PUBLICATION DAY PUSH: Poor Girls - Clare Whitfield

 

Don't get angry.

Get rich.

1922. Twenty-four-year-old Eleanor Mackridge is horrified by the future mapped out for her - to serve the upper classes or find a husband. During the war, she found freedom in joining the workforce at home, but now women are being put back in their place.

Until Eleanor crosses paths with a member of the notorious female-led gang the Forty Elephants: bold women who wear diamonds and fur, drink champagne and gin, who take what they want without asking. Now, she sees a new future for herself: she can serve, marry - or steal.

After all, men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.

In Poor Girls, Clare Whitfield exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London - but this isn't a morality tale, it's an adventure for the willingly wicked.

What did I think?

Having absolutely loved Clare Whitfield's stunning debut novel, People of Abandoned Character, I was very excited to read Poor Girls and I was not disappointed.  It's a book that hooked me from the start and refused to let go even after turning the final page...I am still thinking of Nell (Eleanor Mackridge) and her escapades.

Inspired by a true story and real women, Clare Whitfield weaves a wonderful tale of crime, family, friendship and adventure that entertains the reader from start to finish.  I had previously read about Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants so I knew a little about these remarkable female criminals.  Of course, you don't need to have any prior knowledge to read Poor Girls as Clare Whitfield lays out the history in such a vivid way.

The class divide is very noticeable in the 1920s; you either have money or you don't.  Eleanor Mackridge falls into the latter category and finds herself waiting on the rich, snooty and downright rude.  After one snide comment too many, Eleanor quits her job in a moment of fury but all is not lost as she has been noticed by the Forty Elephants.  Eleanor's life is about to change...some say for the better, some say for the worse but it's certainly a life filled with danger and adventure.

I absolutely adored Nell (previously Eleanor) and her quest for adventure and fun; she may be a fictional character but she was brought to life just as much as the real historical figures who feature in the novel.  I loved the camaraderie between the girls in the cell but with that old saying rattling around in my head: "there's no honour among thieves", I worried for Nell but whether or not I was right to worry you will just have to read the book to find out.

Hugely atmospheric and wildly adventurous, Poor Girls is a stunning novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It's a cross-genre novel that's part historical fiction brought wonderfully to life and crime fiction that has you rooting for the criminal.  A very highly recommended read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the publication day push and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy link: https://geni.us/poorgirlspb

About the author:

Clare Whitfield was born in 1978 in Morden (at the bottom of the Northern line) in Greater London. After university she worked at a publishing company before going on to hold various positions in buying and marketing. She now lives in Hampshire with her family. Her debut novel, People of Abandoned Character, won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and is also published by Head of Zeus.

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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

The Rabbit Factor (Rabbit Factor Trilogy Book 1) - Antti Tuomainen (Author), David Hackston (Translator)

Just one spreadsheet away from chaos…

What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal.

And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal quarters … and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back.

But what Henri really can't compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri's relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets…

Warmly funny, rich with quirky characters and absurd situations, The Rabbit Factor is a triumph of a dark thriller, its tension matched only by its ability to make us rejoice in the beauty and random nature of life.

 

What did I think?

I've had my eye on The Rabbit Factor for a while and now that it is being made into a movie, I wanted to make sure that I read the book first.  This is going to be one heck of a movie if it's even half as good as the book.

I loved Henri, he's Mr Logic and relies on mathematical calculations to solve all of his problems.  When he inherits a run down adventure park (not an amusement park as he's fond of telling people) he also inherits his brother's debts.  The criminals who want their money back with interest think Henri will be a pushover but they have seriously miscalculated.

The whole setting in the adventure park is fantastic and I could totally picture it in my head, thanks to the big rabbit on the front of the book of course.  There's a strange bunch of people employed there and Henri finds himself drawn to one of them as the find they have a shared interest in art.  Henri's relationship with Laura was so lovely to read as Henri is so naïve when it comes to the opposite sex.

The Rabbit Factor is a delightfully quirky comedy crime caper with the most unlikely and endearing protagonist.  I will definitely be picking up the other books in the series to continue Henri's adventure.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Queens of the Underworld - Caitlin Davies

Robin Hood, Dick Turpin, Ronnie Biggs, the Krays … All have become folk heroes, glamorised and romanticised, even when they killed. But where are all the female crooks? Where are the street robbers, gang leaders, diamond thieves, bank robbers and gold smugglers?

Queens of the Underworld reveals the incredible story of professional female criminals from the 17th century to today. From Moll Cutpurse who ruled the Jacobean underworld, to Victorian jewel thief Emily Lawrence and 1960s burglar Zoe Progl, these were charismatic women at the top of their game.

But female criminals have long been dismissed as either not ‘real women’ or not ‘real criminals’, and in the process their stories have been lost. Caitlin Davies unravels the myths, confronts the lies, and tracks down modern-day descendants in order to tell the truth about their lives.

 

What did I think?

Queens of the Underworld is a fascinating non-fiction book that's really easy to read as each chapter leads nicely on to the next one.  You may have never heard of any of the women in this book but that's something that Caitlin Davies aims to put right by giving these women their rightful place in history.

As I was reading about all of these women I had never heard of, I wondered how on earth their stories had been lost when we know all about their male counterparts.  It was only as I got to one of the latter chapters that I recognised a story, although her name wasn't familiar to me at first.  

It must have taken quite a lot of research to uncover these long buried stories so I really must applaud Caitlin Davies for shining a spotlight on these remarkable women.  I loved how each woman was brought to life along with some insights into the era in which they were living.  Reading this book has made me want to find out more about these extraordinary women.  

Insightful and fascinating, Queens of the Underworld is a very well-written and captivating account of unforgettable women who had almost been forgotten.  A recommended read for anyone who loves true crime and history.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Caitlin Davies is the author of six novels and eight non-fiction books, many of which have a criminal theme. The Ghost of Lily Painter was based on the true story of two Edwardian baby farmers, while Bad Girls: The Rebels and Renegades of Holloway Prison was the first comprehensive history of Europe’s most infamous female jail. It was nominated for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, 2019.

Caitlin is a trained teacher, who started her writing career as a human rights reporter in Botswana. She currently works as a Royal Literary Fund writing fellow at NHS Kent & Medway.

Queens of the Underworld tells of her journey into the lives of female crooks from the 17th century to today. Her upcoming book, Private Inquiries: the secret history of female sleuths, to be published in October 2023, reveals the true tales of female private eyes from the 1850s to the present. Caitlin trained as a private investigator as part of her research, but wasn’t nearly as observant as she hoped she’d be.

Social Media links:

Twitter: @CaitlinDavies2

Website: www.caitlindavies.co.uk

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BLOG TOUR: The Captive - Deborah O'Connor

Hannah knows the cage intimately. Small, the size of a shopping centre parking space. A bed, a basin, a table and chair. A hatch and metal drawer through which to exchange food and other items.

Then there's him. Always there on the edges of her vision, no matter how hard she tries to block him out.

Every day, the same thoughts run through Hannah's mind:

What if he speaks to me?

What if he hurts me?

What if he gets out?

In a near-future justice system Jem, the murderer of Hannah’s husband, arrives at her home to serve out his twenty-year sentence in a cell. There it’s hoped he will learn the true cost of his terrible crime. 

But Jem tells Hannah he’s innocent, and not only that, her husband had been lying to her. Soon Hannah begins to question everything she thought she knew. Was Jem wrongly convicted? Or is he simply a desperate man, willing to say and do anything that might grant his freedom? 

Only he can unlock the truth. Only she can set him free. 

What did I think?

I have read and enjoyed Deborah O'Connor's previous novels but oh my word she has completely outdone herself with her awesome third novel, The Captive.  With an ingenious plot, blisteringly fast pacing and a gripping narrative, The Captive is completely unputdownable and absolutely brilliant.

The government has come up with a solution for overcrowded prisons which sees The Captive set in a future where victims of crimes play host to the criminals who ruined their lives.  This is absolute genius!  It's not only a fantastic storyline, but it's also so very thought provoking.  I can completely understand that victims of most crimes wouldn't want to ever see their culprit again, never mind inviting them into their own home for twenty years or so.  You often hear people saying 'put me in a room with them' when one of their family has been the victim of crime but imprisoning criminals in victims houses is for reparation not retribution.

Hannah is still grieving when a prison cell is constructed in her kitchen for Jem who, despite irrefutable proof to the contrary, professes his innocence.  I loved peeling back the layers of these two main characters, especially Jem who is clearly hiding something.  I could feel Hannah's every emotion about her home invasion and it was amazing to see her evolve over the course of the book.

The Captive is hugely inventive, highly original and completely captivating.  The whole book is simply brilliant; I honestly couldn't put it down.  The Captive is Deborah O'Connor's best novel yet and it is sure to be a huge hit in 2021; it deserves to top all of the charts and I think it's THE book to read this year.  Very highly recommended and unquestionably a 5 star read.

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:

Deborah O’Connor is a writer and TV producer responsible for well-loved programmes such as ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ and ‘A League of Their Own’.  She lives in North Yorkshire with her husband and daughter. Deborah's first novel was the bestseller My Husband's Son, followed by The Dangerous Kind. The Captive is her third novel. You can follow her on Twitter @deboc77 

#UnlockTheTruth

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BLOG TOUR: Dishonoured - Jem Tugwell

 

WE’RE ALL ONE MISTAKE FROM RUIN… 

Dan has worked hard for the perfect life. He has a loving wife, beautiful kids, a fabulous home and is a successful businessman. 

One afternoon Dan steps onto his usual train and sees the waitress who served him an hour earlier. It all seemed so normal, but it was the most dreadful mistake. Four stops later, Dan is a criminal who has lost everything. He’d only just met her, so why did she destroy him—and why did she say 'Sorry'? 

Dan battles through a web of lies and deceit to clear his name and win his life back, but first, he needs to find out who plotted his downfall.

What did I think?

I discovered Jem Tugwell through his amazing iMe series so I was very eager to read his first psychological thriller and I was not disappointed.  Dishonoured is an edge of your seat novel that had my brain constantly screaming 'WHO DID IT?' as I raced through the pages to find out as fast as I possibly could.

It's scary how fast your life can be flushed down the toilet; Dan went from cloud nine to the gutter in the time it took for him to take a short tube ride home.  It's a set up that destroys every part of Dan's life, sees him alienated from his family and friends and leaves him with a criminal record.  With a cast of characters who all had something to gain from Dan's fall from grace, everyone is a suspect.

Dishonoured is SO GOOD!  I couldn't put it down and I couldn't read it fast enough.  I love that Dan refuses to lie down and accept his fate, choosing to confront his suspects despite their best efforts to avoid him.  I had my own suspicions about who was responsible for the set up but I was completely wrong footed and I almost lost my eyebrows as they shot so far up my head when I was finally proved wrong.  

With a razor-sharp plot and lightning fast pacing, Dishonoured is a phenomenal psychological thriller.  Jem Tugwell is an incredibly talented author and definitely one to watch; if you haven't discovered Jem Tugwell yet then you're missing out on a real treat.  Dishonoured is absolutely brilliant and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I was gifted an ebook to read and review as part of the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Jem Tugwell was born in Berkshire and Dishonoured is his first psychological thriller.

Jem’s first two critically acclaimed novels, Proximity and No Signal are exciting crime fiction novels set in the near future, featuring DI Clive Lussac and his partner Zoe Jordan.

Jem has a Crime Writing MA from City University, an MBA and a BSc in Computer Science and in a past life, Jem had a successful career in IT and investment management. Jem's loves are snowboarding, old cars and bikes. He lives in Surrey with his wife and has two children.

Social Media Links – 

Website

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Facebook

Instagram

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