Book Synopsis:

THE NEW NOVEL IN THE MILLION-COPY SELLING DETECTIVE GERALDINE STEEL SERIES

When a sex worker dies in suspicious circumstances in York, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel struggles to remain focused on the murder investigation: she is distracted by her worries about her colleague and life partner, Ian Peterson, who has disappeared. As Geraldine becomes close to her new DS, Matthew, she is unaware that Ian is working undercover in London, trying to identify a criminal gang who have been targeting her.

As a second victim is discovered in York, and Ian’s life is threatened by a psychopath the tension mounts. If he fails in his mission, both he and Geraldine may die…

Deep Cover is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Deep cover was a hugely enjoyable, gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed and another great addition to this fabulous series.

Firstly it was great to be back with Geraldine, her team and it was really nice to see Ian again. The story is told from both Geraldine’s and Ian’s point of view in alternate chapters, which gives the reader two different stories to follow. Both plots were excellently developed and I enjoyed watching them both unfold. I liked how they were both connected but separate too as it was fun to try and predict how the two stories would join.

There has been a lot going on in Geraldine’s personal life through the series and it’s fair to say she has been through quite a lot. I always enjoyed strong women characters in a book and once again Geraldine’s determination was evident throughout the story. It was nice to see a slightly softer side to her as she seemed worried about everything she’d lost. Ian surprised me as I’d always thought him to be the gentle side of the partnership but he seemed quite tough in this book as he easily fit into the brutal drug world he’s asked to infiltrate.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and flew through it in a couple of days. There was lots of action, drama and tension that kept me reading as well as some great twists that I didn’t see coming. There were some interesting sub plots which I hope might be explored more in a future book as well as a new character who I hope we’ll see more of. I can’t wait to read the next installment now.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to No Exit Press for my copy of this book. If you are a fan of crime fiction then you need to read this series!

About The Author:

Leigh Russell is the author of the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead, Fatal Act, Killer Plan, Murder Ring, Deadly Alibi, Class Murder, Death Rope, Rogue Killer, Deathly Affair, Deadly Revenge and the upcoming Evil Impulse. The series has sold over a million copies worldwide. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (CWA) John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award, and Leigh has been longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead and Murder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize. Leigh is chair of the CWA’s Debut Dagger Award judging panel and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature. She is married with two daughters and a granddaughter, and lives in London.

Book Synopsis:

Set in the Deep South pre Gone with the Wind and the Civil War, The Wedding Gift is a compelling and powerful story of slavery, abuse and passion.

‘I do not know precisely how old I was when I realized that I was a slave, but I think that I was six, the year I began helping with cooking, cleaning, and all that we had to do in the Allen household.’

When wealthy plantation owner Cornelius Allen marries off his daughter Clarissa, he presents her with a wedding gift: a young slave woman called Sarah.

The two girls have grown up together but their lives could not have been more different. Clarissa is white and is used to a life of privilege and ease. Sarah is black and is used to a life of slavery and hard work.

Forbidden by law to leave the plantation, Sarah longs to be free – in mind and in body.

But when she decides her future lies away from Clarissa, she sets in motion a series of events that will have devastating consequences for them both.

The Wedding Gift is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

The Wedding Gift is an emotional, absorbing story which will stay with me.

The story is told from two points of view of both slave and Slave owner which I thought was very interesting. It was fascinating to learn more about life on the plantation from the two sides and to see how different their lives were. My heart broke for the poor slaves and the hardships they had to endure. It was incredibly emotional to see how cruelly they were treated by the plantation overseers and owners. I found myself getting very angry on their behalf and wished I could somehow help them.

The characters were great creations who I enjoyed following throughout the book. I felt completely drawn into their lives and soon found that I really cared for them. The lovely camaraderie that existed between the slaves was wonderful to read about, especially how they all looked after each others children when they were targeted by the overseers or covered for each other when they were working. It really made me warm to them and I found I had to keep reading to find out what happens to them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others. The story was well paced and the many different parts of the story kept me reading, often far too late into the night. The story is written as a slave from the time might have spoken which took a little bit of getting used to but I think actually helped set the scene for me. The twist near the end was very unexpected but hugely satisfying and I found myself quite sad to end.

Huge thanks to Georgia from Arrow publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

MARLEN SUYAPA BODDEN is a lawyer at The Legal Aid Society in New York City, the nation’s oldest and largest law firm for the poor. She drew on her knowledge of modern and historical slavery, human trafficking, and human rights abuses to write The Wedding Gift, her first novel. Marlen is a graduate of New York University School of Law and Tufts University. In 2012, the University of Rhode Island awarded Marlen an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.