BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Paper Trails - Amelia Thorne

It’s 1989 in London, the Cold War between East and West is finally coming to an end, and thirteen-year-old Milly has a school project to find out about her family history. But all she knows is that her grandad was a doorman at the Savoy – and that, long ago, he was supposedly a Russian prince, back when Russia still had princes. Could that really be true?

So, when she discovers an old diary written in Russian, she enlists the help of her schoolfriend Ilya, whose family has fled the Soviet Union, to unravel Nicolai’s story.

As they piece together the unbelievable details of his escape from the Red Army, the adventures, the hardships and the love he encountered as he made his way across Europe, Milly sees an opportunity to heal the tragedies of the past – with unexpected consequences.

 

What did I think?

Paper Trails is a YA novel with a 13-year-old protagonist and, even though I'm 'slightly' older than the target audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It hooked me from the start with Milly's interest in finding out more about her family history after being laughed at in school for claiming her grandad was a Russian prince.  Now this is 1989 so there's no world wide web on which to do her research so Milly does some digging around at home and finds an old diary written in Russian. 

Oh my goodness, the diary entries are heartbreaking but Amelia Thorne writes with sensitivity and respect so that younger readers will not be distressed by the events of the Russian civil war.  I loved that Milly asked a Russian schoolfriend to translate the diary and it was nice to see a platonic friendship, despite being at an age where hormones are starting to rage.

The family history story is very intriguing and it is like a jigsaw with pieces spread around the world.  It wasn't until I finished reading that i realised how clever the cover was with all the little facets of the story depicted in beautiful images.

Atmospheric, nostalgic and poignant, Paper Trails is a wonderful book that completely captivated and charmed me.  I couldn't put it down once I picked it up and read it in one sitting.  It's absolutely brilliant and I loved it!

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Traitor - Ava Glass

LONDON. EARLY MORNING.

A body is found in a padlocked suitcase.

Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it's murder. And it's personal.

She quickly establishes that the dead man had been shadowing two oligarchs suspected of procuring illegal weapons in the UK. And it seems likely that an insider working deep within the British government is helping them.

To find out who the traitor is, Emma goes deep undercover on a superyacht owned by one of the oligarchs.

But the glamorous veneer of the rich hides dark secrets. Out at sea, Emma is both hunter and prey, and no one can protect her.

Never has the turquoise sea and golden sands of the Riviera seemed so dangerous.

As the hunt intensifies, Emma knows that she is in mortal danger. And that she needs to find the traitor before they find her . . .

 

What did I think?

Wow!  Ava Glass stole my breath; I'm sure I forgot to breath when I was reading The Traitor.  It is completely awesome!  It's Ava Glass' second book featuring intelligence agency operative Emma Makepeace but you can read it as a standalone as I haven't read The Chase but I definitely want to now.

Emma is a very strong and well-developed main character.  With Russian heritage, she is the perfect spy to place on a Russian yacht but, with no mobile phone coverage, the risks are very high.  It's a risk that Emma is more than willing to take though.  Yikes!  I'm glad I don't bite my nails or I'd have bitten them down to the quick.  

I absolutely loved this book and with a traitor in their midst I suspected almost everyone, even those people that Emma trusts.  I'm really not surprised that film rights have already been acquired as it is an outstanding spy novel.

Incredibly fast-paced and filled with danger, The Traitor is a breathtaking novel that drew me in from the start and continued at break-neck speed until the very end.  I think the book cover must have been coated in superglue as I simply couldn't put it down and my poor eyes were worn out at the speed I was demanding them to read.

Very highly recommended and an absolute must-read.  Just don't forget to breathe when you read 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:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

The Traitor is the highly anticipated follow up to Ava Glass’ 2022 debut spy thriller The Chase.

The Chase is currently shortlisted for Best Spy Novel at the 2023 Crime Writer Awards alongside established names including Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) and Linwood Barclay. No small feat for a debut novelist.

Film rights to The Chase and The Traitor have been acquired by Ink Factory, producers of The Night Manager, who are currently working on a pilot in conjunction with Sky Atlantic, now in the final stages of editing. Next step will be casting!  

Ava Glass is a former civil servant with the highest security clearance bar one.  She has seen just enough of the inner workings of espionage to ensure that she will always be fascinated by spies.

Prior to working at the home office, Ava Glass worked as a crime reporter, covering multiple homicides, making her writing both fresh and dangerously believable.

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The Guardian of Lies - Kate Furnivall

1953, the South of France. The fragile peace between the West and Soviet Russia hangs on a knife edge. And one family has been torn apart by secrets and conflicting allegiances.

Eloïse Caussade is a courageous young Frenchwoman, raised on a bull farm near Arles in the Camargue. She idolises her older brother, André, and when he leaves to become an Intelligence Officer working for the CIA in Paris to help protect France, she soon follows him. Having exchanged the strict confines of her father's farm for a life of freedom in Paris, her world comes alive. 

But everything changes when André is injured - a direct result of Eloise's actions. Unable to work, André returns to his father’s farm, but Eloïse’s sense of guilt and responsibility for his injuries sets her on the trail of the person who attempted to kill him.

Eloïse finds her hometown in a state of unrest and conflict. Those who are angry at the construction of the American airbase nearby, with its lethal nuclear armaments, confront those who support it, and anger flares into violence, stirred up by Soviet agents. Throughout all this unrest, Eloïse is still relentlessly hunting down the man who betrayed her brother and his country, and she is learning to look at those she loves and at herself with different eyes. She no longer knows who she can trust. Who is working for Soviet Intelligence and who is not? And what side do her own family lie on?

What did I think?

I discovered Kate Furnivall through TBC on Facebook so joining that group is the best thing I ever did as I absolutely adore her books.  As a keen reader of historical fiction, I know how difficult it can be to bring an era to life but Kate Furnivall does this impeccably.  What an amazing talent to be able to transport the reader to miscellaneous locations and time periods; whether it's early 20th Century Egypt in Shadows on the Nile, war torn Italy in The Liberation or post-war France in The Guardian of Lies I feel as if I'm travelling the world through Kate Furnivall's wonderful books.

In The Guardian of Lies we launch straight into the action with Eloïse acting as a getaway driver for her brother André.  With a car chase that would rival James Bond, I had my heart in my mouth and was left breathless as the action unfolds.  The pacing doesn't give up there, even when Eloïse and André return to their father's farm in Arles; in fact it felt more dangerous in the idyllic countryside of The Camargue with civil unrest over an American airbase being built on their farmland.  With such a great opportunity to spy on the American airforce, Eloïse can't tell which side her family, friends and neighbours are on.  The question on my lips throughout the whole book was: who can she trust?

Oh my word, this is another outstanding novel by Kate Furnivall.  I almost managed to read it in one sitting, if only I didn't have to eat and sleep!  I really couldn't put it down and it's unusual for this to happen to me when reading historical fiction as sometimes it's quite fact-heavy and dry so I need to take regular breaks.  Kate Furnivall's writing is so multi-faceted that it awakens the senses as you see, hear and smell every sight, sound and action along with the characters.

I was a little concerned that the story might be confusing, as is often the case with Russian espionage, but I needn't have worried as the story is easy to follow and we aren't overrun with characters.  This proves yet again that Kate Furnivall is an exceptional storyteller.  I think of Kate Furnivall is a literary knitter; she spins such a good yarn.

The Guardian of Lies is an exceptional novel by one of the finest historical fiction authors I've ever come across; so grab your passport and pick up a copy to be transported to post-war France from the comfort of your armchair.  A highly recommended read and one I shall definitely be recommending for a long time to come.

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

My rating:

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29 Seconds - T.M. Logan

Give me one name. One person. And I will make them disappear . . .

When Sarah rescues a young girl in trouble, she expects nothing in return. But her act of bravery puts a powerful and dangerous man in her debt. He lives by his own brutal code, and all debts must be repaid - in the only way he knows how.

He offers Sarah a way to solve a desperate situation with her intolerable boss. A once-in-a-lifetime deal that will make all her problems disappear.

No consequences. No comeback. No chance of being found out.

All it takes is a 29 second phone call.

BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS A NAME TO GIVE. DON'T THEY?

What did I think?

Having read and loved T.M. Logan's debut, Lies, to say I was keen to read his new book, 29 Seconds, was an understatement.  I read 29 Seconds through The PigeonHole with a few chapters being released every day over a period of 10 days.  As difficult as it is to wait 24 hours for your next book fix, it's amazing how much you look forward to reading it and the tension and suspense feels heightened as the book nears its conclusion.

Sarah's boss, Alan Lovelock, is a sexual predator; everyone knows it but nobody seems to be able to do anything about it.  He's highly thought of by the university and seems to be able to do no wrong which is how he gets away with his inappropriate behaviour.  When Sarah finds herself in Alan's crosshairs it was like she was a fly caught in a spider's web with no means of escape until a strange event gave her a way out.  When Sarah witnesses a weird accident that looks like a kidnapping attempt on a young girl, the girl's Russian father offers to thank Sarah by making someone disappear.  In a call lasting 29 seconds, the name she gives is Alan Lovelock but when guilt causes her to regret her decision, is it already too late?

Every attempt to show Lovelock's true colours seems to backfire and Sarah is running out of options and time.  Is that an excuse to end a man's life, though?  I was so angry that Lovelock was protected at work, it was like an old boy's club where they had each other's backs.  I wondered whether his colleagues believed his lies or just chose not to see the truth.  How many of us would stand up for someone else or just ignore it and feel grateful that it wasn't happening to us? 

If ever a book has you constantly wondering 'what would you do', this is it.   I think everybody who reads it will ask themselves this same question.  A completely gripping and highly addictive book, 29 Seconds is another cracking page turner from T.M. Logan. 

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

My rating:

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