BLOG TOUR: A Winter Grave - Peter May

From the twelve-million copy bestselling author of the Lewis trilogy comes a chilling new mystery set in the isolated Scottish Highlands.

A TOMB OF ICE

A young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice.

A DYING DETECTIVE

Cameron Brodie, a Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate a murder case so far from his beat.

AN AGONIZING RECKONING

Brodie must face up to the ghosts of his past and to a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.

Set against a backdrop of a frighteningly plausible near-future, A WINTER GRAVE is Peter May at his page-turning, passionate and provocative best.

 

What did I think?

Peter May has done it again!  This is an author who is consistently at the top of his game and his new crime thriller, A Winter Grave, is outstanding (and a little mind-blowing).

One of the things that I've remarked on in the past is Peter May's attention to detail and the depth of his research, but this book is set in 2051.  How do you research the future?  If anyone can, the Master of Meticulous Research can.  This is no Back to the Future style fun with hoverboards and flying cars, this is a highly imaginative and scarily realistic future based on fact and environmental warnings that should not be ignored.

With a strong emphasis on climate awareness throughout, this is a gripping crime thriller.  The discovery of the body in the prologue is unforgettable - it's so vivid and unusual that I think it has been seared into my brain.  The story has several facets that intrigue and entertain from start to finish, particularly the fractured relationship between two characters: the daughter who discovers the body and the father who is sent to investigate the murder.

I just loved everything about this book: the stunning, multi-layered plot, the character relationships, the remote and chilling location, the flawless writing and the powerful and incredibly sobering message.  We must act now before it's too late; this is a future that we should all hope doesn't become a reality.

A Winter Grave is a futuristic thriller that chilled me to the bone, so wear your thermals to read this one.  It's an absolute must-read and I can't recommend it highly enough.  It's jaw-dropping, it's mind-blowing, it's exceptional, it's Peter May!  An easy five stars.

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

My rating:

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Don't miss the chance to see Peter May in real life!  He has a number of upcoming events in Scotland.  Click on the location to order tickets:

Monday 23rd January – Glasgow

Tuesday 24th January – Inverness

Wednesday 25th January – Perth

Thursday 26th January – Waterstones Dundee – formal signing at 12 midday – 1pm

                                         Toppings, St Andrews at 7.30pm - event

Friday 27th January – Waterstones Edinburgh – formal signing at 3pm – 4pm

                                    Toppings, Edinburgh at 7pm

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BLOG TOUR: A Cornish Summer - Catherine Alliott

Flora's been in love with her husband for twenty years. The trouble is, he's been married to someone else for the past fifteen . . .

Now she's been invited to spend the summer in the shady lanes and sandy coves of Cornwall. It should be blissful.

There's just one small snag: she'll be staying with her former mother-in-law, Belinda.

And Flora discovers she's not the only one invited when her ex-husband shows up out of the blue, complete with his new wife. So now there are two small snags.

Can Flora spend the summer playing happy families with the woman who stole her husband's heart, and the mother-in-law who might have had a hand in it?

Or will stumbling on the family secret change her mind about them all?

What did I think?

Catherine Alliott is an author who has been on my radar for a while and I have a number of her books in my collection but, rather shockingly, A Cornish Summer is the first one that I have read.  Such is the curse of so many books so little time.

A Cornish Summer is different from books that I would usually read in that it is more of a family saga.  Flora heads to Cornwall to paint a portrait of her ex-father-in-law, taking along her friend, Celia, for moral support.  It's just as well she took Celia with her as she didn't expect her ex-husband and his wife to be there also.  I really felt for Flora having to cope with seeing her ex-husband when she makes no secret about the fact that she is still in love with him.  That's not all she has to cope with though...enter the overbearing ex-mother-in-law FROM HELL.  Belinda is a total bitch and even her own grandson agrees with me!

What starts out as a lighthearted slow-burning tale, actually turns slightly darker and more sinister with a very strong and well told environmental message.  It's very current in this day and age as we are being made aware of the devastating effects of pollution, plastic or otherwise.  With private companies striving to make a profit to keep their shareholders happy, it's very possible that they would cut corners at the expense of the environment.  I found this so scarily realistic and, as heartbreaking as it was to read, it never hurts to remind people to help save our environment.

With all family sagas there are plenty of skeletons in the closet, some more firmly in the closet than others.  I loved the fact that Flora's ex-father-law, Roger, has a not so secret mistress who is fun-loving, young at heart and the complete opposite of his wife.  Bubbly Babs is clearly the love of Roger's life but he is forced through social convention to keep up appearances with Belinda the Bitch.  Roger isn't the only one with secrets though...

Escape to Cornwall with A Cornish Summer; it's the perfect book to read as you lounge in the sun with a pitcher of Pimm's.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Blue Gold - David Barker

The near future. Climate change and geopolitical tension have given rise to a new international threat - a world war for water. This most vital of resources has become a precious commodity and some will stop at nothing to control its flow. 

When a satellite disappears over Iceland, Sim Atkins thinks he knows why. He is given the chance to join the hallowed Overseas Division and hunt for the terrorists responsible. But his new partner Freda Brightwell is aggrieved to be stuck with a rookie on such a deadly mission. Freda's misgivings are well founded when their first assignment ends in disaster - a bomb destroys a valuable airship and those responsible evade capture. 

Seeking redemption, the British agents follow the trail to a billionaires' tax haven in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and uncover a web of deceit that threatens global war. Whom can they trust? As the world edges ever closer to destruction Sim and Freda must put their lives on the line to prevent Armageddon - and protect the future of 'blue gold'. 

David Barker's gripping debut will thrill fans of Richard North Patterson, Scott Mariani and Steve Berry.

What did I think?

I'm not usually a fan of futuristic or science fiction novels, but I made an exception for Blue Gold as it is set in the not too distant future with a completely believable and frighteningly real storyline: a global water shortage.

Blue Gold really starts with a bang as we meet Sim and Freda, British OFWAT agents, as they are descending a snow covered mountain with a helicopter shooting at them.  To find out what they are doing on a mountain and why somebody wants rid of them, we must rewind a few years to get the full story.  The story takes Sim and Freda across the globe, even stopping off at the wonderfully imaginative exclusive sea state of Marinus, as they track terrorists and encounter double agents.

Hidden throughout the book like little easter eggs are quotes and references to so many movies that I lost count.  The author lists these movies in his notes at the end and I was surprised to see how many I had missed.  Of course, when you are engrossed in the story you don't always spot things like this until they are pointed out but I found it quite fun to spot them as I was reading.  I did laugh out loud when Sim said that he hadn't heard of Star Wars, which he refers to as an ancient two-dimensional film!  As unbelievable as that sounds, it did a very good job of reminding me that I was reading a book set in the future when Star Wars would be over half a century old.

As someone with a keen interest in Roman history, I was delighted with the SPQR reference.  Not used in reference to the state of Rome in this case but to remind OFWAT agents to Serve, Protect, Quench and Ration.  I thought this was a great way to bring a little piece of ancient history along for the ride into the future.

It's quite fast paced and flicks rapidly back and forth between characters, but I do have to admit to the odd moment of confusion and sometimes I couldn't have really told you what was going on but it didn't stop me reading, mainly due to the magnetic pull of the two main characters: Sim and Freda.  Although there are some exciting and gripping moments that maintain the high pace, I would have liked to have read more about the effects of the water shortage to perhaps really drive home the important message within the book. Blue Gold has taken a step in the right direction towards raising awareness of water shortages and kudos to David Barker for doing so; ultimately it is up to us to make a difference before the fiction we have just read becomes reality.

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

My rating:

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