The Perfect Lie - Jo Spain

 

He jumped to his death in front of witnesses. Now his wife is charged with murder.

Five years ago, Erin Kennedy moved to New York following a family tragedy. She now lives happily with her detective husband in the scenic seaside town of Newport, Long Island. When Erin answers the door to Danny's police colleagues one morning, it's the start of an ordinary day. But behind her, Danny walks to the window of their fourth-floor apartment and jumps to his death.

Eighteen months later, Erin is in court, charged with her husband's murder. Over that year and a half, Erin has learned things about Danny she could never have imagined. She thought he was perfect. She thought their life was perfect.

But it was all built on the perfect lie.

What did I think?

Jo Spain, you clever little minx!  Just look at that strapline on the book cover:  'He jumped to his death in front of witnesses. Now his wife is charged with murder.'  What a wonderful conundrum for the reader to solve and I was completely blindsided by not only the blistering plot but by the breathtaking writing. 

I was devastated for Erin when her husband commits suicide right in front of her.  Even though I'd read this on the cover and in the synopsis, I still released an involuntary gasp of shock when Danny jumped.  Erin's family is home in Ireland, Danny's mum is in Florida and his brother is serving in the army so Erin is completely alone when this first happens and my heart totally went out to her.  Something just isn't right about the circumstances around Danny's death though.  Why did the police turn up at her door that day and what are they hiding?

As the story unravels, and both Danny and Erin's pasts are revealed, it makes you wonder whether Erin really knew her husband at all.  So when the story suddenly changes direction and Erin is facing charges of murdering her husband, it seems both implausible and plausible at the same time.  Was it suicide or was it murder?

Oh my word, I want to say so much more about this book but I can't for fear of inadvertently releasing a spoiler.  It is simply brilliant.  I'm surprised I don't have blisters on my fingers from turning the pages so quickly, reading it cover to cover within 24 hours.  You'd think I had been starved of books the way I greedily devoured every single word.  I would say it would make the perfect holiday read but you'd probably read it in one go on your first day so be warned, it's not going to last long once you pick it up!  

Completely unputdownable, blisteringly fast-paced and with a plot sharper than a razor blade, The Perfect Lie is a real page-turner.  An absolutely stunning novel from Jo Spain, whose back catalogue I am now adding to my wishlist.  Gripping, addictive and thrilling, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Many thanks to Quercus for sending me an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Scare Me To Death (Dan Forrester Book 4) - CJ Carver

 

Thirteen survived. Now someone wants them dead.

A homemade bomb exploded mid-air, killing 214 people on board.

Thirteen people survived.

Sixteen years later one of the survivors is found brutally bludgeoned to death. It looks like a crime of passion but DC Lucy Davies knows something is wrong. They were trying to find the bombers.

Lucy’s search for the killer brings her into conflict with her long-lost father – who has his own secrets. Dangerous secrets which Lucy must expose so she can confront a vicious murderer with only one thing on their mind.

Keep on killing to stop the truth from being revealed.

What did I think?

With a horrifying prologue that chilled me to the bone, I knew from the very start that I was going to love CJ Carver's latest novel, Scare Me To Death, and I was not wrong; it's absolutely brilliant.  Although it's the fourth book in the Dan Forrester series, it's the first one I've read so I can state with confidence that it can definitely be read as a standalone. 

Dan is a wonderfully complex character who lost a lot of his memories when he witnessed a traumatic event.  There's something very odd about that as it is only memories from a specific period of his life (and that of the traumatic event) that are missing; it's like they've been erased on purpose and it's certainly piqued my interest and made me want to read more about Dan in the previous books.

As if that wasn't tantalising enough, Dan's old friend DC Lucy Davies has one heck of a back story both in her career and her personal life.  I loved how Lucy's story developed as her family history was untangled whilst she was investigating a brutal murder.  With all this going on, I'm surprised her head didn't explode!

The story of the murder of Kaitlyn Rogers is so perfectly plotted that it left me breathless.  When Dan follows a lead to Morocco I was on the edge of my seat as the danger level increased and I became even more intrigued by what Kaitlyn had discovered that led to her murder.

Gripping from start to finish, Scare Me To Death is a thriller with a capital T.  Filled with danger and intrigue that left me breathless, I couldn't read this fantastic book fast enough.  Very highly recommended and I'll definitely be reading the earlier books in the series now.

Many thanks to CJ Carver for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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GIVEAWAY: Backstories - Simon Van der Velde

 

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Lies Lies Lies - Adele Parks

 

Daisy and Simon’s marriage is great, isn’t it?

After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three.

And so what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes – Daisy’s used to it, she knows he’s letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And that happy little family of three will never be the same again.

In Lies Lies Lies, Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks explores the darkest corners of a relationship in freefall in a mesmerising tale of marriage and secrets.

What did I think?

Oh my goodness!  What a ride!  If Lies Lies Lies was a fairground ride it would be a fast-paced rollercoaster, a twisty helter-skelter and a jaw-dropping ghost train all rolled into one.  I raced through it so quickly I felt like I had to stop for breath at the end; it is literally breathtaking!

It is such a difficult book to review as I don't want to give anything away about the highly addictive and stunning plot so I'll just mention a little bit about the characters.  Simon is an alcoholic and whilst I found the prologue about his childhood very amusing, there's nothing funny about him single-handedly destroying his life.  Simon's wife Daisy has seen his drinking get progressively worse and it's about to rip her family apart.

When something major happens about a third of the way through the book I thought I'd missed something but I didn't want to stop reading to check as my eyes were the size of saucers and wouldn't tear themselves away from the page.  It was only when I read that particular passage again on finishing the book that I realised Adele Parks is more wily than a fox.

Not just a brilliant psychological thriller, Lies Lies Lies is also a stark reminder about the dangers of alcohol.  I know most of us like a drink, myself included, but when an enjoyment becomes an addiction it's really important to confront it rather than make excuses or sweep it under the carpet until it becomes too late.

Lies Lies Lies is more gripping than a strip of velcro, twisting and turning like an excitable snake as all the lies and secrets are revealed.  An absolutely brilliant piece of fiction and one I won't forget about in a hurry.  Very highly recommended.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through NetGalley; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Strangers We Know - Pip Drysdale

 

Imagine seeing your loving husband on a dating app. Now imagine that’s the best thing that happens to you all week …

 

When Charlie sees a man who is the spitting image of her husband Oliver on a dating app, her heart stops. Her first desperate instinct is to tell herself she must be mistaken – after all, she only caught a glimpse from a distance as her friends laughingly swiped through the men on offer.  But no matter how much she tries to push her fears aside, she can’t let it go. Because she took that photo. On their honeymoon.

 

Suddenly other signs of betrayal start to add up and so Charlie does the only thing she can think of to defend her position – she signs up to the app to catch Oliver in the act.

 

But Charlie soon discovers that infidelity is the least of her problems. Nothing is as it seems and nobody is who she thinks they are ...

What did I think?

I loved The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale so as soon as I heard about The Strangers We Know, I couldn't wait to read it.  I am delighted to say that I was not disappointed, in fact I was literally on the edge of my seat for the latter part of the book with my bum perched precariously on the edge of the sofa and my body hunched over the book like an Olympic skier, as if getting my eyes closer to the book would help me read faster!

The format of the book is set out like a TV show, with a 'Pilot' chapter followed by 8 episodes.  Charlie is an actress and it really feels like she is speaking to the reader so this format works brilliantly.  Charlie is out with her friends when her best friend Tess starts drunk swiping on a dating app.  Charlie's smugness at never having had to use dating apps doesn't last long when she catches a glimpse of a photo she took of her husband on their honeymoon.  What the hell is Oliver doing on a dating site?  Seeing Oliver on a dating app is only the tip of the iceberg and Charlie's life is about to get a whole lot worse.  

Charlie and Oliver's story is gradually revealed over 8 dramatic and captivating episodes.  The reflective nature of the prose is very compelling as Charlie knows how this story ends and she regularly throws little hand grenades of mystery and intrigue that kept me hooked like a greedy little fish.  Charlie's voice is so strong and clear, virtually projecting out of the book, and I felt as if she could have been one of my friends, so I was furious at Oliver but also mindful that there are two sides to every story...and what a story this is!

I do have one teeny tiny gripe that annoyed me a little, but didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all.  There's a bit of a mix up with English and American English.  I could forgive the use of Americanisms like sidewalk, faucet and eggplant if they were consistent throughout the book, however, words like postcode and taps are also used as the book is set in London.  At one point, Charlie turned on the faucets and turned off the taps...in the same paragraph!  It's a bit annoying but certainly not worth knocking a star off the rating of a fantastic book, that's for sure.

Sharply plotted and so very addictive, The Strangers We Know is an edge of your seat thriller (literally in my case) that is filled with shocks and surprises.  An excellent read and one I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me an ARC to read and review; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

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The Shadow Friend - Alex North

The victim was his friend. So was the murderer.

Twenty-five years ago, troubled teenager Charlie Crabtree committed a shocking and unprovoked murder.

For Paul Adams, it's a day he'll never forget. He's never forgiven himself for his part in what happened to his friend and classmate. He's never gone back home.

But when his elderly mother has a fall, it's finally time to stop running.

It's not long before things start to go wrong. A copycat killer has struck, bringing back painful memories. Paul's mother insists there's something in the house.

And someone is following him.

Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.

It wasn't just the murder.

It was the fact that afterwards, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again . . .

 

What did I think?

I absolutely loved The Whisper Man so I was thrilled to be invited to take part in the Tandem Collective readalong for The Shadow Friend by Alex North.  The readalong suggests that you read set parts of the book over a certain number of days but that's IMPOSSIBLE with The Shadow Friend as it's like a runaway train...once you get on, you can't get off.

The Shadow Friend explores lucid dreaming so you're never quite sure what is true and what isn't while reading.  I found myself constantly questioning whether each character was awake or dreaming and I loved that element of the book as it felt like absolutely anything could happen.  It's so very cleverly written that you unwittingly make certain assumptions along the way and we all know what happens when you assume things; it definitely made an ass of me!

I don't want to give anything away about the perfect plot so the less said the better.  The dual storyline follows Paul as a schoolboy and then as an adult, returning to the scene of the crime so to speak.  Events in the past have an element of the supernatural and I gasped out loud and jumped in shock at one point, so much so that I almost dropped the book!  It's a double whammy of intrigue as the past and present is gradually revealed, making this book impossible to put down. 

The Shadow Friend is an incredibly addictive, gripping, creepy and dark thriller that puts Alex North firmly on the map.  It's pretty creepy but it didn't creep me out as much as The Whisper Man, however, it's more cunning in its deception and had me spinning round so much that I ended up completely in the wrong direction.  It's simply brilliant; an absolute must read and highly recommended.

I received a gifted paperback as part of The Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Playing the Pools - David M. Sindall

The sheet is pulled back; the body is face down. He looks to the left shoulder for no more than a second or two and sees a tattoo. It’s a Tranmere Rovers crest, with the club’s motto, ‘Lux et Robur’, indelibly marked on the yellowing skin.

He knows who this is. He nods again.

In 1960s Liverpool, life is hard for Reggie Kellison. His marriage is stalling, baby number six is on its way, a fall out at work has put his nose out of joint and the football team he supports offers little relief.

But Reggie has a plan.

If it works it could give him the life, lover, and money he dreams of. If it doesn’t, a jail sentence could be on the cards.

Either way, he can only find out by risking everything, and playing the pools.

 

What did I think?

Playing the Pools is a very entertaining novel and quite a quick read at just over 200 pages long.  The prologue (which is mentioned in the synopsis) is an immediate hook and I couldn't read fast enough to find out which Tranmere Rovers fan the body belonged to.  Even though I got carried along with the brilliant story, that question kept popping back into my head and where money is concerned, it could be absolutely anyone.

I loved the 1960s Liverpool setting, even more so as I visited this wonderful city in 2019 and recognised a lot of the places mentioned in the book.  With a foot in both gambling and retail camps, Littlewoods must have been one of the biggest employers in Liverpool in the 1960s and Littlewoods Pools is where the main character of Reggie Kellison works.

Reggie comes up with a brilliant idea to improve Littlewoods Pools' business but this is rejected by his employer, only to be resurrected a few months down the line as if it wasn't Reggie's idea in the first place.  This made me so mad!  It's not the first time I have heard of this happening and it seems like employers will do anything to get out of paying a bonus on an incentive scheme that they have created; it's shocking as they are basically stealing intellectual property from their employees.  No wonder employees become aggrieved and start working to rule or planning to get their own back like Reggie does.

David M. Sindall has included characters, places and events that are very personal to him and I love how this not only inspired his story but brought the whole book to life.  I found it very nostalgic as my Dad and I used to play the pools in the 1980s and we used to look forward to the knock on the door from the 'pools man' to hand over our coupon then eagerly watch the football results for score draws on Saturday evening, although I can't ever remember us winning anything.

Entertaining and nostalgic, Playing the Pools is very well written and held my interest throughout.  It's something a bit different from the norm and well worth a read.

I chose to read an ARC that I received from the publisher and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Red Door Press

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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