BLOG TOUR: Five by Five - Claire Wilson

Just because the most dangerous criminals in society are caught and locked up, doesn’t mean they stop committing crime.

That’s where Kennedy Allardyce comes in – monitoring not just the prisoners, but also the staff.

And she’s just stumbled across her most dangerous foe yet – rumours of a corrupt guard with lethal influence. And what’s worst, it seems they’ve already realised Kennedy is on their tail.

At least one thing is giving her joy – a blossoming relationship with Molly, a beautiful, enigmatic new guard.

Wouldn’t it be awful if the killer she’s hunting turned out to be the woman she’s falling for?

 

What did I think?

I think Five by Five is the first book I have read that is set inside a prison and I really enjoyed it;  it is both claustrophobic and thrilling.

Kennedy has such an interesting job: she is the eyes and ears of the prison as she monitors her various feeds to identify any threats.  The only problem for Kennedy is that the threat seems to be directed towards her and my danger radar skyrocketed.  I couldn't read fast enough as the danger levels increased and I didn't know who Kennedy could trust.

Five by Five is Claire Wilson's debut thriller and it's a cracking one at that.  The writing is very accomplished and it makes me very excited to read what Claire writes next.  I enjoyed the prison setting and it really made me think about the procedures that must be in place to protect other prisoners, staff and the public from dangerous criminals.

Filled with tension and fraught with danger, Five by Five is a book that is difficult to put down once you pick it up.  It's an impressive debut from an exciting new talent and Claire Wilson is definitely one to watch.

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

My rating:

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Glorious Exploits - Ferdia Lennon

Ancient Sicily. Enter GELON: visionary, dreamer, theatre lover. Enter LAMPO: lovesick, jobless, in need of a distraction.

Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads.

They’re fading in the baking heat, but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food.

And so an idea is born. Because, after all, you can hate the invaders but still love their poetry.

It’s audacious. It might even be dangerous. But like all the best things in life – love, friendship, art itself – it will reveal the very worst, and the very best, of what humans are capable of.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

What did I think?

Wow!  Glorious Exploits has to be one of the most original and brilliant debuts I have ever read.  It's like nothing I have read before nor expect to read again and I absolutely loved it.

The quarries are home to prisoners of war from Athens and if they don't starve to death they will be baked alive by the sun.  Syracusians Gelon and his friend Lampo come up with a get rich quick scheme to put on a play starring the Athenians, if they survive long enough to perform.  What follows is a heartwarming tale of humanity with a comedic edge that had me rooting for the characters and chuckling at their escapades.

It's almost impossible to describe this book.  It's almost a retelling of Greek myth in the style of Monty Python with an Irish slant.  It also feels like an homage to a few of my favourite comedies.  Imagine the Life of Brian with Del Boy and Rodney mixed with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and a bit of Father Ted.  There is a lot of subtle humour and I couldn't help but laugh out loud on a few occasions.

Highly original, humourous and heartfelt, Glorious Exploits is a magnificent debut and a veritable feast for the eyes.  I devoured it and loved every minute of it.  An easy five stars and a highly recommended read. 

Glorious Exploits is longlisted for Swansea University's Dylan Thomas Prize with the shortlist to be announced on 20th March.  Good luck to Ferdia Lennon - I have my fingers crossed that I have read the winning book.

I received a gifted ARC to celebrate the Dylan Thomas Prize longlist and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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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.

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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: 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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BLOG TOUR: The Woolgrower's Companion - Joy Rhoades

Australia 1945. Until now Kate Dowd has led a sheltered life on her family's sprawling sheep station but, with her father's health in decline, the management of the farm is increasingly falling to her.

Kate is rising to the challenge when the arrival of two Italian POW labourers disrupts everything – especially when Kate finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Luca Canali.

Then she receives devastating news. The farm is near bankrupt and the bank is set to repossess. Given just eight weeks to pay the debt, Kate is now in a race to save everything she holds dear.

What did I think?

You could be forgiven for thinking that The Woolgrower's Companion would be what I call a 'Mammy's book' from looking at the cover but it has so much depth and emotion that it is far from the family saga I was initially expecting.  Each chapter starts with an extract from a sheep farmer's manual published in 1906: The Woolgrower's Companion; this is so authentic that I thought it was a real book and I was astonished to find that it was Joy Rhoades' very own creation.  

The story revolves around Kate: a woman in a man's world.  As her father becomes more and more incapable of running the farm, the responsibility falls to Kate but a lot of the men aren't willing to work for a sheila.  Some men don't have any choice, as they are Italian prisoners of war and have been shipped to Australia to work on the land until the war is over.

Unbeknown to Kate, her father has been running up debts with local traders and more importantly with the bank.  Now the bank are knocking at the door and demanding their money back.  Kate sells what little items of value that she has but she still falls short; there's only one thing of value left, a rare yellow sapphire, but Kate's father doesn't know where he has hidden it.  With time running out, Kate is set to lose more than the farm as she finds herself getting closer to Luca, one of the POWs.  With a husband she barely knows away at war, Kate could easily lose her heart to Luca if she's not careful.

This book is so beautifully written that it creeps into your heart so slowly at first but it very quickly takes root, culminating in an emotional explosion as events around Kate unfold.  I found the plight of the aborigines very moving and it's something I haven't thought about before but the way they were treated is shocking, after all, Australia was their country first.  I absolutely love learning something whilst I am reading fiction books and I found it fascinating that so many Italian prisoners of war were sent to Australia.  I suppose returning home after the war must have been daunting for the Italian soldiers, with many having no families left, so some Australians sponsored the Italians to return; it's so lovely to think that those who were once enemies became friends. 

What an exceptional debut from Joy Rhoades and an absolute joy to read.  The Woolgrower's Companion is a beautiful, authentic and multi-faceted historical novel that has more depth than the Pacific Ocean.  I am delighted that this is only the beginning of Kate's story and I am already looking forward to the sequel.

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

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About the author:

About me? I grew up in a small town in the bush in Queensland, Australia. I spent my time with my head in a book, or outdoors – climbing trees, playing in dry creek beds, or fishing for yabbies in the railway dam under the big sky. Some of my favourite memories were visiting my grandmother’s sheep farm in rural New South Wales where my father had grown up. She was a fifth generation grazier, a lover of history, and a great and gentle teller of stories. My childhood gave me two passions: a love of the Australian landscape and a fascination with words and stories.

I left the bush at 13 when I went to boarding school in Brisbane. I stayed on there to study law and literature at the University of Queensland. After, my work as a lawyer took me first to Sydney and then all over the world, to London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and New York. But I always carried in my head a strong sense of my childhood: the people, the history, the light and the landscape. Those images have never left me and they would eventually become The Woolgrower’s Companion. It’s a story I’ve felt I had to tell.

I currently live in London with my husband and our two young children. But I miss the Australian sky.

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