BLOG TOUR: Alien Clay - Adrian Tchaikovsky

They travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . .

Professor Arton Daghdev has always wanted to study alien life in person. But when his political activism sees him exiled to the planet Kiln, condemned to work under an unfamiliar sky until he dies, his idealistic wish becomes a terrible reality.

Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem. Its monstrous alien life means Arton will risk death on a daily basis – if the camp’s oppressive regime doesn’t kill him first. But, if he survives, Kiln’s lost civilization holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it – and might just set him free.

 

What did I think?

Science fiction is not one of my preferred genres but I do like to push myself out of my comfort zone now and again so I was very intrigued by Alien Clay.  That stunning cover is enough to draw you into the world that has been created within the pages of the book.

Arton Daghdev has been exiled to Kiln, an extrasolar planet that is 30 years away from Earth.  I mean just the fact that it takes 30 years to get to the planet made me stop and consider how very insignificant we are in the universe.  Kiln could very well be Earth many years in the future when we have damaged the planet to the point of extinction of our species.

I was surprised how easy I found it to read and I quickly built up a mental image of the camp and planet in my mind.  The story is very imaginative but there are also little snippets of facts about weird and wonderful creatures that I had never heard of but found fascinating when I later researched them.

The vibrant and dangerous ecosystem of Kiln adds an almost horror element to the story that made my skin crawl at times as it is so vividly described.  I loved that there is a constant scent of revolution in the air, leading to questions about who can be trusted.

Mind-blowing, eye-opening and provocative, Alien Clay is an incredibly thought-provoking and entertaining novel that may be a frightening glimpse into the future for our own planet.  I'm not quite a sci-fi convert yet but this book has certainly made me more open to reading other books by Adrian Tchaikovsky and other authors in the sci-fi genre.

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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What Lies Between Us - John Marrs

Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

 

What did I think?

My name's Michelle and I'm a John Marrs addict.  WOW!  What Lies Between Us is another absolute belter from the dark and twisted mind of John Marrs.  I'm gradually making my way through all of John Marrs' novels and What Lies Between Us is classic Marrs with a tense, addictive storyline that blows the reader's mind.

Maggie and Nina have a very unconventional mother/daughter relationship and I didn't know whose side to be on: the one who has been lied to and irrevocably damaged or the one who was incarcerated in the attic.  With two incredibly unreliable narrators the reader is in for a real treat in this impossible to predict, unputdownable novel.

I simply couldn't read it fast enough and it's not only a fantastic fast-paced rollercoaster ride, it's like visiting a whole fairground with a perplexing house of mirrors, a chilling ghost train and a twisty helter skelter.  As fast as I was reading it, What Lies Between Us is also a ride I didn't want to get off.  I absolutely LOVED IT!

Shocking, twisty and deliciously dark, What Lies Between Us is an unmissable book for fans of dark, domestic noir.  An easy five stars - I really can't recommend it highly enough.

I received a paperback for the Tandem Collective Readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Prison Doctor - Dr Amanda Brown

Horrifying, heartbreaking and eye-opening, these are the stories, the patients and the cases that have characterised a career spent being a doctor behind bars.

Violence. Drugs. Suicide. Welcome to the world of a Prison Doctor.

Dr Amanda Brown has treated inmates in the UK’s most infamous prisons first in young offenders institutions, then at the notorious Wormwood Scrubs and finally at Europe's largest women-only prison in Europe, Bronzefield.

From miraculous pregnancies to dirty protests, and from violent attacks on prisoners to heartbreaking acts of self-harm, she has witnessed it all.

In this eye-opening, inspirational memoir, Amanda reveals the stories, the patients and the cases that have shaped a career helping those most of us would rather forget.

Despite their crimes, she is still their doctor.

What did I think?

I like to read non-fiction now and again and The Prison Doctor by Dr Amanda Brown caught my eye.  You could be forgiven for forgetting that this is non-fiction as some of the stories are as harrowing and shocking as crime fiction but this is real life.

Dr Amanda Brown's writing is vibrant and honest, which makes the reader feel as if they are in the prison hearing the shouts of the inmates and the clank of the doors.  As she has made some monumental decisions in her medical career, Dr Brown does include a little bit of her personal life and I really liked this aspect.  We often don't realise how much a GP practice is run like a business with targets and requirements being imposed that impact the doctor and the practice financially.

Leaving her GP practice was heartbreaking as the patients Dr Brown had cared for over many years were so sad to see her go.  I'm not surprised her patients were heartbroken as she wasn't just a doctor to many of them, she was often also a counsellor and a friend.  Dr Brown comes across as someone who loves her job and gives 100% to whatever task is presented to her.

The stories vary from funny to disturbing so there's a good mix and I'm sure Dr Brown had many stories to choose from.  I laughed at some of the stories from the young offenders institution and I gasped with shock at some of the stories from the adult prisons.  The Prison Doctor really does give a 360 degree of a doctor working behind bars and gives us a glimpse of what life is like for some of the prisoners.

The Prison Doctor is an interesting, disturbing and often funny memoir that provides an honest insight into the challenging life of a modern doctor.  Very well written and incredibly enjoyable reading.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: A Ruined Girl - Kate Simants

 

TWO BOYS LOVED HER.

BUT WHICH ONE KILLED HER?

On a dark night two years ago, teenagers Rob and Paige broke into a house. They beat and traumatised the occupants, then left, taking only a bracelet. No one knows why, not even Luke, Rob's younger brother and Paige's confidant. Paige disappeared after that night. And having spent her life in children's homes and the foster system, no one cared enough to look for her.

Now Rob is out of prison, and probation officer Wren Reynolds has been tasked with his rehabilitation. But Wren has her own reasons for taking on Rob as a client. Convinced that Rob knows what happened to Paige, and hiding a lifetime of secrets from her heavily pregnant wife, Wren's obsession with finding a missing girl may tear her family apart...

What did I think?

Part way through I thought I had A Ruined Girl all worked out; a few minutes from the end, I was just doing a celebratory dance around the ring when Kate Simants landed a right hook and a knockout blow that wiped the smug look off my face.  A Ruined Girl is an absolute cracker of a novel; it's fast-paced and gripping with a dark and gritty storyline that grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until I had turned the final page.

The story opens with a girl being buried in the woods by a boy and a man.  The boy is so tender with the body that it is clear that he has deep feelings for the girl.  Of course you then wonder why he killed her, or helped to kill her.  Why else would he be burying her in the woods?

Rob is a prisoner eligible for the Community Atonement Programme, whereby he meets and apologises to those affected by the crime that saw him sent to prison.  Rob and Paige, a young girl from a care home who later disappeared, were seen on CCTV after breaking into a house and stealing a valuable bracelet.  Rob went to prison and Paige has never been found.  Wren Reynolds is Rob's probation officer and she has the unenviable job of taking Rob to meet his victims.  With what happened to Paige being the big question on everyone's lips, Wren can't help digging into the past even when it puts a strain on her family life.

Switching between 'Before' and 'Now' we get glimpses into the past where Rob's brother, Luke, is in the same care home as Paige.  Luke is obsessed with Paige, watching her movements and buying her gifts, and it's much more than a harmless teenage crush.  It tells you in the blurb that two boys loved her and one of them killed her, but I couldn't decide between Rob and Luke.  A burglary gone wrong or hormones gone crazy?

Both the before and now storylines had me absolutely gripped.  I wanted to find out about events leading up to Paige's disappearance but I also wanted to put together the pieces of the puzzle with Wren.  I loved Wren's character; she makes so many mistakes that I felt like slapping my forehead every time she did something stupid, I even hissed through my teeth and said 'noooooo' on one occasion.  Her emotions are running high with taking on such a high profile case while her partner is about to give birth.  She does seem to have bitten off more than she can chew and if she's not careful she might end up losing her job as well as her family.

Perfectly plotted, A Ruined Girl is dark, disturbing and completely compelling.  Kate Simants is definitely one to watch and I can't wait to read more of her books.  

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Dead Wrong (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 2) - Noelle Holten

The serial killer is behind bars. But the murders are just beginning…

DC Maggie Jamieson’s past comes back to haunt her in this dark and gripping serial killer thriller.

Three missing women running out of time…

They were abducted years ago. Notorious serial killer Bill Raven admitted to killing them and was sentenced to life.

The case was closed – at least DC Maggie Jamieson thought it was…

But now one of them has been found, dismembered and dumped in a bin bag in town.

Forensics reveal that she died just two days ago, when Raven was behind bars, so Maggie has a second killer to find.

Because even if the other missing women are still alive, one thing’s for certain: they don’t have long left to live…

What did I think?

Noelle Holten's extraordinary debut, Dead Inside, must have been the most talked about book of 2019 so we were all on tenterhooks for book 2 in the Maggie Jamieson series after the cliffhanger ending left us hungry for more.  Dead Wrong picks up where we left off with convicted serial killer, Bill Raven, launching his appeal and sending Maggie into turmoil.

Raven admitted to killing several women but claims that Maggie Jamieson coerced a confession out of him.  When the dismembered body of a woman turns up who appears to have died recently, Maggie wonders how she got it so wrong when the woman is identified as one who Raven admitted to killing several years earlier.  Even her colleagues seem to doubt that Maggie put the right man behind bars.  As more bodies turn up, the police search for the killer but Maggie is sure that Raven is behind this somehow.  Can she prove it before he is released from prison?

The procedural detail in Dead Wrong gives such an authentic feel to the story that I had to often remind myself that I was reading fiction and not true crime.  It feels very true to life so it was quite bone chilling reading about the circumstances of the victims.  I don't really want to delve too much into the brilliant plot but I think if I was Maggie, I would have struggled not to wipe the smirk off Raven's face with my right hook.

I felt we got to know a bit more about Maggie's personal life, or lack of, in this instalment; she seems to live for her job and constantly be on duty so puts aside any chance of her own personal happiness.  Even her friendship with Dr Moloney, which could perhaps be more than friendship, revolves around work as they spend any time they have together discussing the case.  Raven has definitely got under Maggie's skin so I'm not surprised that she can't think of anything but proving his guilt before he has the chance to appeal.

Without going into who or what, there's another little story running through Dead Wrong and as I was rapidly approaching the end, I was wondering how it would be resolved.  With a gasp out loud to rival any that have gone before it, Noelle Holten has only gone and left us with the mother of all cliffhangers!  So now I'm already biting my nails in anticipation of book 3.

Dead Wrong is so clever, crafty and compelling that Noelle Holten should be crowned Queen of Cliffhangers as well as Queen of Crime.  Mark my words, the Maggie Jamieson series is going to go from strength to strength so grab a copy and introduce yourself to Maggie today.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and was a regular reviewer on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. Noelle worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. 

Dead Inside is her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson. 

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:
Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/
Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/
Instagram: @crimebookjunkie https://www.instagram.com/crimebookjunkie/
Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk
Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB




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BLOG TOUR: The Sinner (Tom Killgannon #2) - Martyn Waites

Tom Killgannon, ex-undercover police officer and now in witness protection, is recalled to active service by a local police task force, headed by DS Sheridan. His mission is to befriend notorious child killer Noel Cunningham and find out where he buried the bodies of his final two victims.

The catch? Tom has to obtain that information from within Blackmoor prison itself.

Undercover and with no back-up, Tom soon runs into danger.

In the prison is convicted gangster Dean Foley. He used to run Manchester's biggest gang, until Tom's testimony put him away for life. He recognises Tom, and so begins a cat-and-mouse game as Tom fights for survival before Foley can get his revenge.

But why can't Tom reach DS Sheridan and what is the real reason he has been sent to Blackmoor prison?

What did I think?

Newcastle born Martyn Waites is one half of the husband and wife thriller writing team publishing under the pseudonym Tania Carver.  Although I haven't read any Tania Carver books, the name was well known enough to me to pique my interest in the Tom Killgannon series that Martyn Waites has published under his own name.  I own a copy of the first book in the series, The Old Religion, and I was hoping to read it before I started book two, The Sinner, but as always there are too many books and so little time.

So having jumped into the series at book two and been absolutely blown away, I'd say you could definitely read The Sinner as a standalone, however, it will leave you wanting to explore certain parts of Tom's own story in more detail.  Tom Killgannon is living under a new identity following an undercover operation that saw Manchester drug lord, Dean Foley, imprisoned in Blackmoor prison.  A job well done as far as Tom's previous identity of Mick Eccleston is concerned.

Tom is now living in Cornwall with a young girl named Lila, who he refers to as his niece, and working for Pearl who runs a pub.  Tom is approached by the police to return undercover in order to extract the location of the bodies buried by creepy child killer, Noel Cunningham.  Tom is claustrophobic so the idea of going undercover in a prison is terrifying for him but unfortunately the assignment is an order not a request so he says goodbye to Lila and Pearl and heads to Blackmoor prison.  Yes, the same prison as Dean Foley, who blames Tom for his incarceration.  I'm not going to reveal any more about the plot but suffice to say, Tom is too busy trying to keep himself alive to worry about his claustrophobia.

Due to the changes of identity, it is a little bit confusing at first, but I soon got into the rhythm of the book.  The rhythm being something like a very fast beating heart as there is so much danger around every corner.  It's so fast-paced and perilous that I frequently had sweaty palms and a rapidly beating heart when I was reading The Sinner; I even found that I was holding my breath without even realising.

Tom is a very intriguing character as you don't really know who he is, but I also loved the spunky character of Lila.  I wasn't surprised to learn that Lila has a huge backstory and features heavily in book one, The Old Religion.  Reading The Sinner has made me very eager to read The Old Religion as soon as I possibly can. 

Full of thrills and spills and packed with danger, The Sinner is a supersonic fast-paced page turner; calling it high octane doesn't even come close to doing it justice.  The Sinner is a book that made me forget to breathe and if that isn't a good recommendation, I don't know what is!

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

My rating:

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Come and Find Me (DI Marnie Rome Book 5) - Sarah Hilary

On the surface, Lara Chorley and Ruth Hull have nothing in common, other than their infatuation with Michael Vokey. Each is writing to a sadistic inmate, sharing her secrets, whispering her worst fears, craving his attention.

DI Marnie Rome understands obsession. She's finding it hard to give up her own addiction to a dangerous man: her foster brother, Stephen Keele. She wasn't able to save her parents from Stephen. She lives with that guilt every day.

As the hunt for Vokey gathers pace, Marnie fears one of the women may have found him - and is about to pay the ultimate price.

What did I think?

Come and Find Me was too tempting to resist when I saw its serialisation on the online bookclub, The Pigeonhole.  Having read none of the DI Marnie Rome series, jumping in at book 5 had no detrimental effect whatsoever as I got to know the well established character of DI Marnie Rome through the excellent writing of Sarah Hilary.  The pacing is electric and it was SO hard to wait 24 hours for the next instalment to be released.  

The book starts with a prison riot so you can just imagine the cast of unsavoury characters presented to us in the first few pages.  Michael Vokey escaped during the riot leaving a trail of destruction in his wake and his cellmate, Ted Elms, fighting for his life.  DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake are called in to investigate and track down Vokey before he kills again.

DI Rome and DS Jake are both carrying armfuls of baggage with Rome's foster brother, Stephen, lying in hospital after being caught up in the prison riot and Jake's family ostracising him after he was involved in the arrest of his brother, Sol.  I loved digging into the background of the detectives whilst the hunt for Vokey was going on and I am looking forward to catching up with their stories when I read the earlier books.

I always love it when a book makes me head over to Google to check something out.  As soon as I read about the Szondi test I just had to look it up.  This is a personality test developed in 1935 which shows a set of photographs and you have to pick out the one that disturbs you the most.  The photo you choose is meant to show the dark impulses that you have repressed in yourself.  Yikes!  Imagine being diagnosed just by choosing a photo of someone you don't like the look of?  Scary stuff.

I was also intrigued by the fans that Vokey accumulated during his time in prison: two very different women, Lara and Ruth, have been writing to Vokey and indulging his obsessions.  I always find it fascinating how some people start writing fan mail to convicted killers, it's probably surprising who would do this but I can't for the life of me fathom why they would do it.  It gave a great angle to the story though, with both women being in the spotlight as potentially harbouring the escaped prisoner.  I love books that give me lots to think about, both during and after I have read it.

The tension and suspense was heightened for me with reading it in instalments, but had I possessed a copy of the book I know I would have read it in one sitting.  Come and Find Me is a compelling, dark and gritty read; this is a book that you will pick up and not put down until it is finished.  

My rating:

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