BLOG TOUR: You Are Fatally Invited - Ande Pliego

Six thriller authors. One writing retreat.

You’d die to be on the guest list . . .

The Host

Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island.

The Assistant

Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.

The Players

The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for.

The Game

What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one...

 

What did I think?

This book is SO good; I absolutely LOVED it and I had to double check that it is actually a debut novel.  Wow!  Just wow!  Ande Pliego is certainly one to watch after leaving me stunned with her wonderful debut novel, You Are Fatally Invited.

With a mystery host, a group of authors and a handful of staff on a private island, it should be pretty easy to work out who the murder is when the body count starts rising...shouldn't it?  Nope!  I was completely blindsided and totally shocked so I have to say "well played, Ande Pliego!" 

The plot is pinsharp and the writing is so vividly descriptive it's lke watching a Netflix series and while I'm on the subject, I really wouldn't be surprised to see this one snapped up for TV, if it hasn't already.

It's grisly at times but constantly gripping and my eyes were on stalks as they raced down the page, devouring every single perfectly crafted word.  If I was a thriller author, THIS is the book I would wish I had written.  An easy five stars from me for this unmissable debut and the must-read thriller of the year.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

ANDE PLIEGO began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good. 

A lover of stories with teeth, she writes books involving mind games, dark humour, general murder and mayhem, characters pushed to the edge of themselves, and most importantly, finding the hope in the dark. 

When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library. 

Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, Ande is settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her craftsman husband and little son.

Ande’s Social Media

Twitter: https://x.com/andepliegowrite

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andepliegowrites/

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BLOG TOUR: The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello (The Stonebridge Mysteries 1) - Chris McDonald

Wedding bells are chiming in the idyllic, coastal town of Stonebridge. For Sam and Emily, it should be the happiest day of their lives. But, on the morning of the ceremony, the best man is found dead. The police quickly write his death off as a tragic accident, but something doesn’t seem right to wedding guest and groomsman, Adam Whyte.

Armed with an encyclopaedic, but ultimately ridiculous knowledge of television detective shows and an unwarranted confidence in his own abilities, Adam and his best friend (and willing Watson) Colin, set out to uncover what actually happened to Daniel Costello.

What did I think?

I'm a huge fan of Chris McDonald's DI Erika Piper series so when I heard that he was writing a cosy crime series I couldn't wait to read it, or in this case listen to it.  The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello, narrated by Stephen Armstrong, is the first novella in the Stonebridge Mysteries series and it's a cracker!  It's quite a short audiobook at only 2 hours 56 minutes long so it's very easy to listen to it in one sitting, which is just as well as it's impossible to stop once you start anyway!

There's a wedding in Stonebridge but the groom and best man appear to be at loggerheads on the night before the wedding.  When best man Daniel doesn't turn up for breakfast the next day, groomsman Adam goes looking for him and is shocked to find Daniel dead in his bed.  The police are called and declare that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Daniel's premature demise, however, some things don't add up for Adam.  Being a fan of TV detective shows, Adam enlists his friend Colin to help him investigate Daniel's death.

A bit of a couch potato, Adam is such an unlikely amateur sleuth but when he dons his metaphorical deerstalker he proves that he really does know his stuff.  Although some things are different from TV in real life, Adam knows a suspicious death when he sees one.  Adam and Colin relish their roles as a modern day Holmes and Watson and I love how they are so meticulous in their search for evidence.  Having been friends since primary school, Adam and Colin are a great pairing and I love how well they work together.

The narration is fantastic, with Stephen Armstrong's dulcet tones and lyrical Northern Irish accent bringing the book to life.  What I found quite stunning about the narration is that the narrator doesn't attempt to do different voices for each character, it's simply read with such vivacity to entertain and enthrall the listener.  Another thing I loved was the quirky and often humourous chapter names that set the scene for the chapter ahead.  One in particular had me laughing out loud and I found myself looking forward to new chapters to see what ingenious title Chris McDonald would come up with next.

Hugely entertaining, The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello is a fun, addictive and riveting whodunnit that captivated me from start to finish.  Chris McDonald's stupendous writing and Stephen Armstrong's wonderfully entertaining narration make this audiobook another winner from Isis Audio.

Many thanks to Isis Audio for sending me the audiobook to review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello is narrated by Stephen Armstrong and is out on 1st January on Audible and other trade download platforms, on Isis Audio's digital library platform ulibrary, and on physical CD and MP3 both in libraries and from Isis Audio's website The Reading House. https://thereadinghouse.co.uk/

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BLOG TOUR: The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello (The Stonebridge Mysteries 1) - Chris McDonald

Wedding bells are chiming in the idyllic, coastal town of Stonebridge. For Sam and Emily, it should be the happiest day of their lives. But, on the morning of the ceremony, the best man is found dead. The police quickly write his death off as a tragic accident, but something doesn’t seem right to wedding guest and groomsman, Adam Whyte.

Armed with an encyclopaedic, but ultimately ridiculous knowledge of television detective shows and an unwarranted confidence in his own abilities, Adam and his best friend (and willing Watson) Colin, set out to uncover what actually happened to Daniel Costello.

 

The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello is the first in the Stonebridge Mysteries series of cosy crime novellas.

What did I think?

I'm a huge fan of Chris McDonald's DI Erika Piper series so when I heard that he was writing a cosy crime series I couldn't wait to read it.  The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello (what a great book title) is the first novella in the Stonebridge Mysteries series and it's a cracker!  It's a quick read at less than 90 minutes so very easy to read in one sitting, which is just as well as it's impossible to put down anyway!

There's a wedding in Stonebridge but the groom and best man appear to be at loggerheads on the night before the wedding.  When best man Daniel doesn't turn up for breakfast the next day, groomsman Adam goes looking for him and is shocked to find Daniel dead in his bed.  The police are called and declare that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Daniel's premature demise, however, some things don't add up for Adam.  Being a fan of TV detective shows, Adam enlists his friend Colin to help him investigate Daniel's death.

A bit of a couch potato, Adam is such an unlikely amateur sleuth but when he dons his metaphorical deerstalker he proves that he really does know his stuff.  Although some things are different from TV in real life, Adam knows a suspicious death when he sees one.  Adam and Colin relish their roles as a modern day Holmes and Watson and I love how they are so meticulous in their search for evidence.  Having been friends since primary school, Adam and Colin are a great pairing and I love how well they work together.

Another thing I loved was the quirky and often humourous chapter names that set the scene for the chapter ahead.  One in particular had me laughing out loud and I found myself looking forward to new chapters to see what ingenious title Chris McDonald would come up with next.

Hugely entertaining, The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello is a fun, addictive and riveting whodunnit.  Chris McDonald's tremendous talent bursts from every single page of this magnificent novella.  A quick but quality read.

Thank you to Red Dog Press for sending me an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Red Dog Press

Amazon

About the author:

Originally hailing from the north coast of Northern Ireland and now residing in South Manchester, Chris McDonald has always been a reader. At primary school, The Hardy Boys inspired his love of adventure before his reading world was opened up by Chuck Palahniuk and the gritty world of crime. A Wash of Black is his first attempt at writing a book. He came up with the initial idea whilst feeding his baby in the middle of the night, which may not be the best thing to admit, considering the content. He is a fan of 5-a-side football, heavy metal and dogs. Whispers in the Dark is the second instalment in the DI Erika Piper series, and Chris is currently working on his latest series, The Stonebridge Mysteries, to be published by Red Dog Press in 2021. 

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BLOG TOUR: The Guest List - Lucy Foley

Guests are called to a remote island off the Irish coast to celebrate the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules and Will. Everything has been meticulously planned, the scene is set, old friends are back together.   

It should be the perfect day.   

Until the discovery of a body signals the perfect murder.   

A groom with a secret. 
A bridesmaid with a grudge. 
A plus one with motive. 
A best man with a past.  

It could be any, it could be all . . . But one guest won’t make it out alive. 


What did I think?

Although it's only February, 2020 is already turning out to be a year of awesome books and The Guest List by Lucy Foley is an absolute cracker.  Filled with tension and unease, and crammed full of secrets, Lucy Foley has very cleverly crafted a murder mystery unlike any other I have read before.  You might be wondering how it could be different to other whodunnits, well simply because the reader is kept completely in the dark as to which one of the guests is dead.  

When reading murder mysteries or crime thrillers, readers turn into amateur sleuths.  We sift through the evidence set out before us and examine motive of each character.  It's impossible to do this with The Guest List as each character may have motive, but for different potential victims.  Although naturally I did try to guess who was dead and 'whodunnit', all of the unknown variables sent my brain into a tizz so I gave up and just enjoyed the show. 

I have never enjoyed a book so much with so many unlikeable characters in it.  This might sound odd, but it's the individual characteristics and history of each character that drives the story.  Everyone seems to have something to hide or holds a grudge against someone, so there was no way that this was ever going to be the perfect wedding to Will that Jules dreamed of.  Especially not when Will's old school friends turned up and regressed into a wolfish pack of annoying teenage boys.  I could've quite easily pushed any one of them over the edge of the cliff.

The Guest List may very well be compared to an Agatha Christie novel but for building suspense and holding on to all of its secrets until the last possible moment, I think it's even better than any Christie novels I've ever read.  The Guest List is even better than a 'whodunnit, it's a  'you'llneverguesswhodunnit' because you don't know who 'it' is.

With a very cleverly crafted plot, The Guest List is as impossible to second guess as it is to put down.  It's an absolutely sensational book that I'll be recommending to all.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry, before leaving to write full-time. The Hunting Party, an instant Sunday Times and Irish Times no.1 bestseller, was Lucy’s debut crime novel, inspired by a particularly remote spot in Scotland that fired her imagination.

Lucy is also the author of three historical novels, which have been translated into sixteen languages. Her journalism has appeared in ES Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Grazia and more. 

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