BLOG TOUR: The Devil's Bridge Affair - Rob Gittins

Lightning splits the sky, night somersaulting into day

And in that moment, a life is lost…

The name of the Devil’s Bridge derives from a local legend, telling the story behind a bridge that was built centuries before for the town, built by the devil himself. But there was a price. The devil vowed to return at different times and in different guises with dark consequences for those who live in the bridge’s shadow.

Most in the town believe it to be just a colourful local story; a flight of fancy. Dark deeds can happen anywhere – and there’s no such thing as the devil.

Then a massive scandal, involving a schoolboy and his English teacher, hits the community, and even the most die-hard of sceptics begin to wonder if a devil-like figure is walking in their midst.

 

What did I think?

I was completely blown away by this outstanding novel from Rob Gittins; it's absolutely brilliant.  It's a thriller with a tiny element of the supernatural about it; it's really left up to the reader's imagination whether you think there's something otherworldly about it or not.

'I couldn't put it down' is a phrase I often use when reviewing books but it has never fitted a book more than The Devil's Bridge Affair.  I read it in two sittings and the world could have ended on my second sitting and I wouldn't have noticed.  I couldn't move my eyes fast enough to reach the jawdropping conclusion; the light was fading so I was holding the book up to the window rather than stopping to close the blinds and put the light on - I didn't have time for that!

I loved the story about the legend of Devil's Bridge - it would make small children have nightmares but naturally becomes a favourite hangout place for teens.  It's a focal point of the town that is about to be rocked by scandal as a teenage boy makes allegations about his teacher.  In a case of he said/she said, who is telling the truth?  The respected wife, mother and teacher or the hormone-addled teenager?

Absolutely fantastic and completely original, Rob Gittins has written an absolute blockbuster of a novel in The Devil's Bridge Affair.  It's one of the best books I've read this year and I don't just recommend it, I urge you to read it.  A well-deserved five stars and more!

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

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BLOG TOUR: The Family Lie - P L Kane

 

A scream cut through the night as they watched flames engulf the woodland. Fire ripped through the trees, leaving only charred branches behind. And then they saw it… on the ashen forest floor… was a body.

Police officer, Mitchel Prescott answered the phone with a shaking hand. It was the one call he had been dreading. It was the hospital at Green Acres… his father Thomas, had died in the night.

Returning to the small town he had been avoiding since he was a child, Mitch must lay his father to rest.

When he arrives, the close-knit residents refuse to speak about Thomas’ death, other than to explain he was found burnt to death in the woods and his dementia was the likely cause.

But when Mitch discovers traces of accelerant on his father’s body, he’s certain it wasn’t an accident. Then his childhood home is broken into, his father’s study ransacked, and a rock thrown through the window warning him to leave.

Mitch is convinced Thomas had discovered something that had got him into trouble… something that would threaten his entire family.

But what secret is worth killing for?

What did I think?

I rather enjoyed that!  The Family Lie is pretty creepy with an underlying hint of menace and the town of Green Acres is definitely somewhere I would not want to visit!  Its oddness reminded me of the setting of Royston Vasey from The League of Gentlemen but the characters in The Family Lie are more threatening in a duplicitous kind of way.

Although it has quite a gruesome and intriguing beginning, it took me a little while to get into the story as it flicks back and forth between Mitch and his sister Bella.  When their father dies, Bella refuses to return to Green Acres so Mitch is the one who goes back home to arrange his father's funeral.  Mitch has just quit his job in the police force but he sniffs out something sinister about his father's death and begins to investigate, but someone seems intent to stop him.

I loved the character of Bella and her psychic ability which added a supernatural air of mystery to the whole proceedings.  There is so much more to Bella's story than meets the eye and I loved discovering everything about her.  It's odd but I didn't really take to Mitch as much as Bella, although I loved Mitch's interactions with the cat, but I think perhaps I just found Bella to be a more interesting character. 

Chilling and intriguing with a hint of the supernatural, anything could happen in The Family Lie which makes it impossible to predict and difficult to put down.  I enjoyed it; it's an entertaining, disturbing and imaginative crime thriller.

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

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In the Middle of Middle America - David B. Lyons

 

WHEN LIVES ENTANGLE, WEBS WILL WEAVE...

Time: September, 1997.

Place: Lebanon, Kansas—quite literally, as marked by a monument, the very middle of middle America.

A teacher. A soldier. An immigrant. A joker. A loner. A chancer. A carer.

A mosaic of seven regular townsfolk are going about their days, blissfully unaware their lives are about to interweave, interchange and interact; entangling into such a messy web that, together — and unbeknownst to them — their lives end up changing the face of America forevermore.

In the mold of movies such as Traffic, Magnolia & The Usual Suspects, In the Middle of Middle America follows multiple characters and allows the reader to become a fly on the wall to observe these seven lives entangling into such a mess that they ultimately lead the reader into a head-spinning twist.

What did I think?

OMG!  This may very well be one of the best books I have ever read.  Just scroll down to the bottom of my review and click the buy link now - you will not be disappointed.  For anyone still reading, I'll tell you why I loved this book so much.

With a number of character storylines to follow, it is indeed a tangled web that is woven by David B. Lyons in his latest novel, In the Middle of Middle America.  There may be a decent number of characters but it never gets confusing as each one is brought to life through the absolutely flawless writing and I really cared about each and every one of them.  Even the small town location of Lebanon, Kansas feels like almost a character in itself and there really is a monument there marking the very centre of America.

This book is so perfectly plotted that it will blow your mind.  I know I was left like a gaping fish out of water at the end, gasping for breath and flapping around in excitement as the magnitude of the absolute masterpiece I had just experienced finally hit me.  David B. Lyons is the Master of Misdirection and this is without doubt his magnum opus - it really is nothing short of a masterpiece.  Stand up and take a bow, Mr Lyons!  I certainly gave him a virtual round of applause at the end.

Five stars is not enough for In the Middle of Middle America; it's simply outstanding!  Honestly, I can't stop raving about this book - it's an absolute MUST READ!  It's a book I would like to read again, even though I now know the awesome twist, just to see how cleverly it is written.  David B. Lyons is such a talented wordsmith and coupled with his intricate plotting makes him one of the cleverest authors I've come across.

Easily my favourite book of 2021, In the Middle of Middle America is an outstanding small town mystery suspense that sure packs a big punch.  I challenge you to read a better book this year!  I don't just recommend it, I implore you to read it - I guarantee you won't regret it.  

I received a digital ARC from the author to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Just a Small Town - Paul Linggood

 

A small town that could be anywhere: industry in decline, streets in decay, many have left, while those left behind take short-term joy in drugs. Four young people are among the left behind. Alex consumes heroin to escape his abusive father. Jim hides from guilt after the death of the friend he didn't save. Chelsi's brother killed a local boy, and ostracism pushes her towards a rival gang, prostitution and loneliness. Danny is a hustler but needs protection from the drug gang that supplies him. Can any of them survive the addiction, gang life, isolation and manipulation? Their small town could be anywhere.

What did I think?

Now and again you find a book that stays with you so long after reading that you can't get it out of your head, that book for me is Just a Small Town.  It's quite a short book at only 180 pages but every single word has been chosen carefully resulting in a gripping, gritty and brilliant read.

Just a Small Town is a clever title in itself as it could be set absolutely anywhere, you just need to read your local newspaper to see similarities to this book in your own area.  The story follows four young people who live in a deprived area and it's heartbreaking to see them transform from innocent children to doing whatever they need to do to survive.  Only the strong survive in this town.

I love how each chapter is dedicated to a particular character and their various guises as they change over time.  It made me so angry to see how these youngsters were groomed and manipulated and it's even more shocking when you realise that this sort of thing does actually happen in real life.  It's so thought-provoking and I think we really need to help deprived areas to give children a chance at life; no child should have to grow up so quickly and in such difficult circumstances.  I'll get off my soapbox now!

Just a Small Town is an exceptional book and a brilliant debut; Paul Linggood brings this eye-opening story to life through his outstanding writing that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.  The writing is so vibrant and the characters are so well developed and multi-dimensional that I could almost see them leaping from the page.  I don't want to give anything away but I have to say that the ending is just brilliant.  Have a virtual round of applause Mr Linggood. 

One of the best debuts I have read this year, Just a Small Town is a tour de force from Paul Linggood and highly recommended reading.  This is a perfect book to discuss at book club or with friends; I'll certainly be talking about it for a long time!

Many thanks to Paul Linggood for sending me a copy of his book to read and review; all opinions are my own.

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BLOG TOUR: One White Lie - Leah Konen

Imagine you've finally escaped the worst relationship of your life with only a black eye.

Imagine your new next-door neighbours are the friends you so desperately needed.

Imagine they're in trouble. That someone is threatening their livelihoods - and even their lives.

Imagine your ex is coming for you.

If you just needed to tell one small lie to make all these problems disappear, you'd do it . . . wouldn't you?

It's only one small lie, until someone turns up dead . . .

What did I think?

I thought One White Lie was going to be a slow burning psychological thriller at first but when I finished the first quarter of the book I just couldn't put it down.  This superb thriller from Leah Konen is like a river through a canyon, twisting and turning as it takes the reader in completely unexpected directions. 

I was drawn into Lucy's story immediately as she escapes an abusive relationship with a black eye and her dog, Dusty.  Giving the impression that she is off to Seattle, she leaves Brooklyn and heads upstate to Woodstock to start her new life.  Lucy is befriended by her new neighbours, John and Vera, but with vicious rumours circulating about John's fidelity their marriage may not be as happy as it seems.  The couple have a plan to escape it all and Lucy doesn't hesitate to offer her assistance but even the best laid plans often go awry.

As Lucy shares some of the stories of the abuse that was inflicted by her partner Davis, you realise just how cunning (and crazy) some people are.  Davis seems to be the master of mind games as he did little things to pay Lucy back for insignificant insults.  Lucy didn't even realise he was doing it at first as his acts of revenge could be explained as accidents but her black eye is no accident.

John and Vera's relationship was interesting to read; I really couldn't decide whether I believed the rumours or not.  Their plan seemed very drastic and not exactly the actions of an innocent party but they must have been under quite a lot of stress when the community shunned them.  They certainly seemed to look for the answer to their problem at the bottom of several bottles of wine!

I really enjoyed One White Lie, it's gripping, addictive and very twisty.  The plot is perfectly crafted and I didn't work any of it out which meant I was surprised at every twist and turn.  One White Lie is an excellent psychological thriller and one I highly recommend.

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

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BLOG TOUR: Ash Mountain - Helen Fitzgerald

Fran hates her hometown, and she thought she’d escaped. But her father is ill, and needs care. Her relationship is over, and she hates her dead-end job in the city, anyway.

She returns home to nurse her dying father, her distant teenage daughter in tow for the weekends. There, in the sleepy town of Ash Mountain, childhood memories prick at her fragile self-esteem, she falls in love for the first time, and her demanding dad tests her patience, all in the unbearable heat of an Australian summer. As past friendships and rivalries are renewed, and new ones forged, Fran’s tumultuous home life is the least of her worries, when old crimes rear their heads and a devastating bushfire ravages the town and all of its inhabitants…

Simultaneously a warm, darkly funny portrait of small-town life – and a woman and a land in crisis – and a shocking and truly distressing account of a catastrophic event that changes things forever, Ash Mountain is a heart-breaking slice of domestic noir, and a disturbing disaster thriller that you will never forget…

What did I think?

For such a short book, at only 210 pages long, there's an awful lot going on in Ash Mountain.  It just shows the quality of Helen Fitzgerald's writing that she can cram so much in over so few pages.  It is written so beautifully that it feels like every single word has been carefully chosen and crafted into this deeply disturbing and haunting story.  

The main character of Fran is very damaged, and it's not shown how damaged until much later in the story, but she gets on with her life thanks to her dark humour.  The way that Fran takes her Dad places had me absolutely howling with laughter at times and I have to applaud Helen Fitzgerald's genius for adding some humour to an otherwise sobering subject. 

I wasn't really sure in what direction the story was going to take me as we flick back and forth in time but when past and present collide I actually had to choke back a sob.  The writing is so vivid and filled with emotion that I felt completely drained at the end of the book; I felt as devastated as the scorched earth when past crimes were laid bare.  I feel so sad just thinking of it now; even though the characters are fictional it feels so very real to me.

Ash Mountain is a horrifying, beautiful and mesmeric story of a completely devastating event; I can't stop looking at the hypnotic photo on the cover, which is a real photo from the Australian bushfires of 2019 which brings terrifying authenticity to this already vivid story.  This haunting and evocative story is not one that I will easily forget.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and is now a major drama for BBC1. Her 2019 dark comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in both The Guardian and Daily Telegraph. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.

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BLOG TOUR: We Begin at the End - Chris Whitaker

With the staggering intensity of James Lee Burke and the absorbing narrative of Jane Harper's The Dry, We Begin at the End is a powerful novel about absolute love and the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between.

'You can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved . . .'

Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer.

Now, he's been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.

Duchess Radley, Star's thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin - and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town.

Murder, revenge, retribution.

How far can we run from the past when the past seems doomed to repeat itself?

What did I think?

A new Chris Whitaker book is always something to get excited about and I didn't even read the synopsis of We Begin at the End before grabbing a copy.  I really enjoyed his previous novels, Tall Oaks and All The Wicked Girls, but I absolutely LOVED We Begin at the End.  This book is really something extraordinary!  It left me speechless and I honestly don't know how any review I write will do it justice but I'll give it a go.

The story is very character driven and there's a small cast of broken characters for us to get to know in the small town setting of Cape Haven.  Walk, the local police chief, is the glue that binds the strands of the story together as we read about his interaction with all of the main characters.  Walk's childhood friend, Vincent King, has just been released from prison after serving time for killing Star Radley's sister and the town must cope with his return home.  Star is perhaps the most broken character, struggling to make ends meet as a single parent to 13 year old Duchess and 6 year old Robin.  I also have to mention a character called Milton who likes to think he's up with the police lingo (10-4 and all that) but he keeps getting them wrong and it made me laugh every single time!  

It is Duchess who goes on to completely steal the show.  What an absolutely brilliant character!  She's tough, sassy, gutsy, prickly and cheeky but underneath that hard as nails outer shell is a caring, selfless young girl who gave up her childhood to look after her mother and brother.  I loved her sense of humour and quick, witty answers when she got challenged.  Duchess is such a well developed character that I felt as if I knew her and I was so completely invested in her story that I laughed and cried as events unfolded.

Chris Whitaker is such a talented author that We Begin at the End feels like an instant classic.  The writing is as flawless as the characters are flawed and I felt completely stunned when I finished reading it.  I love how Chris Whitaker writes a serious story but still manages to inject a bit of humour into his writing; Witty by name and witty by nature, obviously!

We Begin at the End is so flawless that I think Chris Whitaker may have written the perfect novel.  When a 5 star rating doesn't seem adequate, you know you've read an awesome book.  A stunning novel not to be missed and so very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Chris Whitaker was born in London and spent ten years working as a financial trader in the city.

His debut novel, Tall Oaks, won the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger.

Chris's second novel, All The Wicked Girls, was published in August 2017. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and two young sons.

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Twitter: @WhittyAuthor

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All The Wicked Girls - Chris Whitaker

'Raine sometimes complains that nothing exciting is ever gonna happen in Grace again. Daddy told her careful what you wish for.'

Everyone loves Summer Ryan. A model student and musical prodigy, she's a ray of light in the struggling small town of Grace, Alabama - especially compared to her troubled sister, Raine. Then Summer goes missing.

Grace is already simmering, and with this new tragedy the police have their hands full keeping the peace. Only Raine throws herself into the search, supported by a most unlikely ally.

But perhaps there was always more to Summer than met the eye . . .

What did I think?

I am a huge fan of Chris Whitaker's debut novel, Tall Oaks, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard that he was bringing a new book out.  Where Tall Oaks was filled with humour and Twin Peaks style weirdness, All The Wicked Girls is so completely different and so very very dark.  With two very different style novels, Chris Whitaker has certainly shown that he is a natural writer and can turn his hand to absolutely anything, or anythin' as they'd say in Grace.

The god-fearing townspeople of Grace, Alabama are shocked when one of their girls go missing...and she's not the first missing girl in the area.  Summer Ryan is a talented young musician, the light to her twin sister's dark.  Her twin, Raine, doesn't believe that Summer has run away so she gathers together her friends to look for Summer.  They are a bit like the scooby gang with Noah, who wants to follow in his Dad's footsteps and join the police, and Noah's friend, hilariously named Purv.

Every other chapter is told from Summer's perspective and we find out that she is not as pure and unblemished as we thought.  It's odd when you read a chapter from a character's perspective as you think of them as alive when you know the chances of a happy ending are slim.  The whole book is so vivid, but I felt as if Summer's chapters were almost talking to me.  She really got under my skin as I got into her head and I could hear her thoughts and words along with the smooth, mournful tone of her cello.  Summer also has a fabulous first chapter that really could only have been created by the ingenious and wacky mind of Chris Whitaker...let's just say that they don't just catch fish in the river in Grace.

With a cast of such eclectic characters, absolutely anything could happen so prepare for a mystery with shocks and surprises.  I found my mind racing over the words as I discovered deeply buried secrets and I thought nothing was quite what it seemed.  It took me a little while to get into the southern dialect, which was great as it added so much authenticity to the book, but once the book started to speak to me it became second nature.

All The Wicked Girls didn't quite topple Tall Oaks off the pedestal I'd put it on, but that's not to say it isn't a fantastic book in its own right. It's certainly a book to immerse yourself in and I was surprised how moved I was by the whole dang thing.  With his unique writing style and quirky stories, Chris Whitaker is definitely an author to watch out for.  

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Ice Lake (Harry Cull Thriller #1) - John A Lenahan

…WHERE EVERYBODY LIES. AND SOME PEOPLE KILL…

An electrifying debut crime novel and the first in a new series featuring psychologist Harry Cull. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Peter May.

AN ABANDONDED BODY

Deep in the woods of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the body of a man is found – shot three times, dumped under the trees where the local kids will find him.

A HAUNTED PSYCHOLOGIST

Psychologist Harry Cull, tormented by his past, arrives in the picturesque town of Ice Lake to help with the murder investigation. There he unravels a web of lies and deceit that leads to the dark heart of a community torn apart by fracking, drugs and murder.

A DESPERATE KILLER

It’s not long before the second corpse turns up, this time a lawyer left for dead in the forest, and Harry finds himself on the trail of a twisted killer – who will do anything to keep the town’s darkest secrets buried.

What did I think?

Oh my word, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did...and that's no lie.  I'm going to make a prediction right here and now - this is going to be a bestselling, long-running series.  Harry Cull is one of those characters that you can't get enough of, like Michael Connelly's Bosch or Peter James' Roy Grace.  You've got the story he's investigating now plus the intrigue of his past that had my brain fighting over which story I wanted to read more about.  Both are winners as you couldn't possibly choose one over the other.

Harry Cull turns up in the sleepy Pennsylvania town of Ice Lake to help his friend, Trooper Ed Cirba, investigate the murder of a local man. The pair met at a conference in Las Vegas and I got my first inkling of the sparkling humour involved when Cull won't let Cirba forget about their visit to a strip bar, or titty bar as they are hilariously known in Ice Lake.  The locals all know each others' business and can't finish a sentence without saying 'and that's no lie', but when another body turns up, clearly somebody is lying.

When two of his pals turn up dead, local drug dealer, Feather, thinks he could be next on the hit list.  The interactions between Cull and Feather were one of the many highlights of the book.  Cull has a knack of being able to tell when someone is lying, with or without his Frankenstein-esque lie detector machine.  With an excellent well-placed quote from Spiderman and paying serious homage to Star Wars, Feather shows his awe of Cull by referencing the jedi knights, causing me to laugh out loud on many an occasion.

Cull has a devastating history that lays down the thread that will link all the Harry Cull books together (and please let there be MANY more).  There's always going to be a hint of danger following him around after he got mixed up with the Jersey mob.  As we all know from watching The Sopranos, you can run but you can't hide.

Ice Lake is a sizzling start to what I'm sure will become a favourite series for many readers...and that's no lie.  The sizzling dynamic between Cull and Cirba reminded me of Starsky and Hutch; always a little bit tongue in cheek and I'm sure I'll spot things I've missed on the second reading.  Hopefully we won't have long to wait for book 2, and I'll definitely be first in line for that!  I could write so much more about this book (I haven't even mentioned the fracking or the love interest), but seriously - just go buy it!

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

My rating:

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