BLOG TOUR: Profile K - Helen Fields

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he is capable of so much worse.

Profile K will kill again – and, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her…

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a psychopath that will keep you riveted until the very last page.

 

What did I think?

OMG!!! Helen Fields has done it again - her new novel has completely blown me away. Profile K really has the wow factor and I couldn’t put it down.  It's just fantastic from start to finish and deliciously dark and disturbing, as you would expect from a Helen Fields book.

Midnight Jones has a moral dilemma when the test results she’s reviewing reveal a Profile K.  The 'k for killer' profile was set up as a joke as nobody expected anyone to actually be a Profile K. It must be a mistake in the system, surely?  Midnight doesn’t think so but her bosses tell her to forget about it but then the bodies start mounting up.

I absolutely loved Midnight Jones.  Not only does she have a great name, she also has a heartbreaking backstory which sees her being the main carer for her twin, Dawn.  Midnight can't risk losing her job as she needs to work to pay for Dawn's care and it's so expensive that she has no money left over for a life of her own.

The pacing is fast and furious and I simply couldn't read fast enough.  I felt like my eyes were on stalks as I opened them as wide as I could to devour the words as quickly as possible.  It was great to see Connie Woolwine make an appearance, although Profile K is a complete standalone novel so you don't need to have read any other Helen Fields books to enjoy it.

Intense, gripping and enthralling Profile K is an edge of your seat nail-biting rollercoaster of a book and it’s one not to be missed.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Playing the Pools - David M. Sindall

The sheet is pulled back; the body is face down. He looks to the left shoulder for no more than a second or two and sees a tattoo. It’s a Tranmere Rovers crest, with the club’s motto, ‘Lux et Robur’, indelibly marked on the yellowing skin.

He knows who this is. He nods again.

In 1960s Liverpool, life is hard for Reggie Kellison. His marriage is stalling, baby number six is on its way, a fall out at work has put his nose out of joint and the football team he supports offers little relief.

But Reggie has a plan.

If it works it could give him the life, lover, and money he dreams of. If it doesn’t, a jail sentence could be on the cards.

Either way, he can only find out by risking everything, and playing the pools.

 

What did I think?

Playing the Pools is a very entertaining novel and quite a quick read at just over 200 pages long.  The prologue (which is mentioned in the synopsis) is an immediate hook and I couldn't read fast enough to find out which Tranmere Rovers fan the body belonged to.  Even though I got carried along with the brilliant story, that question kept popping back into my head and where money is concerned, it could be absolutely anyone.

I loved the 1960s Liverpool setting, even more so as I visited this wonderful city in 2019 and recognised a lot of the places mentioned in the book.  With a foot in both gambling and retail camps, Littlewoods must have been one of the biggest employers in Liverpool in the 1960s and Littlewoods Pools is where the main character of Reggie Kellison works.

Reggie comes up with a brilliant idea to improve Littlewoods Pools' business but this is rejected by his employer, only to be resurrected a few months down the line as if it wasn't Reggie's idea in the first place.  This made me so mad!  It's not the first time I have heard of this happening and it seems like employers will do anything to get out of paying a bonus on an incentive scheme that they have created; it's shocking as they are basically stealing intellectual property from their employees.  No wonder employees become aggrieved and start working to rule or planning to get their own back like Reggie does.

David M. Sindall has included characters, places and events that are very personal to him and I love how this not only inspired his story but brought the whole book to life.  I found it very nostalgic as my Dad and I used to play the pools in the 1980s and we used to look forward to the knock on the door from the 'pools man' to hand over our coupon then eagerly watch the football results for score draws on Saturday evening, although I can't ever remember us winning anything.

Entertaining and nostalgic, Playing the Pools is very well written and held my interest throughout.  It's something a bit different from the norm and well worth a read.

I chose to read an ARC that I received from the publisher and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Red Door Press

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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