BLOG TOUR: A Death in the Afternoon (The Clapham Trilogy Book 2) - Julie Anderson

Summer 1948

London swelters amid post-war reconstruction, while continued rationing and the black-market fuel the rising crime wave. The empires of gangland bosses grow and thrive, protected by corruption and bribery.

During a party in Clapham a student nurse from the South London Hospital for Women and Children dies in a fall from a balcony. Is it an unfortunate accident as the local police believe? Or something more sinister?

The nurse’s friends ask a newly qualified female detective constable to investigate, a woman who is facing difficulties of her own. Before long all are drawn into the criminals’ deadly games, as gangsters jostle for territory and power. With the solution almost within grasp, their lives are threatened and one of them faces a dreadful fate.

Can the others find her before it’s too late?

And what is the truth about...

A Death in the Afternoon?

 

What did I think?

A Death in the Afternoon is the second book in The Clapham Trilogy but it is the first one I have read and I loved it so I can confidently say that it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Constable Faye Smith has just been promoted to detective and in a 1940s police station she epitomises a woman in a man's world.  Faye can take care of herself though, despite any obstacles that are thrown in her way.  Faye used to work in the hospital so she is determined to get to the bottom of a nurse's death - did she fall or was she pushed?

I absolutely loved Faye and when the plot takes a dangerous turn I simply couldn't read fast enough.  My heart was in my mouth as my eyes raced down the page and the clock kept ticking down.  It just shows the immense talent of the writer when a reader cares so much about an already established character that they have only just met.

Gripping, blisteringly fast-paced and incredibly atmospheric, A Death in the Afternoon is unpredictable and unputdownable.  I will definitely be picking up a copy of The Midnight Man to read more of Faye's backstory and I can't wait for book three.  Julie Anderson has certainly picked up a new fan right here!

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:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

Follow the tour:

JACK JORDAN BLOGATHON: Do No Harm

It's the start of the Compulsive Readers Jack Jordan blogathon and first up is Jack Jordan's unmissable thriller Do No Harm!  

For my stop on the tour I am resharing my review and if you haven't read Do No Harm yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.

My son has been taken. And I’ve been given a choice…

Kill a patient on the operating table. Or never see him again.

The man lies on the table in front of me.

As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.

As a mother, I know I must kill him.

You might think that I’m a monster.

But there really is only one choice.

I must get away with murder.

Or I will never see my son again.

Could you kill another person to save your own child?

When heart surgeon Dr Anna Jones returns home to find her son kidnapped, she is forced to make an impossible choice. Kill a high-profile patient on the operating table, or never see her son again.

Told from the perspectives of Anna, her scrub nurse, Margot, who has her own secrets to protect and DI Rachel Conaty, Anna must first make the impossible decision…

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.

WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

 

What did I think?

This is THE book that everyone is talking about this year and rightly so as it's BRILLIANT!!  I've been a fan of Jack Jordan since I started my blog in 2015, the same year he wrote his stunning debut, Anything for Her and I have been itching to get my hands on a copy of Do No Harm.  It wasn't in my hands long though as I couldn't put it down.

The characters, the plot, and the writing are all exceptional.  This is the definition of a heart-pounding thriller as the writing is so vivid that I felt like I was in the operating theatre myself.  The different character perspectives add depth to the already gripping story as each character struggles with their own demons.

Any story with a moral dilemma begs the question: "What would you do?" and it's a question that I asked myself over and over again as I was reading.  I think it would be a quick and easy decision for anyone who is a mother but I found that I was able to look at it more objectively.  Anna's not exactly the nicest character so that adds another element into the equation. 

Do No Harm is unputdownable and unmissable - it is definitely the book that everyone should read this year.  I would be very surprised if it's not picked up for TV or film as it's such an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a thriller that is so entertaining, gripping and fast-paced from start to finish.

Jack Jordan's star continues to rise and Do No Harm is easily his best novel yet (and I've absolutely LOVED all of his others).  I don't know how he will follow it, but I'm looking forward to seeing him try.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour in May 2022 and I am reposting my review on the paperback publication day.  I chose to read this book (TWICE!) and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…

Follow Jack on social media:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @jackjordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

Follow the tour:

Do No Harm - Jack Jordan

It's paperback publication day for Jack Jordan's unmissable thriller Do No Harm!  

To celebrate, I am resharing my review and if you haven't read Do No Harm yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.

My son has been taken. And I’ve been given a choice…

Kill a patient on the operating table. Or never see him again.

The man lies on the table in front of me.

As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.

As a mother, I know I must kill him.

You might think that I’m a monster.

But there really is only one choice.

I must get away with murder.

Or I will never see my son again.

Could you kill another person to save your own child?

When heart surgeon Dr Anna Jones returns home to find her son kidnapped, she is forced to make an impossible choice. Kill a high-profile patient on the operating table, or never see her son again.

Told from the perspectives of Anna, her scrub nurse, Margot, who has her own secrets to protect and DI Rachel Conaty, Anna must first make the impossible decision…

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.

WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

 

What did I think?

This is THE book that everyone is talking about this year and rightly so as it's BRILLIANT!!  I've been a fan of Jack Jordan since I started my blog in 2015, the same year he wrote his stunning debut, Anything for Her and I have been itching to get my hands on a copy of Do No Harm.  It wasn't in my hands long though as I couldn't put it down.

The characters, the plot, and the writing are all exceptional.  This is the definition of a heart-pounding thriller as the writing is so vivid that I felt like I was in the operating theatre myself.  The different character perspectives add depth to the already gripping story as each character struggles with their own demons.

Any story with a moral dilemma begs the question: "What would you do?" and it's a question that I asked myself over and over again as I was reading.  I think it would be a quick and easy decision for anyone who is a mother but I found that I was able to look at it more objectively.  Anna's not exactly the nicest character so that adds another element into the equation. 

Do No Harm is unputdownable and unmissable - it is definitely the book that everyone should read this year.  I would be very surprised if it's not picked up for TV or film as it's such an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a thriller that is so entertaining, gripping and fast-paced from start to finish.

Jack Jordan's star continues to rise and Do No Harm is easily his best novel yet (and I've absolutely LOVED all of his others).  I don't know how he will follow it, but I'm looking forward to seeing him try.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour in May 2022 and I am reposting my review on the paperback publication day.  I chose to read this book (TWICE!) and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…

Follow Jack on social media:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @jackjordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

BLOG TOUR: Do No Harm - Jack Jordan

My son has been taken. And I’ve been given a choice…

Kill a patient on the operating table. Or never see him again.

The man lies on the table in front of me.

As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.

As a mother, I know I must kill him.

You might think that I’m a monster.

But there really is only one choice.

I must get away with murder.

Or I will never see my son again.

Could you kill another person to save your own child?

When heart surgeon Dr Anna Jones returns home to find her son kidnapped, she is forced to make an impossible choice. Kill a high-profile patient on the operating table, or never see her son again.

Told from the perspectives of Anna, her scrub nurse, Margot, who has her own secrets to protect and DI Rachel Conaty, Anna must first make the impossible decision…

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.

WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

 

What did I think?

This is THE book that everyone is talking about in 2022 and rightly so as it's BRILLIANT!!  I've been a fan of Jack Jordan since I started my blog in 2015, the same year he wrote his stunning debut, Anything for Her and I have been itching to get my hands on a copy of Do No Harm.  It wasn't in my hands long though as I couldn't put it down.

The characters, the plot, and the writing are all exceptional.  This is the definition of a heart-pounding thriller as the writing is so vivid that I felt like I was in the operating theatre myself.  The different character perspectives add depth to the already gripping story as each character struggles with their own demons.

Any story with a moral dilemma begs the question: "What would you do?" and it's a question that I asked myself over and over again as I was reading.  I think it would be a quick and easy decision for anyone who is a mother but I found that I was able to look at it more objectively.  Anna's not exactly the nicest character so that adds another element into the equation. 

Do No Harm is unputdownable and unmissable - it is definitely the book that everyone should read this year.  I would be very surprised if it's not picked up for TV or film as it's such an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a thriller that is so entertaining, gripping and fast-paced from start to finish.

Jack Jordan's star continues to rise and Do No Harm is easily his best novel yet (and I've absolutely LOVED all of his others).  I don't know how he will follow it, but I'm looking forward to seeing him try.  Very highly recommended.

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

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…

Follow Jack on social media:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @jackjordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

Follow the tour:

The Nurse - J.A. Corrigan

 

When you hear her story, will you believe her?

Rose Marlowe is a hard-working nurse, a loving wife, and a merciless killer. Or so she says. Despite her confession, it is hard to believe that this beautiful, kind woman could have killed her vulnerable patient in cold blood.

Down-on-his-luck true crime author, Theo Hazel, is convinced that there’s more to what happened than Rose is telling, and so decides to visit her behind bars to write her story. His first surprise comes when Rose reveals that the victim was not a stranger to her.

As time goes on, it seems that Rose is letting Theo see behind her perfect mask. With each new visit, he learns terrible new things about her heart-breaking past. With each new visit, he becomes more and more convinced that she can’t be a killer. But is he trying to free an innocent woman, or falling prey to a calculating murderer?

A gripping and unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing into the early hours of the morning. Perfect for fans of The Silent Patient, Shari Lapena and JP Delaney.

What did I think?

The Nurse is so good I've read it twice!  I don't often have the time to read books more than once, despite having a 'to be read again pile' but I was an early reader of The Nurse and also read a finished copy.  So despite knowing the story, I still thought it was absolutely brilliant.

It's quite unusual to start a novel with a protagonist who has already admitted to the crime and is serving time in prison.  You might be wondering where the hook is but it's the character of Rose herself that draws the reader into the story.  An author decides to write a book on Rose's case and as the story unfolds you can't help but question whether Rose actually did the crime for which she is being punished.  

With such well-developed characters that virtually leap out of the page, J.A. Corrigan has written a clever and unforgettable thriller that gripped me from start to finish.  I felt like I was on a see-saw as I constantly flipped back and forth between 'she did it' and 'she didn't do it' as the history and motivation behind the story was gradually revealed.  Everything about The Nurse is great from the accomplished and polished writing to the cunning and clever plot.

Captivating, intriguing and haunting, The Nurse is a stunning thriller that I wholeheartedly recommend.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Mrs England - Stacey Halls

 

Mrs England is a gripping feminist mystery where a nanny must travel to Yorkshire to a grand house filled with secrets. For there's no such thing as the perfect family...

'Something's not right here.'

I was aware of Mr Booth's eyes on me, and he seemed to hold his breath. 'What do you mean?'

'In the house. With the family.'

West Yorkshire, 1904. When newly graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there's something not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs England.

Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband, and is far from the 'angel of the house' Ruby was expecting. As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracised by the servants and feeling increasingly uneasy, Ruby must face her demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there's no such thing as the perfect family - and she should know.

Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, weaving an enthralling story of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. Set against the atmospheric West Yorkshire landscape, Stacey Halls' third novel proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our times.

What did I think?

I've been a fan of Stacey Halls since reading her debut, The Familiars, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of her third novel, Mrs England.  As I've come to expect from Stacey Halls' novels, Mrs England is impeccably well-written and atmospheric although it's quite a slow-burner so it didn't grip me as much as her earlier novels.

Ruby May is a children's nurse and she's very unlucky in that she seems to gain position in households that end up moving overseas.  Ruby refuses to leave England so she finds a new position in West Yorkshire with the England family.  Both Ruby May and Mrs England are incredibly intriguing characters and they both have more layers (and secrets) than an onion.  I love that air of mystery surrounding a character and there's a real build up of suspense as the reader gradually peels back all the layers.

The whole novel feels dark and ominous with the tension gradually increasing as each page is turned.  I was completely transported to West Yorkshire through Stacey Halls' wonderfully vivid words and could easily visualise the factories, countryside and grand homes.  It's so cleverly written it feels as if layers of smoke have been woven into the prose, darkening scenery and distorting images so I was constantly wondering what was hiding beneath.

Beautifully written, incredibly atmospheric and surprisingly tense, Mrs England is an enthralling Edwardian mystery and another fabulous novel from Stacey Halls.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: People of Abandoned Character - Clare Whitfield

He is my husband.

To honour and obey.

Until murder do us part.

London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. His behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets.

Lonely and frustrated, Susannah starts following the gruesome reports of a spate of murders in Whitechapel. But as the killings continue, her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable. Every time her husband stays out late, another victim is found dead.

Is it coincidence? Or is he the man they call Jack the Ripper?

What did I think?

As one of England's most famous murderers, Jack the Ripper still continues to fascinate us over 130 years later.  His identity remains unknown and Clare Whitfield has chosen to base her amazing debut novel around this, with Susannah Lancaster suspecting that her husband is the Whitechapel murderer.  I have to say that I absolutely adored this book; I raced through it faster than I have ever read historical fiction, devouring every single perfectly crafted word.

Susannah Chapman, a nurse at The London Hospital, is the envy of her peers when she marries dashing Dr. Thomas Lancaster, who is 5 years her junior.  Forced to give up her job as a nurse now that she is married, she finds herself lady of the house with servants and a creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Wiggs.  The creepy, sneaky character of Mrs. Wiggs really creeped me out, it felt like she had eyes and ears everywhere watching Susannah's every move.

Thomas soon loses interest in Susannah and often doesn't come home at night, leaving Susannah bemused and lonely.  When a murderer starts terrorising Whitechapel, Susannah becomes obsessed with reading as much as she can about it in the press but she soon notices that each murder coincides with Thomas's disappearances.  To add authenticity to the story, Clare Whitfield has included a small piece on each victim and even recreated newspaper excerpts - I absolutely loved this touch, especially the use of the term 'outraged corpse' which brought very vivid (and slightly amusing, if I'm honest) images to mind.  I presume Clare has written the excerpts, although they are so authentic they may very well be real.

Clare Whitfield has very ingeniously turned the Jack the Ripper story on its head and created an astounding piece of cross-genre fiction; it's certainly historical fiction but it's also mystery, thriller, crime and contemporary fiction, thereby appealing to a wide range of readers.  Clare's accomplished writing weaves a rich tapestry that recreates all of the sounds, smells and sights of Victorian London; a London whose streets may be the dark and dangerous hunting ground of a murderer yet remain filled with revelry and debauchery.

Chilling, compelling and intensely atmospheric, People of Abandoned Character is an absolute masterpiece; there are many strands to this wonderful story and I loved every single one of them.  Clare Whitfield's exceptional debut definitely scoops all the stars; an unreserved 5 star read and very highly recommended.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Clare Whitfield is a UK-based writer living in a suburb where the main cultural landmark is a home store/Starbucks combo. Clare nurtures an obsession with female characters that are as much villain as hero, and enjoys lurking in the blurry landscape between perception and reality. She is the wife of a tattoo artist, mother of a small benign dictator and relies on her dog for emotional stability. Previously Clare has been a dancer, copywriter, amateur fire breather, buyer and a mediocre weightlifter. People of Abandoned Character is her first novel. 

Follow Clare on Twitter @whitfield_riley and Instagram @clarerileywhitfield.

Follow the tour:

The Waiting Rooms - Eve Smith

Swinging from South Africa to England: one woman’s hunt for her birth mother in an all-too-believable near future in which an antibiotic crisis has decimated the population. A prescient, thrilling debut.

Decades of spiralling drug resistance have unleashed a global antibiotic crisis. Ordinary infections are untreatable, and a scratch from a pet can kill. A sacrifice is required to keep the majority safe: no one over seventy is allowed new antibiotics. The elderly are sent to hospitals nicknamed ‘The Waiting Rooms’ … hospitals where no one ever gets well.

Twenty years after the crisis takes hold, Kate begins a search for her birth mother, armed only with her name and her age. As Kate unearths disturbing facts about her mother’s past, she puts her family in danger and risks losing everything. Because Kate is not the only secret that her mother is hiding. Someone else is looking for her, too.

Sweeping from an all-too-real modern Britain to a pre-crisis South Africa, The Waiting Rooms is epic in scope, richly populated with unforgettable characters, and a tense, haunting vision of a future that is only a few mutations away.

What did I think?

Maybe during a global pandemic wasn't the best time to read a book with a similar setting, as The Waiting Rooms scared the bejesus out of me!  Although I think even without the current crisis, The Waiting Rooms is so scarily realistic that you can easily imagine it happening.  

The Waiting Rooms is set in past and present and told from the viewpoints of Lily, Mary and Kate.  In the present day, Lily is living in a residential home and approaching her 70th birthday, however, 70 is not an age to be celebrated in this dystopian Britain as that is the age from which antibiotics are no longer given making even the smallest infection fatal.  Kate is a nurse and just beginning the search for her birth mother after the death of her adoptive mother.  The key to both Lily and Kate's lives is in the past as we read about Mary who is a research scientist looking at healing properties of plants in South Africa before becoming involved in a scandal that rocked the medical world.

Eve Smith has written such an exceptional novel that it left me completely gobsmacked.  I really shouldn't have been shocked but I was totally floored to discover how much of The Waiting Rooms is based on actual medical research.  It's so scarily believable that it's giving me goosebumps just thinking about it now.  This is a book that should have been way beyond its time but instead has been released at a time when it's as real as watching the news.

Hard-hitting, thought-provoking and scarily realistic, The Waiting Rooms should be on everyone's bookshelf.  This is absolutely outstanding writing from Eve Smith; it's almost as if her predictions have come true so I'm both fascinated and terrified to read what she writes next.  So highly recommended, The Waiting Rooms is a definite MUST read.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon