping a trainee and a partner, Maddy’s life is plunged into disarray once more—particularly when charismatic DCI Jake Carver, who caught a heartless killer when they last met and with whom Maddy shared a mutual chemistry, is called to the scene.

Things become more complicated when a disturbing video reveals two more trainees have been taken. What initially appears as a random kidnapping for mercenary gain soon evolves into something far more complex, the horrifying events of thirty years ago motivating the abductors and having colossal implications for those in the present...

Against a backdrop of sleaze, sex, lies and murder in The Abduction, Maddy and Carver must work together to unravel the truth, and ensure that no crimes—past or present—are left unpunished.

What did I think?

I listened to The Abduction, the second book in the Kramer & Carver series, straight after I'd listened to the first book, The Scribe.  Although you could listen to The Abduction as a standalone, it does contain plot spoilers from The Scribe so I would advise that you listen to them in order.  They are both brilliant, so you will definitely want to listen to them both.

To try to put events from The Scribe behind her, Maddy Kramer has got a new job as an associate in a different London law firm.  It seems like her bad luck has followed her when three trainees and a partner are kidnapped in broad daylight and held to ransom.  Every cloud has a silver lining though and it brings DCI Carver back into her life.  

Kramer and Carver are such a great pairing; Carver is a natural investigator and Maddy is so nosy but she's as sharp as a tack.  I loved seeing how the characters developed and hearing their voices rather than reading about them really made me feel as if I know them.  There was definite chemistry between them last time but, with a seventeen year age gap, neither of them acted upon it.  Now that they are back in touch, we may finally get an answer to the question of will they/won't they?

I was completely intrigued and gripped by the thrilling and razor-sharp plot.  Nothing is as it seems and it contains more backstabbing and deception than an entire season of Dynasty.  Secrets and lies always make for a good story so I was on the edge of my (bicycle) seat and couldn't listen fast enough.  I listen to audiobooks while exercising and the fast pacing sure did make me pedal faster!

Once again, David Thorpe's narration is outstanding.  The narration is so good that the characters don't really need to be announced as I could recognise them by their voices.  David 'multi-voiced' Thorpe really brings not only the characters but the whole book to life and I'm not ashamed to admit that I found myself actually speaking out loud to the characters on more than one occasion.

The partnering of A. A. Chaudhuri's compelling writing and David Thorpe's expressive narration is as perfect as the Kramer and Carver pairing in the book.  Outstanding from beginning to end, The Abduction is thrilling, gripping and filled with deception.  I absolutely loved it and unreservedly recommend it.  5 huge stars!

I chose to listen to an audiobook ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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The Scribe (A Kramer & Carver Thriller Book 1) - A. A. Chaudhuri

Making it as a lawyer has always been a cutthroat business.

A killer is targeting former students of The Bloomsbury Academy of Law. The victims – all female – are gruesomely butchered according to a pattern corresponding with the legal syllabus. Even more disconcerting are riddles sent by the killer to investigating officer, Chief Inspector Jake Carver, offering clues as to who is next and where they will die.

Up-and-coming lawyer Madeline Kramer, a former classmate of a number of the slain, soon finds her life turned upside down by the savagery. And when she decides to help Carver track down the killer, she places herself in mortal danger. Can Maddy and Carver unscramble the complex riddles and save the lives of those destined to die?

A. A. Chaudhuri’s Ripper-like mystery, The Scribe, throws down a challenge even hardened crime thriller fans will be unable to resist. It's perfect for those who love Lee Child and Ian Rankin.

What did I think?

I don't listen to many audiobooks as I find that my attention drifts and I end up missing vital parts of the story but this was definitely not the case with The Scribe, narrated by David Thorpe.  The plot is exceptional, the narration is outstanding and my attention was held for every single minute of the 13 hours and 26 minutes of the book.

I love legal thrillers and A. A. Chaudhuri has written something so completely different to anything I have ever read before by teaming up a young lawyer with a Chief Inspector, leaving the courtroom behind and creating more of a police procedural.  There's a killer in London and all of the victims are not only former students of a law academy, they are former lovers of the philandering professor, which makes him the prime suspect.  

Young lawyer, Maddy Kramer finds herself helping the police when she sees connections between the victims and has an idea where the killer may strike next.  It might be putting her own life in danger but she is determined to stop the killer and she also quite fancies the Chief Inspector, Jake Carver.  The plot focuses on the killings so there's not really any sexual tension between Kramer and Carver, it's more of a growing admiration and I'm looking forward to seeing how this relationship develops throughout the series.

David Thorpe's narration left me speechless; every character has a different voice so it really does give the impression that there is more than one narrator.  The whole story is brought to life through David Thorpe's dulcet tones and it not only held my attention but kept me fully engaged.  I had only planned to listen to the audiobook while exercising but I found that I snuck in a few extra chapters whenever possible as I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

I think the narration may be a bit too good as it caused me to be suspicious of a particular character; even though I had guessed partly right, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story as this wasn't the only twist to be revealed.  I even thought I was completely wrong at one point as the storyline shot off in a different direction and just when I thought all had become clear, there are still some shocks and surprises in store.

Fast-paced and hugely entertaining, The Scribe is a sharply plotted, highly addictive legal thriller and police procedural rolled into one.  I absolutely loved it and I already have book 2, The Abduction, lined up to play next.

Many thanks to the author for arranging the audio files to be sent to me from Isis Audio for the purpose of review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon