BLOG TOUR: A Song of Isolation - Michael J Malone

Film star Amelie Hart is the darling of the silver screen, appearing on the front pages of every newspaper. But at the peak of her fame she throws it all away for a regular guy with an ordinary job. The gossip columns are aghast: what happened to the woman who turned heads wherever she went?

Any hope the furore will die down are crushed when Amelie’s boyfriend Dave is arrested on charges of child sexual abuse. Dave strongly asserts his innocence, and when Amelie refuses to denounce him, the press furore quickly turns into physical violence, and she has to flee the country.

While Dave is locked up with the most depraved men in the country and Amelie is hiding on the continent, Damaris, the victim at the centre of the story, is also isolated – a child trying to make sense of an adult world…

Breathtakingly brutal, dark and immensely moving, A Song of Isolation looks beneath the magpie glimmer of celebrity to uncover a sinister world dominated by greed and lies, and the unfathomable destruction of innocent lives… in an instant.

What did I think?

Any story involving child abuse is difficult to read, but Michael J Malone turns the subject on its head in A Song of Isolation by focussing on a different side of the story: that of the person accused of these terrible acts.  Michael J Malone leaves no stone unturned as the catastrophic effects of such a damaging accusation are portrayed.  It's a book I couldn't put down and I felt simultaneously completely devastated and absolutely furious by events in the story.

Amelie and Dave are reevaluating their relationship when Dave is arrested for child abuse.  Amelie is a film star, but her career was cut short after a stalking incident which made Amelie decide to leave the bright lights behind and move to Scotland, where she met Dave.  It is devastating for Amelie to hear the accusations levelled against Dave but she decides to stand by her man during the court case, despite the vitriol that is aimed against her by the public and the press.

Dave's guilt or innocence aside, there is another victim in this story: Damaris, the 11 year old neighbour of Amelie and Dave.  Whether Damaris was telling the truth or not became irrelevant for me: either something terrible had actually happened to her or she was made to believe something had.  Either way, her life was changed irrevocably and she has to live with it for the rest of her life.  Although it's such a difficult storyline, Michael J Malone handles it sensitively whilst not shying away from the subject matter.

Heartbreakingly devastating and completely compelling, A Song of Isolation is another outstanding novel from Michael J Malone.  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:

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died and In the Absence of Miracles soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr. 

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BLOG TOUR: Strictly Come Dating - Kathryn Freeman

I love Kathryn Freeman books so I am thrilled to be taking part in the Rachel's Random Resources Blog Tour for Strictly Come Dating.  Scroll down to find out about Kathryn's new book and to read my review.

 

Saturday nights are strictly for dancing… 

As the glitter ball shimmers and sequins flash, forty-year-old Maggie remembers the pull of the dancefloor.  But now, as a newly divorced mum of two, Maggie’s certain her dancing days are over.  Or are they…?

Encouraged by her friends, Maggie dusts off her silver stilettoes and enrols for dancing classes, all she needs now is the perfect partner.

Enter Seb.  Young, carefree and hot as hell, Seb is definitely a perfect 10!  Even though everything about him is outrageously inappropriate! But as Seb sweeps her across the dancefloor every week, Maggie begins to see a new side to him; kind, caring, funny, strong. 

And Maggie realises that he’s the only one she’d like to foxtrot with…perhaps even forever

What did I think?

I'm a huge fan of Kathryn Freeman but I have to admit that, having never watched Strictly Come Dancing and being unable to tell a foxtrot from a tango, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy her new novel, Strictly Come Dating.  I needn't have worried as I enjoyed it immensely, so take note -  this one isn't just for Strictly fans.  

Maggie is a fabulous character and I loved how she and her friends gathered around the TV each Saturday to watch Strictly together.  They take turns hosting and they're so serious about Strictly that phones and talking aren't allowed during the show.  They all gladly accept the rules until Maggie's friends' brother, Seb, arrives back from Australia and can't hold his tongue.  He finds the show amusing but spends most of the evening watching Maggie, which doesn't go unnoticed by his sisters although Maggie is completely unaware.

Seb is completely smitten with Maggie and he doesn't care that there is a 10 year age gap but Maggie is completely hung up over her age.  I wanted to give her a good talking to as she keeps going on about her age (she's mid-thirties not an OAP) but I could understand her being a bit down on herself after her husband left her and her two fabulous girls.  Seb does his best to bring back the sparkle into Maggie's life and there's nothing more sparkly than Strictly!

I loved the strong family vibe in Strictly Come Dating, both Maggie's relationship with her daughters and Seb's relationship with his sisters.  Maggie's daughters, Penny and Tabby, totally stole the show for me - they are gorgeous girls and a credit to Maggie, with no thanks to her ex-husband, Paul.  When Paul comes back on the scene he's like a Dementor from Harry Potter, sucking out all the fun from their life.  I'm surprised Maggie even let him into the house after he had been absent for two years but then she was thinking of what was best for her girls.

Strictly Come Dating is a fabulously sparkly romance that isn't just for Strictly fans, although Strictly fans will LOVE it.  It's a wonderfully heartwarming read that kept me entertained and left me with a big smile on my face.  I loved it.

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

My rating:

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Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero. 

I’ve two sons and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), so any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links – 

Website:  http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

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Feral Snow - Mark Lowes

 

Alone and stranded in the Arctic wasteland, would you risk your life to save a stranger or try to get home?

Paul is a father-to-be; traumatised by his past, he's terrified of becoming a father after his own beat him until he was unilaterally deaf. While working as a freelance cameraman in the Arctic, he's caught in a blizzard, separated from his crew, and falls into a chasm. Alone, and waiting for death to come, personal demons plague his mind.

When a young native girl falls into the chasm with him, Paul must learn how to accept responsibility and what it takes to give your life for a child.

FERAL SNOW, while a tense and action-packed story, is an intimate journey between two polar opposites and how love can be forged in the unlikeliest of circumstances. It has been compared to The Revenant, 127 Hours, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

What did I think?

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of Feral Snow and I was not disappointed; it's very unusual and unlike anything I've read before.  With such a small cast of characters, indeed mainly just one or two for most of the book, I was surprised to be so completely riveted by the story.  

Paul is quite a complex character and you have to wonder at his motivation for travelling to the Arctic when his wife is very close to giving birth.  When Paul falls into a chasm with only his own thoughts for company, his layers are peeled away you begin to understand what's behind his decision.  It's often said that the abused become abusers so Paul is not afraid to die if it will keep his unborn child from harm...until he meets twelve year old Nanny.

Nanny is an awesome character, she's strong, tough and smart but her story is even more devastating than Paul's.  Nanny is the key to Paul confronting his demons and it's truly heartwarming to see Paul's character evolve.  Due to the solitary nature of the story, I did wonder if Nanny was a figment of Paul's imagination and there are quite a few moments where the reader questions what is real and what isn't.  With so much action and danger, it's not so much dreamlike as what nightmares are made of.

What is real is the effect of global warming on the Arctic and Mark Lowes weaves this into his story beautifully to get this powerful message across.  It's not just glaciers melting into the sea (which Mark Lowes vividly describes) but also the serious threat against the whole ecosystem.  The environmental issues are very cleverly incorporated into the story and it's very thought-provoking, so much so that it's been on my mind long after I finished the book.

Tense and gripping, Feral Snow is an awesome survival thriller with a powerful message and a brilliant debut novel from Mark Lowes.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Octopus - Tess Little

When Elspeth arrives at her ex-husband’s house in the LA hills for his 50th birthday party, she’s expecting a huge crowd for the famous film director. Instead, there are just seven other guests and Persephone, Richard’s pet octopus, watching over them from her tank.

Come morning, Richard is dead.

As the investigation uncovers bruising in Richard’s throat, each of the guests come under suspicion: the school friend, the studio producer, the actress, the actor, the new boyfriend, the cinematographer, the manager and the ex-wife, Elspeth herself.

In the weeks following the party, stories of Richard’s past surface, colliding with memories of their marriage, and Elspeth begins to question not just who killed Richard, but why these seven guests were invited, and what sort of man would want to trap this mysterious, intelligent creature.

From the LA hills to the Norfolk marshes, The Octopus is a stylish exploration of power: the power of memory, the power of perception, the power of one person over another. 

 

What did I think?

Set in three parts with no chapters, it takes a little while to get used to the format of The Octopus as it jumps between past and present with only a space between the paragraphs to warn the reader of a timeline change.  Both timelines are intriguing though, so I didn't mind the flicking between them as it felt like a memory being replayed in your mind and the talented writing of Tess Little pulls all of the little scenes together to produce the bigger picture.

Film director Richard Bryant is celebrating his 50th birthday and invites seven guests to his party.  Expecting a lavish affair, the guests are surprised to find they are so small in number.  Nobody is more surprised to be invited to this exclusive dinner party than Elspeth, Richard's ex-wife, especially when their daughter Lillie isn't among the guests.  Visiting Richard's home for the first time, Elspeth is mesmerised by the aquarium spanning two floors containing a giant Pacific octopus named Persephone.

I found the guests very interesting, most of them from the film industry and they are as superficial and self-centered as I imagined.  I thought it was really nice of Richard (how wrong I was) to serve dishes relating to all of his guests and they all had fun guessing which dish related to each person, apart from Elspeth's dish as she seemed to be invisible and they didn't even notice that she hadn't been matched to a dish.  I was so mad!  Clearly as the 'ex-wife', Elspeth is of no value to those in the film industry so it's like they don't even see her.

When Richard is found dead the next day, the police start an investigation into his death.  Was it an accident or was it murder?  As each guest comes under suspicion, we learn more about their relationship with Richard and we start to see what kind of a man he really was.  As Elspeth tries to piece together events from that night, she starts to doubt her memory as her past and present collide - this was very cleverly done and really has you thinking about the reliability of your own memories.  Elspeth also knows something that the police don't know: Persephone is quite an escape artist and makes a habit of escaping her tank each night.  Could the octopus have killed Richard?

With very clever plotting, intriguing characters and mesmerising writing, Tess Little has written an extraordinary whodunnit thriller that has the feel of a modern-day Agatha Christie novel.  The characters are all displayed before us as we search for clues as to who the murderer might be and I loved building up these pictures of Richard's life and his interaction with the others.  I also loved Persephone's story; it's very fascinating and so poignant that I had a little lump in my throat at the end.

Although she has previously written short stories, The Octopus is Tess Little's debut novel and it's so captivating that I found it very difficult to put down.  With this clever and compelling debut, Tess Little has proven herself to be a very talented writer; she is definitely one to watch.  

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Photo credit: Daniella-Shreir

Tess Little is a writer, historian, and Examination Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford, the entrance exam to which is deemed ‘the hardest exam in the world’ – questions have included ‘What is the use of magic?’ and ‘Improve the rules of any one sport’, though Tess answered a question on hip hop v. Eurovision. She is currently working towards her doctorate on the women’s liberation movement in the 1970s, having spent the last few years interviewing feminist activists and visiting archives across the UK, France, and the US. Her short stories and non-fiction have appeared in Words And Women: Two, The Mays Anthology, The White Review and on posters outside a London tube station. She was born in Norwich in 1992. The Octopus is her first novel.

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Nancy Cornish PI - Amanda James

Where extraordinary things happen…you’ll find Nancy Cornish

Nancy Cornish has recently left her job at The Whistling Kettle Café in Padstow to start her own PI business. Nancy, seemingly an ordinary member of her community, has an extraordinary gift. She is able to make psychic connections with those who have passed, and objects belonging to those still living. The PI denotes Psychic Investigator, not Private Investigator. Her husband Charlie is a DS in the Truro police, and a down to earth Cornishman. In the past, he’s dismissed Nancy’s gift as ‘mumbo jumbo’, but now he accepts that she’s a very good detective. He’s over the moon that she’s been able to help him solve some important crimes, and is keen for her to keep up this good work.

As well as working with her husband in his police work, Nancy’s main mission in life is to use her gift to help others. In the grand scheme of things, the cases she solves within her community might not seem very important. However, they mean the world to those who come to Nancy for help. Some of her successes to date has been to reunite long lost lovers, track down a war hero’s missing medals, rescue a beloved pet, and find the mystery ingredient in the local butcher’s prize-winning sausages!

In this sequel to The Cornish Connection, we see people come to Nancy for all sorts of reasons. Some are new clients, some are old friends, and she often discovers that what they say they need help with, is only the beginning of their story. Nancy’s investigations and discoveries help them to see what’s most important to them in life, and how to achieve it. And as we all know, that thing is happiness.

What did I think?

I absolutely loved The Cornish Connection so I was over the moon to see the sequel, Nancy Cornish PI, released just a few months after.  Amanda James really has found the golden goose with Nancy Cornish and long may she continue to lay such fabulously entertaining golden eggs.  Nancy Cornish PI (psychic not private investigator) is such a kind, caring and warm character who has such an amazing gift that she uses to help people.

Although this is the second book in the series, you don't need to read The Cornish Connection in order to enjoy Nancy Cornish PI but you really should read it as not only is it brilliant but it gives you a good introduction to some of the characters.  Nancy is back and this time it's personal - when she receives psychic messages relating to her mother's life, you'd think it would be easy to convince her mother to take heed but not when it's something her mother doesn't want to hear.  

I love Nancy so much that the spiritual visitors she receives are even more poignant when they are her own family.  In fact towards the end of the book I thought I'd got away with just a lump in my throat until I started blubbing a few sentences later.  These visits must be so painful for Nancy, feeling the euphoria of seeing her loved one again only for it to be snatched away again as her visitor disappears like smoke on a breeze.

There are so many little stories contained within Nancy's own story, as people come to Nancy for help.  You can really feel Amanda James letting her imagination run wild as she creates such a colourful cast with a variety of stories ranging from romantic and heartwarming to suspenseful and dangerous.  It was great to see the results of Nancy's endeavours as some familiar characters also make an appearance.

As much as I wanted to race through the pages devouring every single word, I didn't want the story to end.  Pairing mystery with a supernatural edge makes for such a compelling and unique series that is also hugely entertaining and heartwarming.  Nancy Cornish PI is an absolutely brilliant book in an outstanding series and I really can't recommend it highly enough.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Layer Cake - J. J. Connolly

 

Layer cake (n): a metaphor for the murky layers of the criminal world.

Smooth-talking drug dealer X has a plan to quietly bankroll enough cash to retire before his thirtieth birthday. Operating under the polished veneer of a legitimate businessman, his mantra is to keep a low profile and run a tight operation until it’s time to get out .

When kingpin Jimmy Price asks him to find the wayward daughter of a wealthy socialite who’s been running around with a cokehead, he accepts the job with the promise that after this he can leave the criminal world behind with Jimmy’s blessing. Oh, and he needs to find a buyer for two million ecstasy pills acquired by a crew of lowly, loud-mouth gangsters, the Yahoos. Simple enough, until an assassin named Klaus arrives to scratch him off his list, revealing this job is much more than it seems at first.

From the glitz of the London club scene of the 1990’s to the underbelly of its criminal world, Layer Cake is the best in British crime fiction.

What did I think?

I didn't realise that Layer Cake was a book before it was a film until the 20th Anniversary edition of the book was advertised.  I watched the film before I read the book so I was intrigued to see how they would compare.  I really wanted to be able to say that the book was better, which it is to a degree, but J. J. Connolly wrote both the book and the screenplay so the film storyline follows the book very closely indeed.  Reading the book actually enhanced the film for me as I got to know the characters better and accessed more details of the story.

One thing I struggled with at first was the usage of slang in the book so I found myself stopping to google things every few minutes.  It does give massive authenticity to the story but I could've done with a little glossary at the end of the book where I could look up things like boob, lolly pops and lionels.  The slang is completely necessary though as it immerses the reader into the heart of drug-fuelled London and it feels like the main character is talking to you and taking you into his confidence.

There is no honour among thieves and there are no friends in the drug scene.  It's all very cutthroat and it's a business that the main character, X, wants to retire from as he approaches his 30th birthday.  The drug scene is kind of like a beehive with a king instead of a queen at the top and various levels of workers beneath him, hence the title of the book: Layer Cake.  X just wants to make enough money so that he can spend his days sitting on a beach sipping cocktails in the sun, but getting out of the business might not be that easy.  When he is given a strange task to find a missing girl, X becomes the hunter and the hunted.

Dark, gritty, brutal and brilliant, Layer Cake is a stunning portrayal of the British drug scene in the noughties.  The writing is so vivid and fresh that you feel as if there is a movie being projected into your brain from J. J. Connolly's intense and authentic words.  You've seen the film, now read the book; it's an absolute classic.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Search Party - Simon Lelic

16-year-old Sadie Saunders is missing.

Five friends set out into the woods to find her.

But they're not just friends...

THEY'RE SUSPECTS.

You see, this was never a search party.

It's a witch hunt.

And not everyone will make it home alive...

What did I think?

What an intensely gripping book!  Filled with intrigue and overflowing with tension, I really enjoyed The Search Party by Simon Lelic.  It took me a little while to get used to the format of the book as the teenagers' one sided conversations felt a bit odd at first but it really does add to the intrigue and I was turning the pages at speed, desperate to find out what had happened to Sadie Saunders.

Although there is an ongoing police investigation into Sadie's disappearance, her friends decide to form their own search party.  Sadie's friends are also suspects in her disappearance and their police interviews and individual stories are told in their own words as each character gets a voice in their own chapters.  With tension mounting and tempers fraying, friendships are stretched to the limit and as they turn on each other, only the strong will survive.

There is so much intrigue packed into this book that it's virtually impossible to put down.  DI Robin Fleet has his own demons to fight, both metaphorically and physically, as Sadie's case brings back disturbing memories for him.  His backstory is excellent and it's so sad to see how events in the past can shape your life.  In addition to Sadie's disappearance, there's also another riveting aspect to the story that isn't a spoiler as it's mentioned in the blurb: not all of the search party make it home alive.  This part of the story is almost as riveting as what happened to Sadie, and I have to admit to forgetting about Sadie sometimes as I raced to find out what had happened in the woods.

It's a long time since I've been a teenager but I think Simon Lelic has totally nailed the individual voices of the teens.  They each have their own quirks and characteristics and you really get to know them throughout the course of the book.  Simon Lelic also touches on social media bullying, which you can't seem to escape these days, but it must be devastating to be the brunt of it whilst dealing with teenage angst.  

With multi-layered storylines, The Search Party had me completely hooked from start to finish.  It's gripping, pacy and taut throughout with a jaw-dropping conclusion that I really didn't see coming.  The Search Party is a very impressive novel from Simon Lelic and I absolutely loved it.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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