Book Synopsis:

A thriller with a killer hook, and an ending that will make you gasp!

Wilbrook in Western Australia is a sleepy, remote town that sits on the edge of miles and miles of unexplored wilderness. It is home to Police Sergeant Chandler Jenkins, who is proud to run the town’s small police station, a place used to dealing with domestic disputes and noise complaints.

All that changes on a scorching day when an injured man stumbles into Chandler’s station. He’s covered in dried blood. His name is Gabriel. He tells Chandler what he remembers.
He was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains. The man who took him was called Heath. Heath told Gabriel he was going to be number 55. His 55th victim. 

Heath is a serial killer.

As a manhunt is launched, a man who says he is Heath walks into the same station. He tells Chandler he was taken by a man named Gabriel. Gabriel told Heath he was going to be victim 55.

Gabriel is the serial killer.

Two suspects. Two identical stories. Which one is the truth?

55 is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

55 is a fantastic, twisty and gripping story that I really enjoyed! I’ve always been a fan of stories set in Australia. There is something about the extremely hot oppressive heat that adds an air of danger and unpredictability to the story which really adds to the atmosphere.

55 is a very intriguing, gripping story that I managed to read in two days which is no easy feat with three children. The reader is taken on a fantastic twisty journey whilst trying to put together all the clues to work out who is telling the truth. This is superbly plotted and the author slowly builds the suspense in the book until it is almost impossible to put down as I wanted to find out what had really happened.

Alongside the serial killer mystery is the equally interesting mystery of what happened between Chandler and Mitchell two of the cops investigating the case. The story is told in two timelines to uncover this mystery one dating from when they were both new police officers and the other on the present day as they try to solve the serial killer case. Out of the two of them I much preferred Chandler who seems very dedicated and hard working, compared to Mitchell who is an extremely unlikeable, arrogant person only interested in getting the praise for solving the case.

The story builds to a brilliant, shocking and just unbelievable ending which took me completely by surprise. All the theories I had built up proved to be untrue and the truth was something I hadn’t even considered. I think I would like to re re-read the book now I know the ending to see if I should have guessed earlier!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon & Schuster for my copy of this book whowh I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like gripping, twisty crime thrillers set in Australia then you’ll love this book?

About The Author:

James Delargy was born and raised in Ireland and lived in South Africa, Australia and Scotland, before ending up in semi-rural England where he now lives. He incorporates this diverse knowledge of towns, cities, landscape and culture picked up on his travels into his writing. 55 is his first novel.

Good morning everyone I’m on the blog tour for A Dangerous Act Of Kindness by L. P Fergusson today and I have a great extract to share with you all.

A Dangerous Act Of Kindness is available in ebook now for the fantastic price of £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

Before I share my extract with you here is a little bit about the book.

Book Synopsis:

What would you risk for a complete stranger?

When widow Millie Sanger finds injured enemy pilot Lukas Schiller on her farm, the distant war is suddenly at her doorstep. Compassionate Millie knows he’ll be killed if discovered, and makes the dangerous decision to offer him shelter from the storm.

On opposite sides of the inescapable conflict, the two strangers forge an unexpected and passionate bond. But as the snow thaws, the relentless fury of World War Two forces them apart, leaving only the haunting memories of what they shared, and an understanding that their secret must never see light.

As Millie’s dangerous act of kindness sets them on paths they never could have expected, those closest to them become their greatest threats, and the consequences of compassion prove deadly…

A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a beautiful, harrowing love story, perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Santa Montefiore.

Extract:

‘She’s a hard worker,’ Hugh said when they got inside, ‘We’re lucky to have her.’ He stripped off his coat and threw it over the back of a kitchen chair. ‘So, how are you getting on? Were you all right last night? A plane came down over Norrington.’
‘I heard.’
‘I thought about you.’
‘I was fine.’
The kettle began to crack and pop as the water heated.
‘I think about you a lot,’ he said.
Millie, who was watching the kettle with her back to him, rolled her eyes. She wished he wouldn’t do that. She was always pleased to see him, genuinely liked having him around but ever since Jack died, he was like a dog starved of affection. She knew if she patted him, he’d be all over her.
She turned and leaned against the towel bar along the edge of the chipped range. He was sitting forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands linked beneath his chin, looking up at her. Compared to the service men, his hair was long, dark as a gypsy’s, messed up from where he’d pulled off his hat.
‘You mustn’t worry about me,’ she said.
He laughed lightly and sat back in his chair.
‘Did you hear? Bristol got it again last night,’ he said.
‘I thought I heard the bombers coming over.’
‘Coventry, Southampton, Bristol – when will it ever stop?’
‘When Britain surrenders?’
‘Then it’ll never stop,’ Hugh looked up at her. His eyes were so deep-set, the pupils so dark, they seemed all of a piece with his eyebrows when he frowned hard.
‘Do you think we’re in danger here?’ she said.
‘Coltenham maybe. They might target the munitions factory but we’re pretty safe up here.’
‘What about the plane that came down?’
‘It wasn’t a bomber; it was a fighter. I suppose it went off course. It was flying low and the gunners at Shawstoke hit it.’
‘Take me over to Norrington today. I’d like to see the wreckage.’
Hugh looked at her and his expression changed.
‘I most certainly will not. Women shouldn’t see things like that.’
‘Really, Hugh?’
‘It’s not just a plane, Millie. It’s a man.’
‘Brigsie said there wasn’t a body.’
‘Not as such.’
‘Meaning?’
Hugh got to his feet, his movement sudden and impatient.
‘For goodness sake, Millie. What’s got into you?’ She stared at him, knew he would blunder on. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘The front half of the plane was blown to smithereens and that wretched pilot would have gone the same way. What are you hoping to see? A hand hanging in a tree? A foot under a hedge.’
‘I suppose,’ she said, ‘I’d quite like to see the body of a man who’d been killed in action.’
‘Why?’
Millie gave a laugh.
‘It would make a change.’
‘Oh, stop it, Millie,’ and Hugh paced away from her, picked up his coat, paused and flung it back down. He swung round and said, ‘You need to put it behind you, move on.’
How many times had she heard that bloody mantra during the past six months? She wanted to mock him for his lack of imagination but she felt an infuriating stinging behind her eyes, saw the room distort as tears oozed into her eyes.
‘Oh no – come on, don’t cry,’ he said, irritated or maybe embarrassed. He stepped towards her, jerking her against his chest, the wool of his jumper prickling her cheek.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, her voice muffled against his jumper, ‘I didn’t mean to bait you.’
She pushed away from him.
He reached behind her and snatched a dishcloth off the rail, offering it to her as a handkerchief.
‘Don’t blow your nose on it,’ he said; his little joke, but Millie wasn’t ready for that yet.
‘I’m too angry to move on, Hugh. I can’t forgive him. I can’t forgive myself.’
She’d suffered grief before, losing a mother and a father within a year of each other. The sorrow she felt then was pure, like a sharp knife cutting deep and clean. Jack’s death had left a different wound, torn and muddied by guilt. She wondered if it could ever heal.
‘Yes, yes,’ Hugh said. ‘That’s enough of all that.’ He moved a strand of hair from across her forehead and tried to poke it back underneath her headscarf, his fingertip rough, then he glanced towards the window. Looking for escape, she thought.
‘You’ve had a stinking run of bad luck,’ he said. ‘It’s enough to knock the stuffing out of anyone but it’s best not to dwell.’

About The Author:

LP Fergusson was awarded an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from Oxford Brookes University and won the Blackwell’s Prize for MA Creative Writing. Her stories have made a number of shortlists for competitions run by the Orwell Society, Oxfordshire Libraries, Flash500 and NYC Midnight. Her psychological thriller reached the final three of a Quercus/Psychologies Thriller competition and her wartime novel A Dangerous Act of Kindness was Highly Commended in the Caledonia Novel Award 2018. 

She spent a number of years working at Blenheim Palace, which inspired the Duntisbourne Hall series of cosy mystery novels. She is in the process of completed the third book in that series. 

She also edits the historical blog With Love from Graz which was featured on BBC Radio Wales, Radio 2 and BBC4’s A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley. She now lives in an Oxfordshire village beneath the chalk downs where her Second World War novel A Dangerous Act of Kindness is set.

She is represented by Giles Milburn at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency.

Book Synopsis:

When you can’t remember your crime…
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE GUILTY?

Charlotte wants a fresh start. She wants to forget her past, forget her childhood crime – and, most of all, forget that one terrible moment.

It’s the reason she’s been given a new name, a new life. The reason she spent years in prison.

But even on the outside, with an ankle monitor and court-mandated therapy, she can’t escape the devastating memory of the night that turned her and her only friend into national hate figures.

But now her friend has found her.

And despite the lies she tells to survive, she soon finds herself being dragged deeper and deeper into a past she cannot confront.

Even if it’s going to cost Charlotte her life…

One More Lie is available in ebook and hardback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can see a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

One more Lie is an intelligent and absorbingly thriller. The story is similar to a really well know story that most people will have heard of and I found it fascinating to get behind the story to learn more about the person who would commit such a crime.

The story is told from Charlotte’s point of view which alternates between the past, when she committed an awful crime and the present after her release. This is very cleverly done as it lets the reader learn more about Charlotte though my opinions on whether I hated her or felt sympathy for her changed continuously. As the story unfolds I started to feel that everything might not be as it seems and there might be more to the story then it first appears.

The tension in this book is slowly increased as the layers of the story are peeled back and more information comes to light. There are lots of revelations and twists that keep the reader on their toes, making the book hard to put down. I had to keep reading as I desperately wanted to get to the bottom of what happened. This builds and builds until we get to the shocking ending which took me completely by surprise. I found myself flipping back through the book to re-read certain bits now I knew the ending.

Huge thanks to Rachel Kennedy from Penguin Random House for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

I am the author of two novels: the first is The Innocent Wife, which became a top 10 bestseller and a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2018. The second is my new novel One More Lie, which will be available in hardback from April 4th.

Both my books are inspired by true crime. By crimes themselves but also, and perhaps more importantly, by our reactions to crime. In The Innocent Wife I wanted to explore our interest in true crime itself, such as our obsession with podcasts like Serial and blockbuster Netflix series like Making a Murderer.

My second novel, One More Lie, is about a woman named Charlotte who has just been released from a secure institution for a crime she committed when she was a child. These cases seem to fascinate and horrify society in a way no other crime does. What is it about the idea of a child being capable of something so awful that stirs up such levels of emotion? And can a child really understand the gravity of such an act as murder?

Writing this book was an attempt to understand how something like this could happen and what it might be like to live with the burden of being infamous, branded as evil and not knowing whether you are a bad person or simply a person who did a bad thing.

It isn’t based on a particular example of a true crime and all the characters and situations are entirely fictional but people will naturally draw comparisons with some of the infamous cases involving children who hurt or killed other children because these stories remain so vivid in our memories. Instead, I wanted to evoke the atmosphere those crimes created and the stain they left on our collective consciousness.

While writing the book, I tried hard to empathise with my characters who have done things which aren’t easy to empathise with. I hoped that readers would be able to do the same and so I wrote them as vividly as I could imagine, in all their good and their bad. I wanted them to be human, believable and flawed.

I hope that One More Lie will offer a different perspective on a subject which has been much-explored and that people will enjoy it the way they enjoyed The Innocent Wife.

Follow me on Twitter @AmyLloydWrites

Or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AmyLloydAuthor/

Book Synopsis:

How do you find a killer when you’re surrounded by madness?

1935. As Europe prepares itself for a calamitous war, six homicidal lunatics – the so-called ‘Devil’s Six’ – are confined in a remote castle asylum in rural Czechoslovakia. Each patient has their own dark story to tell and Dr Viktor Kosárek, a young psychiatrist using revolutionary techniques, is tasked with unlocking their murderous secrets.

At the same time, a terrifying killer known as ‘Leather Apron’ is butchering victims across Prague. Successfully eluding capture, it would seem his depraved crimes are committed by the Devil himself.
Maybe they are… and what links him with the insane inmates of the Castle of the Eagles?

Only the Devil knows. And it is up to Viktor to find out.

The Devil’s Aspect is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I read quite a lot of thrillers so it takes a lot for a book to standout as being truly exceptional and unique. The Devil’s Aspect is just that as not only is it a dark, Gothic thriller that is utterly gripping but the author manages to combine a gruesome murder mystery with some Czech mythology and some fantastic historical details which combined makes for a completely enthralling read.

The author has created some brilliant, though rather sinister characters in this book which were great to read about. They all had a fascinating back story that helped to add to the atmosphere in the book. The ‘devil’s’six’ were particularly vividly described and sent a shiver down my spine whilst reading about them. Through them the reader is given the feeling that anything could happen and I felt on edge throughout the book wondering what was going to happen next.

This was a quite a fast paced book as there is lots going on and different themes running through the story to keep things very intriguing. I loved working out how everything was going to come together and learning more about Czech mythology which always fascinates me. There were lots of twists that took me by surprise with the ending being particularly shocking, tying everything up very nicely!

Huge thanks to Clara from Little Brown for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

Award-winning author Craig Russell’s novels have been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Film rights to his forthcoming novel, THE DEVIL ASPECT, have been acquired by Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures and will be published by Doubleday in the US, Little, Brown in the UK. Screen rights to BIBLICAL have been acquired by Imaginarium Studios/Sonar Entertainment. The first television adaptation in Germany, by Tivoli Films, of a Jan Fabel novel attracted an audience of six million viewers. Three further novels have been made into films (in one of which Craig Russell makes a cameo appearance as a detective).

Craig Russell:
• won the 2015 Crime Book of the Year (McIlvanney Prize) for ‘The Ghosts of Altona’, and is currently longlisted for the 2017 McIlvanney Prize for ‘The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid’, the latest in the Lennox series;
• was a finalist for the 2013 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger;
• was a finalist for the 2012 Crime Book of the Year (McIlvanney Prize);
• won the 2008 CWA Dagger in the Library for the Fabel series;
• was a finalist for the 2007 CWA Duncan Lawrie Golden Dagger;
• was a finalist for the 2007 SNCF Prix Polar in France; 
• is the only non-German to be awarded the highly prestigious Polizeistern by the Polizei 
Hamburg.

Official website: http://www.craigrussell.com
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/craigrussellbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecraigrussell

Book Synopsis:

‘An Indian household can no more be governed peacefully without dignity and prestige, than an Indian Empire’ The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook, Flora Annie Steel & Grace Gardiner

Magda is a former scientist with a bad temper and a sharp tongue, living alone in a huge house by the sea. Confined to a wheelchair, her once spotless home crumbling around her, she gets through carers at a rate of knots.

Until Susheela arrives, bursting through the doors of Magda’s house, carrying life with her: grief for her mother’s recent death; worry for her father; longing for a beautiful and troubled young man.

The two women strike up an unlikely friendship: Magda’s old-fashioned, no-nonsense attitude turns out to be an unexpected source of strength for Susheela; and Susheela’s Bengali heritage brings back memories of Magda’s childhood in colonial India and resurrects the tragic figure of her mother, Evelyn, and her struggle to fit within the suffocating structure of the Raj’s ruling class.

But as Magda digs deeper into her past, she unlocks a shocking legacy of blood that threatens to destroy the careful order she has imposed on her life – and that might just be the key to give the three women, Evelyn, Magda and Susheela, a place they can finally call home.

Dignity is available now in ebook and hardback. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Dignity is a beautifully written, emotion book that I know will stay with me for a long time. As the name suggests it explores the concept and meaning of the word dignity in two different times and places. It was very poignant to see how dignity and the loss of it can affect people.

The story centers around three women, elderly Magda, her career Susheela and Susheela’s mother Evelyn who travels to India to get married but ends up very unhappy when it doesn’t fulfill her expectations. Their stories are told in alternate chapters and while I did find all of them interesting I didn’t perhaps enjoy Evelyn’s story as much as it was exceptionally sad. I did enjoy watching Magda and Susheela’s relationship develop throughout the book. It was wonderful to watch them get close and be a comfort to each other.

The descriptions in this book are very vivid and helps the reader to picture the setting as if they are actually there experiencing everything first hand. This is especially true of the descriptions of colonial India, which has always held a lot of intrigue for me anyway. I felt I could see all the colours, feel the sun and even smell the spices in some cases.

This book is very enthralling read and I felt utterly absorbed into the women’s lives as I read. I quickly warmed to all of the woman and felt great sympathy for them. I felt involved in their lives, feeling everything that they were feeling meaning I was often in tears whilst reading. I always think it takes great skill for a writer to make you feel so strongly about a character that you actually cry whilst reading their story.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Gigi from W&N books for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

ALYS CONRAN’s first novel PIGEON won the Wales Book of the Year Award 2017, the Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award, The Wales Arts Review People’s Choice Award, was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and longlisted for the Author’s Choice First Novel Award. Her short fiction has been placed in the Bristol Short Story Prize and the Manchester Fiction Prize. She also publishes poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, creative essays and literary translations.

Originally from north Wales, she spent several years in Edinburgh and Barcelona before returning to the area to live and write. She speaks Welsh and English as first languages, and also speaks Spanish and Catalan. She has worked as a youth worker, teacher, and in community arts and is now Lecturer in Creative Writing at Bangor. Her late father, also a writer, was born in Kharagpur, Bengal.

Book Synopsis:

BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THREE THINGS:

1. The police are looking to charge me with murder.
2. No one knows who I am. Or how I did it.
3. If you think you’ve found me. I’m coming for you next.

After you’ve read this book, you’ll know: the truth is far more twisted…

Twisted is available now in ebook and paperback. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I was a huge fan of Thirteen so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for his next book Twisted. I must admit that I approached this book with a fair bit of trepidation as I didn’t think any book could be better than Thirteen. I needn’t have worried though as I thought this book was just as good if not better!

The story does start off a little slowly but soon gets going and becomes very intriguing. There are lots of twists and action which makes the book hard to put down. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, there would be a huge twist and the story would go in a completely different direction. I’m normally quite good at guessing how things are going to end but I had no idea in this book. The ending was brilliant, shocking and totally surprising which I always enjoy.

It’s hard to review a book like this as you don’t want to give away anything that would spoil a potential readers experience. This is especially true in this book as I think the less you know going in the more you will enjoy it. Rest assured however that you are in for a interesting, rollercoaster ride whilst reading this book!

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you like twisty, gripping and unpredictable thrillers then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author of the Eddie Flynn series and lawyer. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. He is also one half of the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. His latest novel, Thirteen, is out now. 

His first standalone book, Twisted, is released in the UK in April 2019. 

Find out more at http://www.stevecavanagh.com or follow Steve on Twitter @SSCav

Book Synopsis:

Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan does not wish to linger on the grisly scene before her eyes. Two mutilated corpses. In a church. In Clontarf. Her profiling background screams one fact: this is just the beginning of a sickening message.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old case is playing out on a TV documentary, the convicted professing his innocence and historical police errors being exposed daily in the media. Frankie’s superior, commissioner Donna Hegarty, makes no bones about who she expects to clean things up – both in terms of past mishandlings and the present murders.

But not everyone working the cases wants the truth to come out. And the corridors of power have their own vested interest. Soon Frankie pinpoints just what is making her so nervous: the fact that anyone could be the next victim when justice is the killer.

The Killer In Me is a fast-paced thriller in which lies are safer than the truth, the past is never far from the present, and the ability to kill could well, it seems, live in everyone.

The Killer In Me is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Killer In Me is another fantastically gripping thriller from a very talented author. I was immediately drawn into the story with the descriptions of a very intriguing and unusual murder scene which hinted at a different serial killer story then normal.

One of the things I most enjoyed about this book is the intimate, fly on the wall glimpse of the case. The reader is given access to every bit of evidence that the police uncover which makes you feel that you are there trying to solve the case among the detectives. I found this absolutely fascinating and enjoyed watching them trying to solve the case, whilst trying to work it out myself.

Alongside the already intriguing serial killer story is a reinvestigation into a cold case involving the slaughter of a local family, run by Frankie’s sister in law, which obviously confuses matters. Throughout the book old evidence is re-examined and I found it quite horrifying to see how many mistakes were made. There are some quite sensitive issues of domestic violence and mental health included in this book which might be a difficult read for some people. They are important to the story though as they help you to understand the characters and the case more. The reader is given the sense that the two are related and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how.

The atmosphere in the book slowly builds as more bodies are found and there were lots of twists that kept me guessing. I found I really enjoyed watching Frankie work everything out and was completely absorbed in the story right up until the rather shocking ending.

Huge thanks to Milly Reid for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Quercus publishers for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Olivia Kiernan is an Irish writer living in the UK and author of crime thriller, TOO CLOSE TO BREATHE. She was born and raised in County Meath, near the famed heritage town of Kells and holds an MA in Creative Writing awarded by the University of Sussex.

Book Synopsis:

What if you had a second chance at first love?

Annika Rose likes being alone. 
She feels lost in social situations, saying the wrong thing or acting the wrong way. She just can’t read people. She prefers the quiet solitude of books or playing chess to being around others. Apart from Jonathan. She liked being around him, but she hasn’t seen him for ten years. Until now that is. And she’s not sure he’ll want to see her again after what happened all those years ago.

Annika Rose likes being alone. 
Except that, actually, she doesn’t like being alone at all. And she just might have a second chance at first love.

The Girl He Used to Know is an uplifting novel full of surprising revelations that keep you turning the page. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Mhairi McFarlane, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Flatshare.

The Girl He Used To Know is available in ebook now and paperback on the 4th August 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Girl He Used To Know is a beautiful love story that had me completely enthralled from the beginning.

Annika is a wonderful main character that was very easy to warm to. She is a fairly unusual main character, especially in a romantic story, but I think this is what makes the story such a special one. Her social awkwardness and other issues made me feel quite protective of her which made the story hard to put down as I had to keep reading to find out what happens to her.

The story is told from the point of view of both Annika and Jonathan, going back and forth between their time in college and the present time. This might sound confusing but it’s quite easy to follow as each chapter is headed with the year and place that chapter is set in. I thought this added to the story and I really enjoyed reading about events from both characters points of view.

The book does start as purely a romantic one which I was thoroughly enjoying on its own but then something happens that changes things and the story goes off in a bit more of a serious direction. The last quarter of the book was exceptionally gripping and I couldn’t put the book down until I found out how it was all going to play out. I found myself hiding away from the kids or letting them on their tablets while I desperately tried to finish the last pages.

The author has included some sensitive subjects in this book which some readers might find difficult to read about. These are dealt with sensitively as they weren’t over dramatic just for the sake of it. I haven’t any experience, thankfully, of this experience but from the stories I’ve read from people who have it seemed quite real. I thought the author was quite brave for discussing in her books.

Huge thanks for Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you are looking for an unusual love story that is beautifully written, with some wonderful characters then I thoroughly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Tracey Garvis-Graves lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, two children, and dog Chloe. She blogs at http://www.traceygarvisgraves.com, and can also be found on Twitter @tgarvisgraves and Facebook at facebook.com/tgarvisgraves. This is her first novel.

Book Synopsis:

Dr Jaqueline Silver blows things up to keep people safe. 

Working on avalanche control in Slovenia, she stumbles across a delivery problem with a consignment of explosives. After raising a complaint with the supplier, Zagrovyl, a multinational chemical company and her ex-employer, her evidence disappears. She is warned, threatened, accused of professional incompetence and suspended. Taking her complaint to Zagrovyl head office, she narrowly escapes death only to be framed for murder. Escaping from police custody, she sets out to find the key to the mystery. 

From the snowy slopes of Slovenia, to the wreckage of Chernobyl, Jaq attempts to expose the trade in deadly chemical weapons, while fighting for her life.

The Chemical Detective is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Chemical Detective is a fast paced, intelligent thriller that was a fantastic read!

Firstly I loved the main character who was an incredibly brave, clever woman who I warmed to instantly and wanted to keep reading to check she was ok. She goes to great lengths to try and prove her innocence but finds herself in quite a few sticky situations that were quite nail biting to read. I enjoyed reading about her journey as I followed her through all the different countries to solve the mystery and fulfil her quest.

The author’s engineering background is evidence throughout the book as the text is full of interesting scientific information. This is done in quite a subtle way which is easy to understand if you don’t have much scientific knowledge. It’s also never preachy or over done so the reader can easily enjoy the added information which I found fascinating.

The book is incredibly fast paced and very action packed that it’s very hard to put down, as you can’t find much breathing space! I found myself completely caught up in the story, experiencing everything just like I was there alongside Jaq. I found myself holding my breath at some parts as they were so vividly described and atmospheric that I could well imagine them unfolding in my mind.

As some of the other reviewers have said I think this book would be fantastic as a film as it’s so visual and action packed that it would look fantastic on the big screen. As an avid reader I don’t often like film adaptions so this shows how much I liked the book.

Huge thanks to Margot Weale from Point Blank Books for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like fast paced, gripping and Intelligent thrillers then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Engineer by day, writer by night.

Fiona was born in Edinburgh, and grew up playing guitar, riding motorbikes and jumping into cold water. After studying Chemical Engineering at University she leaned to weld, cast and machine with apprentices in Paisley. She is now based in Teesside and travels internationally as a professional engineer.

Her debut novel The Chemical Detective, the first in a series, will be published in April 2019.