BLOG TOUR: Terminal Black (Relic Black book 1) - Colin Garrow

 

A stolen identity. A hitman. A bent cop.

Relic Black takes things that don’t belong to him—credit cards, golf clubs, toothbrushes. But when a hitman mistakes him for someone else, Relic lands himself in a difficult situation. With a dead man on his hands and a guilty conscience, he sets off to save the life of the man whose identity he has stolen. And that’s when the real trouble starts…

What did I think?

I love Colin Garrow's books set on Tyneside and this new series sees him head north of the border to Scotland with a main character like no other, Relic Black.  Terminal Black is a book that I didn't try to second-guess or work out, I just buckled myself in and enjoyed the dark, gritty and entertaining ride.   

I can't even possibly begin to describe Relic Black as he's nothing like any other character I have ever come across but I really liked him.  Relic gets himself into some interesting scrapes and the plot is so riveting that I think I read it too fast to fully process everything that was going on, so I'll have to read it again at some point.  

Colin Garrow really brings his characters to life through authentic dialogue - I could actually hear the characters speaking to me in my head in their broad Scottish accents.  Colin's trademark humour is evident throughout and the wit perfectly balances the grit.

Fast-paced, gritty and very entertaining, Terminal Black is a great start to a new series and I can't wait to see what Relic gets up to next.

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

My rating:

Purchase link: https://geni.us/m2Ax

About the author:

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including: taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. All Colin's books are available as eBooks and paperback.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice cakes.

Social Media links:

Website/Blog

Amazon author page

Twitter

Smashwords

Facebook

The Watson Letters

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BLOG BLITZ: One Perfect Witness - Pat Young

On a remote Scottish hillside, three paths meet. On each path, a boy, one carrying a gun.

When their paths cross, a shot is fired and a boy dies.

That leaves two - one killer and one perfect witness.

This killer will stop at nothing to make sure the witness says nothing. Difficult for most people, even for someone who's been guarding a secret of his own for five years.

What if the witness decides he's been silent too long? Sometimes even the unspeakable must be spoken, if we can find the words.

What did I think?

Pat Young is such a talented writer and I am pleased to say that I have read all three of her excellent books.  One Perfect Witness is her latest book and I have to say that it completely tugged on my heartstrings, often bringing tears to my eyes, as Charlie struggled to be noticed by his parents.

Charlie totally stole the show as the main character and you can't help but take this young lad to your heart.  Now twelve years old, he stopped talking when he was younger and nobody knows why.  He is tired of going unnoticed by his parents and he makes a rash decision to steal his father's gun that will have explosive consequences.  All of this happens in chapter 1 and with such an amazing jaw dropping ending to an opening chapter, I just had to read on.

Sebastien, meanwhile, is going on an adventure.  Swapping sunny Paris for a summer job in wet and windy Scotland, but his mother has a bad feeling about him leaving.  A mother's instinct is never wrong and my heart was breaking for Catherine as she tried to locate her son.  With someone now assuming Sebastien's identity, Catherine's emotions were put through the wringer as she went from worrying about her son's safety to elation that he was safe but too busy to call her.

Unfortunately, Charlie and Sebastien's paths were destined to cross, albeit briefly, which will change both of their lives forever.  Can Charlie ever speak the words that will take Sebastien home?

With an absolutely killer first chapter, One Perfect Witness hooked me from the start.  I was willing Charlie to find the strength to speak and put an end to the campaign of terror he was being subjected to.  There was a strong sense of family running through the story and I couldn't help but compare Charlie and Sebastien.  The love that Sebastien's family had for him was plain for all to see but Charlie felt like he was invisible and that absolutely broke my heart.

One Perfect Witness is another unforgettable book by Pat Young; it's a book that will simultaneously get your heart racing and breaking with the fast paced dysfunctional family storyline.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Pat Young grew up in the south west of Scotland where she still lives, sometimes. She often goes to the other extreme, the south west of France, in search of sunlight.

Pat never expected to be a writer. Then she found a discarded book with a wad of cash tucked in the flyleaf. ‘What if something awful happened to the person who lost this book?’ she thought, and she was off.

Pat knew nothing of writing, but she knew a thing or two about books, having studied English, French and German at Glasgow University. A passion for languages led to a career she loved and then a successful part-time business that allowed her some free-time, at last.

Pat had plans, none of which included sitting at her desk from daybreak till dusk. But some days she has to. Because there’s a story to be told. And when it’s done, she can go out to play. On zip-wires and abseil ropes, or just the tennis court.

Pat writes psychological thrillers. Her debut novel Till the Dust Settles, has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers’ Constable Stag trophy. Following publication in July

2017 Pat was delighted to be chosen as an ‘emerging talent’ for Crime in the Spotlight and read from Till the Dust Settles to an audience at Bloody Scotland – another dream come true.

Published by Bloodhound Books, I Know Where You Live is the much-anticipated sequel to Pat’s gripping and unmissable debut thriller, Till the Dust Settles. It too is a psychological thriller with a skilfully told story that makes for an enjoyable stand alone read. It will hook you from the start.

One Perfect Witness, Pat’s third novel to be published, tells a completely new story. If, like Pat, you’re fascinated by what happens when someone disappears, you’ll enjoy this book of secrets, lies and deception.

Links:

Twitter: @py321_young 

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Genuine Fraud - E. Lockhart

From the author of the unforgettable bestseller WE WERE LIARS comes a suspenseful new psychological thriller - the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. 

But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.

Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. 

An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. 

A bad romance, or maybe three.

Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. 

A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.

A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

What did I think?

I'm a little bit OCD when it comes to numbers (well ok, maybe I'm severely OCD about numbers) so I wasn't sure how I would cope with Genuine Fraud beginning at Chapter 18.  Well I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't really notice, to be honest.  I just wanted to know what had happened to get to this point in time and even though I sometimes didn't know what the devil was going on, I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

Jule and Imogen are unlikely friends but friendship doesn't see class, religion or skin colour but Jule is a fraudster and it isn't long before she turns herself into a mirror image of Imogen.  It isn't long before Jule assumes Imogen's identity and starts living her life, but Imogen will turn up and put an end to all that, won't she?  

There is so much suspense in Genuine Fraud, making it a compelling addictive read.  I felt so afraid for Imogen's safety early on and as time ticked backwards that feeling intensified until I had to read every single page before going to sleep.  I don't know whether it was the working backwards, but I did sometimes feel a bit confused at times as to what was going on.  Despite this, it held my attention enough to continue on and I wonder if perhaps we haven't seen the last of Jule...in fact I think a sequel is a must!

Genuine Fraud is a quick read at less than 300 pages which is just as well as it's quite hard to put down!  A super little YA read that made me look at unlikely friendships in a different light.  It's true that you can never see inside someone's mind, and nor would I want to, but it's frightening to think that some people may have hidden agendas.  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...but which is which?

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon