BLOG TOUR: The Mothers - Sarah J Naughton

Five women meet at their local antenatal group. The only thing they really have in common is that they are all pregnant and live within the Chelsea area. Beyond that they all lead very different lives.

Five secrets. Three years later, they are all good friends and often meet up as a group, nick named ‘The Mothers Club’. They get along well enough. Don’t they?

One missing husband. When Bella’s husband goes missing the same night as one of their mothers club get togethers, the police come knocking. Each of the women clearly have secrets they’d like to hide. But the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells…

What did I think?

I love a book filled with secrets and Sarah J Naughton crams in as many as she can in her awesome new novel, The Mothers.  The story centres around a group of women, loosely called friends, who are so very different but similar in the way that they each carry around their own dramas in their bulging emotional baggage.  With five characters, you'd think it would get complicated as to who was who but the way they are introduced one at a time leaves a lasting first impression of each woman.

After one mother's club meeting, Bella's husband Ewan and one of the friends go missing and so the story flashes back to the past as we discover the events leading up to the double disappearance.  The dynamic of the group is very intriguing as apart from babies, which only four out of the five women have, they have absolutely nothing in common.  It almost seems like they feel obliged to remain friends but as we know, appearances can be deceptive.

I loved reading each woman's story equally, which is a rare thing as I would usually have a favourite but they are so multi-dimensional and Sarah J Naughton paints such a vivid picture of their lives.  I was so immersed in their life stories that I almost forgot about the mysterious disappearances, which turns out to be a jaw-dropping story in itself.  Then just when you think all has been revealed, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Twisted and chilling, The Mothers is a gripping thriller that reminds us to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  If you liked Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, you'll love Sarah J Naughton's The Mothers.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Sarah J Naughton grew up in Dorset and is the bestselling author of The Other Couple and Tattletale. Her debut children's thriller, The Hanged Man Rises was shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Award. The Mothers is her third novel for adults. Sarah now lives with her family in Belgravia.

@sarahjnaughton

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BLOG TOUR: The Place We Call Home - Faith Hogan

Welcome to Ballycove, the home of Corrigan Mills...

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Irish countryside the famed mills have created the finest wool in all of Ireland. Run by the seemingly perfect Corrigan family, but every family has its secrets, and how the mills came to be the Corrigan's is one of them...

Miranda and her husband were never meant to own the mills, until one fateful day catapults them into a life they never thought they'd lead.

Ada has forever lived her life in her sister's shadow. Wanting only to please her mother and take her place as the new leader of the mill, Ada might just have to take a look at what her heart really wants.

Callie has a flourishing international career as a top designer and a man who loves her dearly, she appears to have it all. When a secret is revealed and she's unceremoniously turfed out of the design world, Callie might just get what's she's been yearning for. The chance to go home.

Simon has always wanted more. More money, more fame, more notoriety. The problem child. Simon has made more enemies than friends over the years, and when one of his latest schemes falls foul he'll have to return to the people who always believe in him.

Ballycove isn't just a town in the Irish countryside. It isn't just the base of the famous mills. It's a place to call home.

What did I think?

Faith Hogan has done it again!  The Place We Call Home is another outstanding book from this amazingly talented Irish author (she writes crime now too, don't you know!).  Faith Hogan's books always draw me in completely and make me feel like I'm part of the family, and never more so than in this family saga of the Corrigans of Ballycove.

It's like a complete family history as we meet the present day owner of Corrigan Mills, septuagenarian Miranda Corrigan, and flash back to her childhood when the mills were owned by local landowners, The Blairs.  Miranda and Richard Blair become close friends one long hot summer and there's a definite spark between them that suggests they could become more than friends, but fate has other plans in store for Miranda.

Now you would think that Miranda became owner of the mills due to her relationship with Richard Blair, but it's a much more interesting and emotional story than that.  Faith Hogan writes so vividly and emotively that I felt as if I was looking at Ballycove through Miranda's eyes and feeling every emotion that she felt.  The characters are so full of life that I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't real people and I didn't really know them as well as I felt I did.

I don't want to spoil the story by giving away any of the plot so all I'll really say is that it is a family drama that puts Coronation Street writers to shame.  There's jealousy and envy, unrequited love, money troubles and family secrets just waiting to be spilled; more than enough drama without needing to have a body buried under the patio.  Even with so much going on, the pacing is very gentle; like waves lapping against the shore but each time the tide goes out, a little more of the family history is revealed.  

The Place We Call Home is a book filled with love; first love, mother's love and some love from Faith, as undoubtedly a little piece of Faith Hogan's heart has been woven into the very pages of this beautiful heartwarming book.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Faith lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and two very fussy cats. She has an Hons Degree in English Literature and Psychology, has worked as a fashion model and in the intellectual disability and mental health sector.

Follow Faith:

Twitter: @GerHogan

Facebook: @faithhoganauthor

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BLOG TOUR: A Dark Matter (The Skelfs) - Doug Johnstone

After an unexpected death, three generations of women take over the family funeral-home and PI businesses in the first book of a brilliant, page-turning and darkly funny new series.

The Skelfs are a well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators. When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events. 

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another women, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined. 

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything… It’s a compelling and tense thriller and a darkly funny, warm portrait of a family in turmoil. 

What did I think?

I saw Doug Johnstone on a Newcastle Noir 2019 panel and he absolutely had me in stitches with his amazing sense of humour, so I promptly added him to my 'authors I must read' list.  Although A Dark Matter is his eleventh novel, it is the first of his books I have read and most definitely will not be my last. 

I knew from the very first line that I was going to love this book; it immediately sent my mind off in the wrong direction and there is so much more of that to come.  I love that Jim Skelf wasn't just a funeral director, he was also a private investigator.  With two very different business in one, there is no end to the intrigue, mystery and emotion-fuelled drama.  Jim's death (this isn't a spoiler, it's in the blurb) sees the businesses left in the hands of his wife, Dorothy, helped by daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah.  All three are grieving Jim's loss but they are kept busy by intriguing new investigative cases and one old mystery.

Usually it would be high praise indeed to say that I couldn't put this book down, but I have gone one better with A Dark Matter.  I actually kept putting it down to tell anyone who was around how brilliant it was (I mean friends and family, not random commuters on public transport, although I'm sure I would have still done so if I had been reading it on the metro).  I only lifted my eyes from the page for a few seconds though, before being compelled to continue the story and what an amazing story it is.

What is exceptional about A Dark Matter is that it is so busy without being complicated; there's not just one case to investigate but at least three going on simultaneously and that's without the funerals that need to be carried out at the same time.  The three main characters are incredibly strong females, each carrying their own burden.  They are all brilliantly written, and I think Doug Johnstone absolutely nailed it when a now grown-up child (Jenny) returns to the family home; they do say you revert to a child again when you go back to live with your parents and Jenny certainly seemed to be reliving her rebellious youth.

Perfectly plotted and perfectly titled, A Dark Matter is such a darkly addictive read.  I am absolutely thrilled that this is the start of a new series, as I couldn't get enough of the Skelfs and didn't want it to end.  I'm going to pin my colours to the mast and say that even though it's only early January, I very much doubt that I will read a better book this year.  A Dark Matter is without doubt a 5+ star book and one that I unreservedly recommend.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions – including a funeral home – and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also playermanager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh. 

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BLOG TOUR: The Choice - Claire Wade

Sugar is illegal. Baking is a crime. One woman’s desperate attempt to bring freedom back to her children’s lives.

Olivia Pritchard lives in constant fear since Mother Mason came into power. Everything from healthy eating to exercise is controlled by the government, all in the name of health and happiness. Olivia hates being dictated to, but to protect her family she must follow the rules or face a stay in the Shame Box - a transparent box in a public place for everyone to judge.

After Olivia witnesses an innocent woman being violently arrested, she is no longer able to ignore the injustice. The underground rebellion 'Cut The Apron Strings' is gaining momentum and for the first time in years Olivia has a choice: keep her head down or join the fray...

What did I think?

Oh my word, this book is brilliant; it's completely unforgettable.  I would have read it in one sitting if my eyes had obeyed the order to stay open.  Perhaps I should have threatened them with Mother Mason.

The Choice may sound like a bit of a horror novel at first glance: a future without sugar.  That's right, NO CHOCOLATE!  Claire Wade has very cleverly chosen to set her novel in a future that is very easy to imagine.  With reports of people getting fatter and lazier in real life, it's absolute genius to have characters wearing health monitors that, among other things, determine whether they have done enough steps to watch TV.  I actually think I might apply this rule to my own sedentary lifestyle.  Claire Wade may very well have changed my life!

The novel is set in Norwich and London after the people voted for a new government, led by Mother Mason.  Mother knows best, after all, but this mother rules with an iron fist and nobody voted for a regime ruled by fear and shame.  With cameras everywhere, Big Brother really is watching here and makes no secret of the fact.  Anybody caught breaking the rules, and when I say anybody I actually mean any woman, will get banished to the Shame Box or even worse will be sent into the Societal Evolution Programme, never to be seen again.  A group of people want to 'Cut The Apron Strings' and bring down Mother Mason and the main character, former baker Olivia, must join the rebellion if she wants the freedom to be able to bake again.

You could be forgiven for not recognising this as a debut novel as Claire Wade's exceptional writing comes across as very accomplished.  There's a paragraph where she describes chocolate in the most sublime way and I think I must have had a smell hallucination as I felt like I could smell it as well as taste it.  Honestly, I was almost drooling.  While I'm talking about the standard of writing, I was delighted to see one of my favourite words 'claggy' being used to describe a cheesecake.  With so much mouthwatering food being described, it's no wonder I gained a few pounds whilst reading it...over Christmas...eating lots of chocolate and cheesecake!

There's so much more I could say about The Choice but it's a book that everyone really needs to read to experience it for themselves.  It's a very thought-provoking and empowering book that reminds us to stand up for what we believe in and to have the courage and conviction to not follow the crowd.  Although I haven't yet read The Handmaid's Tale (shock!), I think The Choice will inevitably be compared to Margaret Atwood's masterpiece and will not be found wanting.

The Choice is an exceptional debut with an imaginative and powerful plot that had me hooked from start to finish.  It's both unputdownable and unforgettable; a simply magnificent book!  I think a lot of people will be talking about this book for a long time to come.  Fantastic feminist fiction that is very very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Claire Wade is the winner of the Good Housekeeping Novel Competition 2018. She was bed bound for six years with severe ME, trapped in a body that wouldn't do what she wanted; her only escape through her imagination. She now writes about women who want to break free from the constraints of their lives, a subject she's deeply familiar with.

Her favourite things are books, baking and the WI. She's the founding president of a modern WI (Women's Institute) and runs a baking club for other cake lovers. You'll find her in her writing room, nicknamed Narnia because it's also home to a wardrobe and is the place where she escapes to other worlds. She's happiest if she's got a slice of chocolate cake, a cup of tea and a good book. Claire is based in Norwich and has been interviewed for BBC 1 Inside Out, as well as writing for media outlets such as the Daily Express, the Daily Mirror, Disability Now and her regular column in the Eastern Daily Press.

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The Story of Codes - Stephen Pincock & Mark Frary

From the Bible code to the Voynich manuscript, from subtly altered hieroglyphs carved into ancient Egyptian monuments to clues hidden in Renaissance paintings, we are surrounded by mysterious codes bearing hidden messages from the past. What does it take to write a fail-safe code? What does it take to break one?

Taking in the full history of code making, from the scribes of ancient Egypt to modern-day computer programmers, The Story of Codes provides a fascinating insight into this most secret and mysterious of crafts. It shows just how Julius Caesar obscured the meaning of vital wartime messages using a method of shifting letters and explains the way that Sir Francis Walsingham was able to use coded letter to foil plots against Elizabeth I. It gives an account of the ever-more complicated ciphers that were devised and cracked during the Cold War and investigates how codebreaking is being used today to fight crime and terrorism. And it shows you how to decipher codes from all periods of history, including many that are still employed today.

What did I think?

I wouldn't say that I have always been fascinated with codes but I'm a great fan of numbers and logic so The Story of Codes appealed to my inner geek.  I love reading something different in non-fiction now and again, and The Story of Codes fits that bill as it is unlike anything I've ever read before.

The layout of the book is very reader-friendly with 7 imaginatively titled chapters to hold the reader's interest: Originality, Ingenuity, Wit, Perseverance, Speed, Vision and Realism.  I really liked this touch as it appealed more to a lay person such as myself and each chapter starts with a brief list of the subjects that you can expect to be covered within.  It's quite a dry subject so it's not a book to be read cover to cover in one sitting, more a book to be digested at your own pace; I treated it like a 7 course meal with lots of rests to digest each course. 

It's quite detailed and technical at times so the text is broken up by some beautiful pictures, which in itself caused me a minor grumble.  When concentrating on a paragraph of what to me is quite a complex and technical subject, I really didn't appreciate completing the sentence 5 pages on.  Flicking back and forth interrupted the flow of the book for me and it's not a dig at this book at all, as I find it happens a lot in non-fiction.

I loved the 'Code Analysis' pages giving examples and showing me how to decipher the code that is being discussed; it really is easy when you know how!  The Story of Codes isn't going to make a codebreaker out of me but it has definitely given me a greater understanding of what goes into the encryption and decryption of codes.

The Story of Codes is a wonderfully written insight into such a vast and complex subject, although I admit that some of the more techie stuff went right over my head.  It's a fascinating account of codes past and present which really opened my eyes to the ingenuity and intelligence of all codebreakers.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

The Christmas Hypothesis - Anna Blix

Fifteen years at the North Pole.

Niklas has dedicated his life to science, but is still waiting for the big breakthrough when he will finally get the recognition he deserves…

…And on top of that he has an embarrassing problem. Every year before Christmas, he receives a huge amount of misdirected post — children’s wish lists to Santa Claus.

When Niklas loses his funding he tumbles into an identity crisis. If he isn’t the brilliant scientist he has fancied himself, then who is he?

He follows one of the letters to London. There he meets Scottish reindeer herder Clare, who hates everything about Christmas…

…and his eccentric landlady Mrs Dollimore, who believes that those letters were not misdirected at all, and that Niklas is the real Santa Claus...

There’s only one way to find out! Together they come up with The Christmas Hypothesis.

The Christmas Hypothesis is the funny and heart-warming story of a lost man who sets out to find purpose in life. Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project, The Hundred Year Old Man and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

What did I think?

A man called Niklas living at the North Pole is naturally going to get A LOT of post in December, and so we meet our hero of The Christmas Hypothesis: not omnipresent Saint Nicholas but Finnish Niklas Heikkinen.  What starts off as meeting a very annoying anti-social man soon becomes a heartwarming festive tale and it certainly warmed the cockles of my heart.

Niklas is one of those people who seem to be busy doing nothing and he's got away with it for quite some time, until after 15 years of producing absolutely nothing from the North Pole science station his funding is withdrawn and he is forced to leave.  With no family at home in Finland he hops on a plane to London hoping to work out what to do next.  Unfortunately, Mary and Joseph had more luck finding a room in Bethlehem than Nicklas did of finding a hotel room in London in December.  Then fate intervenes, or maybe it was a sprinkling of Christmas magic that sees him knocking on the door of Mrs. Dollimore's B&B at the dead of night.  

Niklas arrives at Mrs. Dollimore's with a letter addressed to Santa in his pocket and Mrs. Dollimore is convinced that he wouldn't have received it unless he was the real Santa.  Niklas and Mrs. Dollimore come up with a scientific experiment to prove whether or not he is Santa.  As the test criteria get ticked off, even the acquisition of a reindeer, and Christmas approaches Niklas just needs to do one final thing: deliver a present to Sophie, the letter writer, but she didn't put her address on the letter.  Science and Christmas magic can sort that one out, surely?

I really loved seeing the development of Niklas' character.  I must admit he really annoyed me at first with his lethargic work ethic and lack of camaraderie but as the story progressed we do see another side to him.  He doesn't really have many people skills but he certainly brings some fun and friendship to Mrs. Dollimore's life and he practically doubles his social circle overnight after a literal run in with reindeer herder, Clare.

Whether you think it's fate or Christmas magic, The Christmas Hypothesis is a charming story; perfect to read on a magical Christmas Eve snuggled up by the fire.  Heartwarming and delightful, with a sprinkling of magic, The Christmas Hypothesis is the perfect festive read.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Tales of Mystery Unexplained - Steph Young

Tales of Mystery Unexplained....What happened to Elisa Lam, found dead in a water tower atop a hotel roof? Who were the two men who came to see her & what was in the mystery box they gave her? Why did the location of her gravestone match the zip code of a Bookstore, miles away?  

Why was a man found in the same spot he disappeared, but 4 years later, with a hole in his head that no surgeons could explain? And what did this have to do with a séance, doppelgangers & the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?  Why did a man write the Fibonacci sequence as a clue & tell a stranger he was “Looking for the Beast,” before he disappeared in the barren plains of a desert?  Plus many more Tales of Mystery Unexplained.  

Steph Young has appeared on national radio shows & podcasts including the UK's The Unexplained, and Coast to Coast Am, talking about many of these mysteries.  

You can also hear some of these Unexplained Mysteries on her podcast on iTunes ‘Tales of Mystery Unexplained.’

What did I think?

With having so many books to read, it's rare that I read a newly received book, however, Tales of Mystery Unexplained sounded so unique that it didn't even have time to gather a single speck of dust on my TBR.  When you read so much fiction, there's nothing better than reading some real life mysteries and Steph Young has chosen some amazing true stories to recount that are indeed stranger than fiction.

As I've often said, I love reading books that have me pausing to google things and boy did I hit google when reading this book!  I think I would have read the book a lot faster if I hadn't kept stopping to google, but in doing so it made reading a completely three dimensional experience.  I not only experienced the fantastic descriptions provided by Steph Young, but I got to see some things with my own eyes thanks to CCTV shared on the internet.

I love how some of the stories had me revelling in the unexplained but simultaneously considering scientific explanations.  It really made me appreciate how complex the human brain is and just like a computer, how badly things can go wrong when it fails.  Although I felt that psychotic break could maybe explain part of what happened in some cases, it certainly doesn't apply to all of them.  

As per the title, what you won't find in this book is explanations for these mysteries.  They are very much open and unexplained cases and this wasn't as unsatisfying as I first expected.  I admit that part of me would have liked a nice explanation to finish off each story but the fact that they remain unexplained is definitely part of the charm of this book.  I did find myself asking questions and thinking outside of the box, almost as if I was part of the investigation team myself.

I was surprised to find that a good proportion of the stories were from the UK, in fact 7 out of 12, with the remainder being American mysteries.  There's also a good spread of time periods with the earliest story dating back to 1621 and the latest being the intriguing case of Elisa Lam in 2013.  I had never heard of this case but I bet that everyone who reads the book will end up googling the CCTV footage from a Los Angeles hotel elevator of the last known movements of Elisa Lam.  

The content is fascinating and well written, although I did find the text a little repetitive at times; this would work well in a podcast to stress important facts but wasn't really needed in print.  The cover of the book also disturbed me a little with the title appearing to be 'Tales of Unexplained Mystery' rather than 'Tales of Mystery Unexplained' as per the spine and title page.  They were just minor annoyances though, and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.  

Tales of Mystery Unexplained is a fascinating and brilliantly written collection of true stories that are most definitely stranger than fiction.  I thought it would be a 'dip in and out of' kind of book but I simply couldn't put it down.  I am completely hooked now and have looked up many of the cases on google already and have subscribed to Steph Young's podcast of the same name.  I'm sure I'll be regaling my family and friends with some of these stories that I've added to my brain's interesting and unusual facts collection.  It may be a quick read but it's one that I'll be thinking about and discussing for a very long time to come.  

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon