BLOG TOUR: Pressure Chamber - Nir Hezroni

 

Four babies have been kidnapped from four different maternity wards in Tel Aviv. With not a single lead to follow, all investigators can do is wait patiently for the suspect they call ‘the Babysitter’ to make their next move.

Four weeks earlier, on a quiet street, a medical student went out for a run and was killed by a hit and run driver. Then a second student went out and never returned. Daphne Dagan, a young, talented police officer, is first to realise that the hit and run and the kidnappings are related.

But she's also in the middle of her own battle - a recurring nightmare that's been haunting her for years. The strain of dealing with a real-life killer and kidnapper during the day, and the man who murders her in her sleep each night drive her into a place of darkness and despair from which she must escape if she is to catch ‘The Babysitter’.

What did I think?

Pressure Chamber is the first novel translated from Hebrew that I have read and I absolutely loved it.  Absolutely nothing has been lost in the wonderful translation by Steven Cohen as Nir Hezroni's outstanding novel gripped me from the start.

With a hit and run, a missing student and four stolen babies, police officer Daphne Dagan has a very intriguing case on her hands.  Daphne already has a lot on her plate with a recurring nightmare haunting her dreams.  As Daphne explores lucid dreaming to get to the root of her nightmares, an added layer of suspense is added to the story as you're never quite sure what is real and what is imagined.  I loved exploring Daphne's dreams although I do find lucid dreaming very scary.

The plotline surrounding 'The Babysitter' is simply outstanding.  The execution of the crime and the reasoning behind it is highly original and completely breathtaking.  It's incredibly twisted but that's what's so brilliant about it.  I don't want to say anything about the plot itself for fear of inadvertently releasing spoilers as it's definitely one you want to experience first-hand for yourself.

Nir Hezroni's writing is stunningly vivid and I was totally immersed in the novel from beginning to end.  I know that his first two thrillers have been optioned for film and I wouldn't be surprised if Pressure Chamber joins them.  The book had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't read it fast enough so I can imagine the film being equally gripping, tense and suspenseful.

Pressure Chamber is ingeniously twisted, highly original and completely absorbing.  It's so fast-paced and compelling that I couldn't put it down and read it much quicker than I expected.  I'll certainly be checking out Nir Hezroni's earlier work.  Pressure Chamber is absolutely brilliant and highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Nir Hezroni was born in Jerusalem. His first two thrillers, were sold in 2-book deals in six territories and have been optioned for film by Sony Pictures Television Inc. He now lives with his family near Tel-Aviv.

Twitter: @nirhezroni

Instagram: @nirhezroni

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BLOG TOUR: The Mothers - Sarah J Naughton

Five women meet at their local antenatal group. The only thing they really have in common is that they are all pregnant and live within the Chelsea area. Beyond that they all lead very different lives.

Five secrets. Three years later, they are all good friends and often meet up as a group, nick named ‘The Mothers Club’. They get along well enough. Don’t they?

One missing husband. When Bella’s husband goes missing the same night as one of their mothers club get togethers, the police come knocking. Each of the women clearly have secrets they’d like to hide. But the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells…

What did I think?

I love a book filled with secrets and Sarah J Naughton crams in as many as she can in her awesome new novel, The Mothers.  The story centres around a group of women, loosely called friends, who are so very different but similar in the way that they each carry around their own dramas in their bulging emotional baggage.  With five characters, you'd think it would get complicated as to who was who but the way they are introduced one at a time leaves a lasting first impression of each woman.

After one mother's club meeting, Bella's husband Ewan and one of the friends go missing and so the story flashes back to the past as we discover the events leading up to the double disappearance.  The dynamic of the group is very intriguing as apart from babies, which only four out of the five women have, they have absolutely nothing in common.  It almost seems like they feel obliged to remain friends but as we know, appearances can be deceptive.

I loved reading each woman's story equally, which is a rare thing as I would usually have a favourite but they are so multi-dimensional and Sarah J Naughton paints such a vivid picture of their lives.  I was so immersed in their life stories that I almost forgot about the mysterious disappearances, which turns out to be a jaw-dropping story in itself.  Then just when you think all has been revealed, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Twisted and chilling, The Mothers is a gripping thriller that reminds us to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  If you liked Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, you'll love Sarah J Naughton's The Mothers.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Sarah J Naughton grew up in Dorset and is the bestselling author of The Other Couple and Tattletale. Her debut children's thriller, The Hanged Man Rises was shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Award. The Mothers is her third novel for adults. Sarah now lives with her family in Belgravia.

@sarahjnaughton

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Little Darlings - Melanie Golding

THE TWINS ARE CRYING.
THE TWINS ARE HUNGRY.

LAUREN IS CRYING.

LAUREN IS EXHAUSTED.

Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting . . .

After a traumatic birth, Lauren is alone on the maternity ward with her newborn twins. Her husband has gone home. The nurses are doing their rounds. She can’t stop thinking about every danger her babies now face. But all new mothers think like that. Don’t they?

A terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves Lauren convinced someone or something is trying to steal her children. But with every step she takes to keep her babies safe, Lauren sinks deeper and deeper into paranoia and fear. From the stark loneliness of returning home after birth, to the confines of a psychiatric unit, Lauren’s desperation increases as no one will listen to her. But here’s the question: is she mad, or does she know something we don’t?

Loosely inspired by the ghostly folktale The Brewery of Eggshells, where a mother becomes convinced her twins are in danger, Little Darlings offers a fresh perspective on modern motherhood, postnatal psychosis and the roles women play. It has always been thus: folk tales do not spring from whimsy; they warn us and teach us, and speak to the fear in us all.

What did I think?

I could not ignore the buzz on social media about Melanie Golding's debut, Little Darlings, so, despite my toppling TBR pile, I hot-footed it over to NetGalley for a copy and started to read it the minute it dropped on my kindle.  Unable to put it down, 24 hours later I released the breath I had metaphorically been holding as I turned the final page.

What an absolute creepfest!  Despite having nothing in common with her, I really felt for the character of Lauren.  Not only has she given birth for the first time, but she has double trouble in the form of twin boys.  On her first night in the hospital after the birth, she hears a mother in the cubicle next to her eerily singing to another set of twins.  When Lauren gets out of bed to ask the mother to keep the noise down, she is unprepared for what she sees and hears...a threat that her own perfect boys will be swapped for the monsters in the other mother's basket.  Blaming stress of the birth and postnatal psychosis, nobody believes that this even happened...then the boys change, but only Lauren notices the difference and she will do ANYTHING to get her sweet babies back.

Oh my word!  These creepy babies will give me more nightmares than the Chucky doll ever did.  The way they didn't cry like normal babies but watched every movement made my skin crawl and, along with DS Joanna Harper (who has her own baby shaped demons), I had no hesitation in believing Lauren's story.  Was I as deluded as Lauren?  You can make up your own mind when you read Little Darlings.

I love how the story is loosely based on the Welsh fairytale, Brewery of Eggshells.  Any book that has me rushing off to google gets a big thumbs up as it just shows how intriguing and effective the story is.  It also brings a hint of realism (even though it is based on a fairytale) and just maybe this could actually happen.  EEEEEK!!!!

Little Darlings is so creepy that as much as you want to hide behind the sofa, you can't tear your eyes from the page until you have devoured every single word and turned the final page.  It's an outstanding debut that has me eager to see what Melanie Golding comes up with next.  Do not miss this intriguing, addictive, dark, creepy and scarily believable story that may very well give you nightmares!

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Woolly Hat Knitting Club - Poppy Dolan

Finding happiness one stitch at a time

When Dee Blackthorn’s brother, JP, breaks both wrists not only is he in need of a helping hand – or two – but the knitting shop he owns can’t function. Sisterly duties take Dee away from her demanding job and she is unceremoniously fired amidst rumours of inappropriate behaviour. Dee is certain that her hot-shot nemesis, Ben, is behind it all but has no proof.

When Dee bumps into an old friend who is new mum to a premature baby she convinces JP to enlist his knitting pals to make lots of tiny woolly hats. Then Ben turns up denying involvement in Dee’s sacking and she ropes him into helping the knitting cause. 

But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…

What did I think?

I do have an affinity for knitting and I certainly don't get my needles out often enough, but I was drawn to The Woolly Hat Knitting Club like a granny to a woolshop.  I expected it to be a bit of a chicklit book, with a bit of knitting in it, so I was really surprised to find myself taking note of some life lessons along the way.  I love a book that gives me something to think about at the end, and I think it's rather apt that I am starting a new job on the day that I am releasing my review of The Woolly Hat Knitting Club for the blog tour.  You will see why if you read on...

Delilah and her brother, Julian, (Dee and JP to their friends) co-own a haberdashery in the picturesque village of Fenwild.  Not one to be sexist, but you would expect Dee to be the knitting enthusiast but instead it is her brother JP.  JP has made quite a name for himself on social media as About a (Knitting) Boy so he is distraught when he breaks both his wrists and has to call on his sister for help.  Luckily for JP, Dee has just been fired from her high-powered job in the city so she is around to help out...or take over and PR the hell out of his knitting business, more like!  When she's not seething about her arch-rival, Ben, who she thinks got her fired, Dee is trying to secure investment in JP's business...but is that what JP wants or is it all that Dee knows?

When Dee runs into an old friend, Becky, in the local supermarket a new business plan is born.  Becky has just prematurely given birth to her son, Chester, but she hasn't even been able to hold him yet, never mind find clothes to fit him.  Although JP is unable to knit in his current predicament, Dee asks him to give a shout out to his followers to knit tiny baby hats and they are overwhelmed by the response. The idea snowballs into a knitathon and JP really gets to see who his friends are...with Dee finally seeing that there's more to life than work.

What a thought-provoking story this was, both about paying it forward by being charitable and about the work/life balance.  I've heard all the 'work to live not live to work' sayings many times and at the beginning I really didn't see what was wrong with Dee throwing herself into her work 24/7 - after all that's all she had.  EXACTLY!!!  That's all she had but she could have so much more!  Family, friends and love are all waiting to be plucked from the tree of life but you have to take a walk into the forest to see this as you can't see it from your desk at work.  As soon as Dee felt the warm glow of happiness, I had a bit of an epiphany and saw where I had been going wrong for the last however many years.  So like I say, I expected to settle down to some warm glow hot chocolate sipping chicklit but got a lot more out of The Woolly Hat Knitting Club than I expected.

The Woolly Hat Knitting Club ticked all the boxes for me with family and friendship playing a huge part, but also thinking of others as well as yourself.  There really is something extra special about giving a gift you have made yourself as there's a little bit of love and happiness woven into the item along with every stitch.  The Woolly Hat Knitting Club is what I would call an onion book; it has so many layers and it's a delight to see them being peeled away to reveal a shiny new core or whatever an onion has in its middle.  Maybe an onion doesn't have a kernel, but there's definitely a kernel of wisdom in this book should you choose to see it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  I am releasing my review as part of the blog tour.

My rating:

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