The Vanishing Act - Jo Jakeman

Life as a missing person is absolute murder...

When artist Eloise Ford hears that human remains found in an abandoned mine are believed to be those of long-missing teenager Elizabeth King, the shock sends her reeling.

It can't be true. Eloise knows this for a fact because... she is Elizabeth King.

Now, her carefully curated life in Cornwall is falling apart. Her husband is acting strangely, her children aren't speaking to her and she can't sell a painting for love nor money. But much more worrying are the signs that someone knows exactly who she is... and why she had to vanish thirty years ago.

Eloise needs answers. Is her son's ex-girlfriend just plain annoying... or does she know something? Will the detection skills of the online 'Truth Seekers' group prove more than amateurish? What's the real story behind those village newcomers?

And just how far would she go to keep her family, her friends, and her fraudulent life, safe?

 

What did I think?

I picked up The Vanishing Act solely on the cover (without reading the blurb) so one of the twists that is mentioned in the blurb was a complete shock to me.  I simply couldn't put it down and read it in a couple of hours so be prepared to do nothing but read when you pick up The Vanishing Act.

The story is told from the points of view of Eloise Ford and Holly Bond.  Both women have a keen interest in the human remains that have been found close to where they live but there's more to this story than meets the eye.  I loved the relationship between Eloise and her son's ex-girlfriend Holly.  Eloise really didn't like Holly to start with but she certainly grows on her.

It's pretty creepy and a little scary that Eloise doesn't know who she can trust as she struggles to hold on to the perfect life that she has built over the past 30 years.  I think it must have been quite exhausting to maintain the perfection that she has strived for but I can understand her motives for doing so.

The pacing is blisteringly fast once the book gets its hooks into you, which for me was just a few pages in, and I read it so much quicker than I expected which is always the mark of a good book.  Holly is part of a Facebook group about missing people and I loved reading the posts between them; each character has their own writing style and unique voice and it feels as if they were written by real people.

Completely gripping and incredibly addictive, The Vanishing Act is as unputdownable as it is unpredictable.  I absolutely loved it and can't recommend it highly enough - it's easily one of the best books I've read this year.  The Vanishing Act is my first Jo Jakeman book and I will definitely be looking at her back catalogue on the strength of this novel.

Many thanks to Hannah Hargrave PR for sending me a gifted hardback to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Bone Hacker - Kathy Reichs

EVEN ON AN ISLAND PARADISE, DANGER STILL LURKS.

Called in to examine what is left of a body struck by lightning, Tempe traces an unusual tattoo to its source and is soon embroiled in a much larger case. Young men – tourists – have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos for years. Seven years ago, the first victim was found with both hands cut off; the other visitors vanished without a trace. But recently, tantalizing leads have emerged and only Tempe can unravel them.

Maddeningly, the victims seem to have nothing in common – other than the unusual locations where their bodies are eventually found, and the fact that the young men all seem to be the least likely to be involved in foul play. Do these attacks have something to do with the islands’ seething culture of gang violence? Tempe isn’t so sure. And then she turns up disturbing clues that what’s at stake may actually have global significance.

It isn’t long before the sound of a ticking clock grows menacingly loud, and then Tempe herself becomes a target.

 

What did I think?

The Bone Hacker is book 22 in the outstanding Temperance Brennan series and it's another gripping instalment.  You can totally read it as a standalone as it has its own storyline but it might read a little strangely if you don't know Tempe's character.

It starts with a bang, or rather a flash of lightning, and my heart rate shot up right at the start as a storm hits Quebec with Tempe right in the middle of it.  Of course Kathy Reichs isn't going to kill off her main character right at the start of the book, but it felt pretty scary and intense, even though I knew Tempe wasn't going to become a victim of the storm.

I think because I watched the TV show Bones, I could really pick up Tempe's voice in this book. Anyone new to the books might find her a little strange as she is so logical and a little socially challenged but I absolutely love her.  I also felt as if I was part of the investigation with Tempe going into so much detail about her forensic work.

A lot of the chapters have little cliffhangers at the end that make you want to keep reading so I raced through it.  It went in a completely different direction to what I expected and my heart rate shot up once again near the end.

Brilliantly written as you would expect from Kathy Reichs, The Bone Hacker is a gripping, fast-paced and intricately plotted thriller.  It goes without saying that Tempe Brennan fans will love it and anyone new to the series at this point is sure to become a big fan.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. Kathy was also a producer of Fox Television’s longest running scripted drama Bones, which is based on her work and her novels. Kathy uses her own dramatic experiences as a forensic anthropologist to bring her mesmerizing thrillers to life. One of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Kathy divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Montreal, Québec.

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BLOG TOUR: The Hiking Trip - Jenny Blackhurst

 

Don’t trust everyone you meet here…

A young British backpacker goes missing on the West Coast Trail.

No one is sure whether she died or simply disappeared.

Apart from Laura.

Twenty years later, a body has been found.

And there’s only one person who could reveal the secret that Laura’s been hiding all this time.

But she knows that two can keep a secret.

IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD.

A tense and suspenseful thriller perfect for fans of M.J. Ford and Susi Holliday.

What did I think?

You're always guaranteed a good read with a Jenny Blackhurst novel and The Hiking Trip is no exception.  I really enjoyed it, even though I did manage to work out one of the twists (but then it was a 50/50 chance, so I'm really not that clever).

It's a dual timeline novel set in 1999 and 2024. In 1999 we follow Maisie as she sets off on adventure to go hiking in Canada.  She was let down by her friend so she's on her own but she soon befriends fellow hikers Sera and Ric.  25 years later, Laura's world is rocked when bones are discovered in Canada...

Well, I just couldn't read fast enough to discover all the secrets of The Hiking Trip.  Both Maisie's and Laura's stories had me gripped like a vice and I had to constantly stop my eyes from skipping ahead on the page.  It's non-stop entertainment with lashings of mystery, intrigue and danger woven throughout both storylines.

Fast-paced, gripping and highly addictive, The Hiking Trip is another great read from Jenny Blackhurst; she is a fantastic author and I absolutely love reading her books.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Old Bones - Helen Kitson

 

Diana and her sister Antonia are house-sharing spinsters who have never got over their respective first loves. Diana owns a gift shop, but rarely works there. Antonia is unemployed, having lost her teaching job at an all girls’ school following a shocking outburst in the classroom after enduring years of torment. Diana is a regular at the local library, Antonia enjoys her “nice” magazines, and they treat themselves to coffee and cake once a week in the village café.

Naomi lives alone, haunted by the failure of her two marriages. She works in the library, doesn’t get on with her younger colleagues, and rarely cooks herself a proper meal. Secretly she longs for a Boden frock.

When a body is discovered in the local quarry, all three women’s lives are turned upside down. And when Diana’s old flame Gill turns up unexpectedly, tensions finally spill over and threaten to destroy the outwardly peaceful lives all three women have carefully constructed around themselves.

Helen takes us back to the fictional Shropshire village of Morevale in this, her brilliant second novel which exposes the fragilities and strengths of three remarkably unremarkable elderly women.

What did I think?

Old Bones is a bit of a change of pace from books I've been reading lately and it's nice to sit back and relax with a good book rather than being perched on the edge of your seat.  I think I'd call this book alluring rather than addictive; it certainly drew me in and caught me in its spell as I untangled the stories of the three main characters.

The title of Old Bones could actually have a double meaning; not only the bones found in the local quarry but the weary sixty year old bones of Diana, Antonia and Naomi.  Although the characters are in their sixties, it certainly doesn't feel like they are that age and I think that has something to do with how you seem to regress to your childhood when you return home.  Spinster siblings Diana and Antonia are living together in the family home and Naomi is someone they have known since childhood, which means that there are old scores to be settled in a kind of schoolyard 'I'm not your friend anymore'.

With such wonderfully complex and completely flawed characters there is a lot to discover about these women, especially some secrets that they would prefer to keep hidden.  Unreliability of memory is explored as memories from childhood are revealed and I always find this a very interesting subject.  Our brains can bury memories that are painful to us and it can also fill in any blanks with the best fit scenario so any distant memory has to have some element of unreliability about it.

I actually felt quite sorry for Diana, Antonia and Naomi as life has not turned out quite the way they expected.  Diana is haunted by a lost love (and don't get me started on Gill whose selfishness infuriated me), Antonia is scarred by a devastating event in her past and Naomi is tortured by a deeply buried secret.  So much mystery and intrigue, and that's without the discovery of the bones!

Old Bones is a wonderfully alluring character driven story filled with mystery, intrigue and buried secrets.  I really enjoyed it and will definitely be looking out for more Helen Kitson books.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

Louise Walters Books

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Foyles

Waterstones

Amazon US

About the author:

Helen lives in Worcester with her husband, two teenaged children and two rescue cats. Her first poetry collection was nominated for the Forward Best First Collection Prize. She has published three other poetry collections and her short fiction has appeared in magazines including Ambit, Feminist Review and Stand. She holds a BA (Hons) in Humanities.

​

Helen's debut novel The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson was published in March 2019. Her second "Morevale" novel, Old Bones, will be published on 16 January 2021.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jemima_Mae_7 

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A Hundred Million Years and a Day - Jean-Baptiste Andrea

Stan has been hunting for fossils since the age of six. Now, in the summer of 1954, he hears a story he cannot forget: the skeleton of a huge creature – a veritable dragon – lies deep in an Alpine glacier. And he is determined to find it.

But Stan is no mountaineer. To complete his dangerous expedition, he must call on loyal friend Umberto, who arrives with an eccentric young assistant, and expert guide Gio. Time is short: the four men must descend before the weather turns. As bonds are forged and tested, the hazardous quest for the earth’s lost creatures becomes a journey into Stan’s own past.

A Hundred Million Years and a Day is a mesmerising story of nature, adventure and of one man's determination to follow his dream, whatever it may take. 

What did I think?

I have only recently widened my reading genres to include translated French fiction and I am so glad that I have as I am constantly discovering some new amazing authors.  A Hundred Million Years and a Day is the first book of Jean-Baptiste Andrea's to be translated into English and what an absolute cracker it is.  I wasn't even half way through when I exclaimed: 'J'adore la fiction française!' and I haven't spoken French for years!

Just putting the story to one side for a moment, Jean-Baptiste Andrea's writing is so beautiful that it conjured breathtaking pictures in my mind.  I also have to give a special mention to Sam Taylor as the wonderful translator for losing absolutely nothing in translation; the words are so stunning and flow so well that you could be forgiven for forgetting this was originally written in French.  To show you what I mean, I just have to share an excerpt that completely took my breath away:

"Who says mountains don't have feelings?  The sunrise makes them blush, after all."

On to the story itself which is haunting and mesmerising as Stan follows his dream to set off an quest to find the skeleton of a dragon buried in a glacier.  Just imagine if he can prove the legend is true!  Stan is a palaeontologist not a mountaineer, so he gathers together a small group to go up the mountain with him.  As the season changes to winter, the expedition becomes more perilous but Stan has come too far to give up now.  Just one more day of digging could be the difference between making it down from the mountain or being lost forever.

Stan may be the protagonist, but it felt like the glacier was a character in its own right; Stan is the hero dreaming of myth and legend and the glacier is the villain, patiently waiting to wreak havoc.  The landscape is described so vividly that it's so easy to picture it in your mind while you're reading and as beautiful as it sounds, the element of danger was always present.

Haunting, beautiful and completely mesmerising, A Hundred Million Years and a Day is a stunning novel and one I won't forget.  I loved it so much that I shall be returning to Stan's adventure in the future as this book is going in my bookcase to be read again.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon