BLOG TOUR: Never Look Back - Susan Lewis

Book 3 in the Cristy Ward series

A dead husband. A missing wife. Will they find her in time?

Romy Kaplan has vanished from her home.

Or has she?

When Romy begins posting on her social media accounts asking everyone to stop looking for her, the police are certain she is safe. But Romy's nearest and dearest are far from convinced.

Her husband died in the bath under inconclusive circumstances six weeks ago. And Romy would never disappear without telling someone where she is going.

As true crime podcast host, Cristy Ward, picks up Romy's case… she has the whole world asking…

Where is Romy now?

 

What did I think?

Never Look Back is the third Cristy Ward mystery but you can read each one as a standalone.  I jumped into the series at book two so I really enjoyed catching up with Cristy, her family and the podcast team again.   

The standalone story is the mysterious disappearance of Romy Kaplan.  Romy is newly widowed after the sudden death of her husband Romi but to be out of contact with her friends for so long is out of character.  Cristy isn't even sure at first that there's a mystery to solve as Romy is posting on social media but appearances can certainly be deceptive.

Cristy's personal life is an entertaining part of the novel too.  She has a long distance relationship with David but they both carry a lot of baggage and I'm not surprised that Cristy sometimes feels insecure.  David, meanwhile, gets on famously with Matthew (Cristy's ex-husband) but Matthew regrets ever leaving Cristy so he's always looking to shine a less favourable light on David, which is very entertaining.

I loved reading the podcast transcripts that add extra depth and authenticity to an already intriguing story.  It's very cleverly plotted by Susan Lewis to draw the reader's eye in different directions while she weaves her magic words in this unputdownable mystery.

Incredibly compelling and extremely gripping, Never Look Back is a thought-provoking and sobering novel about hidden dangers lurking in the world of today.  It's a fresh and modern mystery that had me riveted from start to finish and I highly recommend it.

I received a gifted hardback to read and review for the Insta Book Tours Instagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Pod Couple: A Love Story in Episodes - Adam Leigh

When Chloe Adams embarked on the publicity tour for her new book, she didn't expect to appear on a live radio interview alongside Joe Harris promoting his memoir on the same subject.

Relationships.

They had last met years ago when Chloe abruptly ended theirs. Now a successful journalist, she is married to an equally ambitious film director, while Joe, still single, has struggled to move on.

The spiky reunion leads to an offer they can't refuse - hosting a podcast about failed relationships - and three months later they launch Ex-Communicate, exploring other people's heartbreak while tiptoeing around their own complicated history. Their on-air chemistry makes the podcast a rapid hit, but as their professional success grows, they're forced to confront the feelings they've buried for over a decade. Soon they realise there is a price to pay for discussing their emotions so openly in the pursuit of downloads.

The Pod Couple is a witty examination of our cultural obsession with failed relationships, exploring the uncomfortable truth that time rarely heals. It just makes things more complicated.

 

What did I think?

The Pod Couple is a fresh and modern love story with a podcast setting.  It's not a traditional love story but it's probably more realistic as their failed relationship is put under the microscope.

The book starts with a break-up and whilst Chloe didn't think of Joe until they meet again years later, Joe has never got over it.  Joe's life has been a string of failures from his relationships to his career and it can all be traced back to that break-up with Chloe.  Chloe meanwhile, is married with two children but she's not exactly happy.

Oh Chloe, I bet she wishes she could go back in time and have a word with her younger self but then she wouldn't have her two lovely children.  I'm not sure that would bother her though as she is quite selfish, which I thought would annoy me but it actually made me laugh.

Joe on the other hand, really tried his hardest to make me laugh but, as you might have guessed from his failed career as a stand-up comedian, he's just not that funny.  Put him in the same room as Chloe though, as they discuss their failed relationship on a podcast, and the chemistry between them results in lots of laughs (usually at Joe's expense).  

The Pod Couple is a very entertaining and thought-provoking book that does make you wonder "what if?".  Not just what if Chloe had never broken Joe's heart, but also what if you had made different choices in your own life.  

I received a gifted paperback to read for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: Don't Believe A Word (Cristy Ward thriller) - Susan Lewis

They raised me. Nurtured me. And lied about everything.

Sadie’s childhood has always been shrouded in mystery.

But there are three things she knows.

She was raised by two aunts.

She never knew her parents.

She is convinced she was stolen.

Cristy Ward, podcast host, is gripped by Sadie’s story. It’s perfect for her next true-crime investigation. Yet Sadie's aunt claims it’s all a fantasy.

As the evidence begins to stack up, and the lies fall apart, they all could be in a lot more danger than they thought…

 

What did I think?

Don't Believe A Word is the second Cristy Ward thriller but it's the first one I have read.  I do feel that I was bombarded with a lot of characters at the start so I think it would have been beneficial to have read Nothing to See Here first.  The plot itself is completely standalone though and I loved the podcast format.

When one of Sadie's aunts passes away, Sadie discovers that that she may not be related to her aunts after all.  Aunt Lottie has left some intriguing papers that suggest Sadie was found abandoned on a beach but Lottie was an author so there's a big question mark as to whether the papers are fact or fiction.  Cristy Ward picks up Sadie's story for her true-crime podcast and the investigation begins into who Sadie actually is.

Once I got my head around all of the characters at the start, I really started to enjoy the podcast investigation and I loved reading the podcast transcripts.  There is quite a bit going on in the book with Cristy's entertaining personal life running alongside the intriguing podcast so Susan Lewis really keeps her readers on their toes.  

Shocking, surprising and incredibly intriguing, Don't Believe A Word is very well named as there are so many secrets and lies within the pages.  It's well worth a read and I am planning to read the first book in the near future while the characters are all still fresh in my head.

I received a gifted hardback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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How to Find a Missing Girl - Victoria Wlosok

A year ago, beloved cheerleader Stella Blackthorn vanished without a trace. Devastated, her younger sister, Iris, launched her own investigation, but all she managed to do was scare off the police's only lead and earn a stern warning: once she turns eighteen, more meddling means prison-level consequences.

Then, a year later, the unthinkable happens. Iris's ex-girlfriend, Heather, goes missing, too-just after dropping the polarizing last episode of her true crime podcast all about Iris's sister. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from solving these disappearances.

But with a suspicious detective watching her every move, an enemy-turned-friend-turned-maybe-more to contend with, and only thirty days until she turns eighteen, it's a race against the clock for Iris to solve the most dangerous case of her life.

 

What did I think?

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish.  I loved the inclusion of podcast transcripts and the amateur sleuths that reminded me of the Scooby Gang (even before they decided on their Halloween outfits).

Something bad is happening at Hillwood; one missing girl is considered a runaway, but two missing girls make Iris and her friends investigate their disappearances.  Iris has a vested interest as her sister was the first to disappear and the second girl is her ex-girlfriend.  I couldn’t read fast enough to discover whether Iris would find out who is behind the disappearances or whether she would become a target herself.

The writing is fresh and vibrant as Victoria Wlosok draws such vivid scenes with her wonderful words and I was completely drawn into the story.  I really cared about Iris and her friends and I loved their own unique characters.

Gripping, fresh and compelling, How to Find a Missing Girl is an excellent debut novel from an exciting new talent in the YA genre.  Victoria Wlosok is studying at the University of North Carolina so put her on your watch list as I’m sure there are more great things to come from her. 

My rating:

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Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Book 2) - Holly Jackson

 

Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared but the police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way... and this time EVERYONE is listening.

But will she find him before it’s too late?

Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Eva Dolan, C L Taylor, We Were Liars and Riverdale

What did I think?

I read Good Girl, Bad Blood straight after reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and although it's best read in order (as book 2 contains spoilers of book 1), you could read book 2 as a standalone.  One thing is for sure, you will definitely want to read book 3 after this!  

The town of Little Kilton is still reeling from the secrets unearthed in Pip's investigation and Pip has vowed to stay out of danger from now on... until her friend Connor comes to her for help.  Connor's 24-year-old brother Jamie has gone missing and the police won't treat him as a missing person as Jamie has run away from home before.  Pip can't stop herself from getting involved but this time she's not on her own, her boyfriend Ravi is with her every step of the way.

I thought A Good Girl's Guide to Murder was brilliant, but Good Girl, Bad Blood is outstanding.  Holly Jackson's writing is stunning and I love the mix of podcast transcripts, texts, photos and maps that are included to really make the reader feel part of the book.  It's easy to forget that this is a YA novel as it's an exceptional crime novel in its own right.  I can't say what without giving away any spoilers, but it also touches on some interesting subjects that were handled sensitively and I found this incredibly moving.

Having recently read a true crime novel about a disappearance in the 1980s, it's amazing to see how different things are today.  Almost everyone has a mobile phone in their hands, taking selfies or scenic shots, and someone is bound to be in the right place at the right time to capture something or someone in the background of their photograph that could help with a police investigation.  Pip certainly has a huge task to sift through the myriad photos and videos from a calamity party but the amount of clues it produces is well worth it.

With a twisty, gripping and razor-sharp plot, Good Girl, Bad Blood is absolutely brilliant.  This is turning out to be an awesome trilogy and with a bit of a cliffhanger ending, I can't wait to read As Good As Dead.

I received a gifted copy from Tandem Collective for the readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: Deity (Six Stories) - Matt Wesolowski

A shamed pop star

A devastating fire

Six witnesses

Six stories

Which one is true?

When pop megastar Zach Crystal dies in a fire at his remote mansion, his mysterious demise rips open the bitter divide between those who adored his music and his endless charity work, and those who viewed him as a despicable predator, who manipulated and abused young and vulnerable girls.

Online journalist, Scott King, whose ‘Six Stories’ podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the accusations of sexual abuse and murder that were levelled at Crystal before he died. But as Scott begins to ask questions and rakes over old graves, some startling inconsistencies emerge. Was the fire at Crystal’s remote home really an accident? Why was he never officially charged? Are reports of a haunting really true?

Dark, chillingly topical and deeply thought-provoking, Deity is both an explosive, spine-chilling thriller and a startling look at how heroes can fall from grace and why we are willing to turn a blind eye to even the most heinous of crimes…

What did I think?

I am completely addicted to Matt Wesolowski's Six Stories books as I absolutely love the podcast format they are written in.  The conversational writing style really feels like the book is speaking to you and it's amazing how clear each individual voice comes across.

With accusations of sexual abuse against a dead popstar, the subject matter is quite dark although it's never too difficult to read as podcaster Scott King doesn't interview anyone who has first-hand details of the abuse.  As Scott interviews six people linked to Zach Crystal it's quite eye-opening to see how one person can be seen in so many different lights.  I guess all famous people have a public and private persona so it must be almost like having a split personality; no wonder their brains get fried sometimes, although I'm not excusing anyone's unsavoury actions.

Following Operation Yewtree, we saw allegations about and convictions of many famous figures from our childhood.  You can't help but think about this when reading Deity as fame really does place rose tinted glasses on fans.  As the news came out I remember being both surprised and unsurprised by some of the accused, purely because of how I perceived them from the face they chose to show the public.  Matt Wesolowski also touches on the guilt we feel for still liking a particular song when the singer is not who we thought they were.  I found this really interesting to consider and could totally relate to it simply because of a particular classic Christmas song that I find myself singing along to then stop midway wondering whether I'm still allowed to like it now that the singer is a convicted sex offender.

I love Scott King's interviews and I sometimes forget that he's fictional; I would definitely subscribe to his Six Stories podcast if it was real.  As facts and opinions are laid out before us, I felt like I was part of the race to uncover the truth and I found myself making various judgements about Zach's guilt along the way.  I flipped so often between guilty and not guilty so I was definitely right at one point or another.

So very relatable and current, Deity is a dark, addictive and shocking thriller that really makes you think about the person behind the idol.  Highly recommended.

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

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About the author:

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK- and US-based anthologies, such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more. His novella, The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick, and film rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. Changeling, the third book in the series, was published in 2019 and was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. His fourth book, Beast, won the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Independent Voice Book of the Year award in 2020.

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Anatomy of a Crime - Sibel Hodge

Gripping, unpredictable, and chilling, Anatomy of a Crime takes readers on a dark journey that's perfect for fans of Serial.

On the summer solstice in 2017, two girls walk into Blackleaf Forest.

Only one comes out alive.

Dubbed as the Sleeping Beauty Killer, and surrounded by rumours of witchcraft, Caris Kelly is sentenced to life in prison for murdering her best friend during a ritualistic thrill kill.

Although Caris insists she is innocent, no one believes her.

Then three years later, investigative journalist Lauren Taylor looks into the murder for her true crime podcast. She becomes convinced there's more to the flimsy witness testimony, sinister coincidences, and sensational press coverage and probes into the case. As prejudices are revealed, lies are uncovered, and secrets are blown wide open, a single question remains... is there really one truth about what happened that night? Or are there only different versions of the same story? 

What did I think?

Sibel Hodge has written some amazing books but she has completely outdone herself with Anatomy of a Crime.  Written in the form of a podcast, it is fresh, current and totally gripping.  I read it in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down.  Yes, it's THAT good.

I did listen to a few episodes of the Serial podcast many years ago and although I found it intriguing I was never hooked, unlike reading Anatomy of a Crime where I was hooked so much that I couldn't tear my eyes away from the page.  I love the way it is written as if you're listening to a podcast and there are even comments from listeners that make it feel so realistic.

Lauren Taylor leaves no stone unturned in her true crime podcast as she investigates the death of 18 year old Flora Morgan, believed to have been killed by her best friend Caris Kelly in a ritualistic witchcraft murder.  With unreliable witnesses who saw someone else in the forest that night being disregarded, all of the evidence points towards Caris who maintains her innocence.  Lauren asks the questions that weren't asked at the trial and digs even further into the case to find out the shocking truth.

Anatomy of a Crime is absolutely brilliant; it's gripping, intriguing and completely addictive.  I didn't even have to convince myself to read 'just one more chapter' as nothing could stop me from reading the whole book in one go!  I do hope that Sibel Hodge decides to make this into a series as I love the podcast format; it really seems to add another dimension to the story.  

Anatomy of a Crime is a book I'm going to be raving about for a long time; it's an absolute must read and so very highly recommended. 

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

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Six Stories (Six Stories #1) - Matt Wesolowski

One body

Six stories

Which one is true?

1997. Scarclaw Fell. The body of teenager Tom Jeffries is found at an outward bound centre. Verdict? Misadventure. But not everyone is convinced. And the truth of what happened in the beautiful but eerie fell is locked in the memories of the tight-knit group of friends who embarked on that fateful trip, and the flimsy testimony of those living nearby.

2017. Enter elusive investigative journalist Scott King, whose podcast examinations of complicated cases have rivalled the success of Serial, with his concealed identity making him a cult internet figure. In a series of six interviews, King attempts to work out how the dynamics of a group of idle teenagers conspired with the sinister legends surrounding the fell to result in Jeffries’ mysterious death. And who’s to blame…

As every interview unveils a new revelation, you’ll be forced to work out for yourself how Tom Jeffries died, and who is telling the truth.

What did I think?

What an absolutely awesome book!  I actually read this a few months ago but felt so completely breathless, speechless and overawed that I couldn't write my review straight away.  Yes, it really is THAT good.  In fact the book is so good that I have bought it twice; firstly on ebook (just so I had a copy of the book that everyone was raving about) and then I bought a special signed edition because I prefer the feel of a physical book in my hand.

I did listen to a few episodes of the podcast Serial, which this book is based on, but I have to admit that I lost interest quickly, which is the complete opposite to Six Stories.  Again, possibly due to the fact that I connect more with words on paper.  I loved the highly original form the book takes, being that of transcripts of a podcast by Scott King.  Scott discusses the mysterious and unexplained death of 15 year old Tom Jeffries which happened 20 years ago and interviews six people over six episodes of his podcast.  As each person tells their side of the story, I found myself wondering who to believe and really enjoyed sifting through the evidence.

Tragedy strikes at the Scarclaw Fell Woodlands Centre when a group of teenage 'Rangers' visit there; with heightened teenage emotions and scaring each other with local legends, it's Tom who ends up as collateral damage.  Scott King interviews some of the people who were there, but just how reliable are, not just their memories but, they themselves?&nbsp Weaving in the chilling local legends of Nanna Wrack and The Beast of Belkeld, you would be forgiven for thinking that something supernatural was at play.  Perhaps there was?  It certainly sounds plausible or is it just a handy scapegoat?

Not only is there an intriguing mystery to solve in a very fresh and original format, but some of the prose used by Matt Wesolowski is simply breathtaking.  There is a sentence where he describes frost which I have to share as it is so stunning:

"Frost freezes on the edges of the leaves, the trees glisten in the moonlight, and their branches caress the frozen earth like the withered fingers of some long-dead corpse."

Wow!  Just wow!  It gives me goosebumps just reading it again, as if I was lying on the frosty ground myself.  Matt's words are both beautiful and chilling; completely spellbinding and spine-tingling.

At the time of writing, there are now 4 instalments of Six Stories (yay!) and I'm excited to discover what Scott King will investigate next.  Six Stories is an outstanding crime debut from local Newcastle author, Matt Wesolowski; it's fresh, original, creepy, mysterious and completely addictive.  I think it's perhaps the most original and unusual book I have ever read.&nbsp An absolute must-read and highly recommended.  Well worth every single one of the five stars I have awarded it.

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Tales of Mystery Unexplained - Steph Young

Tales of Mystery Unexplained....What happened to Elisa Lam, found dead in a water tower atop a hotel roof? Who were the two men who came to see her & what was in the mystery box they gave her? Why did the location of her gravestone match the zip code of a Bookstore, miles away?  

Why was a man found in the same spot he disappeared, but 4 years later, with a hole in his head that no surgeons could explain? And what did this have to do with a séance, doppelgangers & the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?  Why did a man write the Fibonacci sequence as a clue & tell a stranger he was “Looking for the Beast,” before he disappeared in the barren plains of a desert?  Plus many more Tales of Mystery Unexplained.  

Steph Young has appeared on national radio shows & podcasts including the UK's The Unexplained, and Coast to Coast Am, talking about many of these mysteries.  

You can also hear some of these Unexplained Mysteries on her podcast on iTunes ‘Tales of Mystery Unexplained.’

What did I think?

With having so many books to read, it's rare that I read a newly received book, however, Tales of Mystery Unexplained sounded so unique that it didn't even have time to gather a single speck of dust on my TBR.  When you read so much fiction, there's nothing better than reading some real life mysteries and Steph Young has chosen some amazing true stories to recount that are indeed stranger than fiction.

As I've often said, I love reading books that have me pausing to google things and boy did I hit google when reading this book!  I think I would have read the book a lot faster if I hadn't kept stopping to google, but in doing so it made reading a completely three dimensional experience.  I not only experienced the fantastic descriptions provided by Steph Young, but I got to see some things with my own eyes thanks to CCTV shared on the internet.

I love how some of the stories had me revelling in the unexplained but simultaneously considering scientific explanations.  It really made me appreciate how complex the human brain is and just like a computer, how badly things can go wrong when it fails.  Although I felt that psychotic break could maybe explain part of what happened in some cases, it certainly doesn't apply to all of them.  

As per the title, what you won't find in this book is explanations for these mysteries.  They are very much open and unexplained cases and this wasn't as unsatisfying as I first expected.  I admit that part of me would have liked a nice explanation to finish off each story but the fact that they remain unexplained is definitely part of the charm of this book.  I did find myself asking questions and thinking outside of the box, almost as if I was part of the investigation team myself.

I was surprised to find that a good proportion of the stories were from the UK, in fact 7 out of 12, with the remainder being American mysteries.  There's also a good spread of time periods with the earliest story dating back to 1621 and the latest being the intriguing case of Elisa Lam in 2013.  I had never heard of this case but I bet that everyone who reads the book will end up googling the CCTV footage from a Los Angeles hotel elevator of the last known movements of Elisa Lam.  

The content is fascinating and well written, although I did find the text a little repetitive at times; this would work well in a podcast to stress important facts but wasn't really needed in print.  The cover of the book also disturbed me a little with the title appearing to be 'Tales of Unexplained Mystery' rather than 'Tales of Mystery Unexplained' as per the spine and title page.  They were just minor annoyances though, and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.  

Tales of Mystery Unexplained is a fascinating and brilliantly written collection of true stories that are most definitely stranger than fiction.  I thought it would be a 'dip in and out of' kind of book but I simply couldn't put it down.  I am completely hooked now and have looked up many of the cases on google already and have subscribed to Steph Young's podcast of the same name.  I'm sure I'll be regaling my family and friends with some of these stories that I've added to my brain's interesting and unusual facts collection.  It may be a quick read but it's one that I'll be thinking about and discussing for a very long time to come.  

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

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