Book Synopsis:

Imagine you could erase your grief.
Imagine you could forget your pain.
Imagine you could hide a secret.
Forever.

Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice – but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.

He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, he can help. If there’s something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.

In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded.

Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it.

THE BINDING is an unforgettable, magical novel: a boundary-defying love story and a unique literary event.

The Binding is available now in ebook and in paperback on the 10th January 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy through the link below.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Binding-Bridget-Collins-ebook/dp/B07CN8M7GM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1547030060&sr=8-1

My Review:

The Binding is a dark, intriguing novel that will stay with you weeks after you’ve finished reading. I’ve waited a few days to review it so I could properly get my head around what I wanted to say.

The setting of the book is an historical one which seems very similar to our own world. There is mention of the crusades, the workhouse and the old rigid class system that used to be present in the UK. This made the book a little more atmospheric and chilling for me as the events that happen in the book seem more realistic.

The book is split into three parts and goes back and forwards in time to allow the reader to fully understand the mystery surrounding the main character Emmett. All of the characters are fabulous creations and very varied which makes for very interesting reading. There is a real sense of good v bad in the book with most of the characters falling into one of the two categories. The events that happened in the book meant that I didn’t warm to many of them apart from Emmett who I felt drawn to straight away. He seemed like such a lost, gentle character that I just wanted to reach into the book to give him a huge hug! I wanted to keep reading to check that he was ok.

The concept of the book is very clever and I did love the idea that you could erase a person’s pain. However this is sadly misused throughout the book by a few of the characters which led to some truly heartbreaking scenes that I found quite hard to read at times. I had to put the book down for a little bit and return when I felt strong enough to continue. I think this is a sign of some fantastic writing if an author can make you feel that strongly about something however some readers may struggle with it as this is definitely not a happy book. There is also a scene describing animal cruelty that I couldn’t read and had to skip over as it was quite easy to anticipated.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’d be interested to see what she writes next as she’s obvious got an amazing imagination, though I do hope the next one is a little happier!

Huge thanks to Borough Press for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you like intriguing, emotional historical fiction then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Bridget Collins trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after reading English at King’s College, Cambridge. She is the author of seven acclaimed books for young adults and has had two plays produced, one at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. THE BINDING is her first adult novel.

Book Synopsis:

Liverpool, 1963.

Mary Kate Malone is seventeen and bitterly unhappy that her father has married again after the death of her mother. On her last day at school, she decides to leave home in Tarabeg on the west coast of Ireland and head for Liverpool to find her mother’s sister.

But absolutely nothing goes to plan. Within hours of disembarking, she finds herself penniless and alone, with no place to stay and no idea how she will survive.

Meanwhile, back in Ireland, where old sins cast long shadows, a long-buried secret is about to come to light and a day of reckoning, in the shape of a stranger from America, will set an unstoppable chain of events in motion.

Mary Kate is published in paperback and ebook in the 10th January 2019. Purchase your copy via the link below.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mary-Kate-gripping-Liverpool-bestseller-ebook/dp/B07D7Y7VJR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546978853&sr=8-1&keywords=Mary+Kate

My Review:

Mary Kate was an interesting, heart warming read that grabbed my interest from the first page.

The author does a great job of setting the scene and I felt that I could picture both the Liverpool and Irish settings in my mind’s eye. The author grew up in Liverpool and her love for a city is evident throughout the book. It’s definitely made me want to revisit the city myself.

The story is told from multiple points of view which means the reader gets more of an holistic view of what’s going on and makes for very interested reading. My favourite story line was Mary Kate though as I felt most connected to her and therefore quite invested in her story. She is a typical teenager in many ways and at times I wanted to scream at her as I felt she was making the wrong choice. Some of the other characters in the book, especially her dad and Joe I wished were featured more, though maybe they will be in future books in the series.

Overall I found this to be a well paced, absorbing read that is perfect for coseying up with on cold nights. It is part of a series but I think it could easily be read as a standalone, as I did.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Head of Zeus for my copy of the book.

About The Author:

I feel blessed to have been born and raised in Liverpool. A vibrant, creative city that faces out across the Atlantic, to Ireland and America. 

As I grew up, I thought everyone had a childhood like mine. Only in later years, did I realise what a unique experience my childhood had been, in so many ways. 

My Irish grandmother, Nellie Deane, would whisk me off to her rural village on the west coast of Ireland and immerse me in the smell of raw peat and Holy Smoke. She often forgot to bring me back home. This meant that I occasionally had to be popped into the local village school, to pacify my fretting parent’s back in Liverpool. An experience I shall never forget. 

I trained as a nurse, established and sold my own business and became an MP before I turned my hand to writing as a way to escape from the stress of the long and frenetic hours I worked, never thinking that anyone would want to read what I wrote.

If Nellie was looking down on me, she would say that I had the the luck of the Irish running through my veins. 

My books are based on the streets of Liverpool, or in the Liverpool hospitals where I worked, or at one of my favourite places in the world, the west coast of Ireland. 

I write sagas and create communities, often linking one to the other. If you buy one of my books, I really do hope it brings you hours of pleasure. 

With love,

Nadine

Book Synopsis:

Sadie is a single mum, nursing a broken heart. Her best friend from childhood, Cat, is burned out from working long hours as a chef in Paris. In need of a change, they decide to invest in their dream – running their own handmade biscuit shop in gorgeous Castle Court, a three-storey food court tucked away behind Chester’s bustling streets.

They soon discover that Castle Court has its own community – a little haven of delight against the stresses of the outside world. But not everyone welcomes the new business; the patisserie owner is less than pleased by what she sees as direct competition and Greg, who runs the fancy bistro that dominates one end of the courtyard, doesn’t think Sadie and Cat have the talent or business acumen to succeed. Luckily, there’s support in the form of the delectable Jaren, who owns the Dutch waffle house opposite Smart Cookies, and Swiss chocolate-shop owner, Elin. And if all else fails, the friends can drown their sorrows in Seb‘s cocktail bar on the third floor!

A Year At Castle Court is available now in ebook and paperback. You can purchase your copy now using the link below.

My Review:

I’ve always had a secret desire to open a shop so I absolutely loved this fun novel. The author does a great job of setting the scene for the novel with wonderful descriptions of their fantastic sounding bakery. I enjoyed reading about their wonderful biscuits, the descriptions of which had my mouth watering as they sounded truly delicious! If it hadn’t been Sunday I’d have been rushing to the nearest bakery to grab something to eat whilst reading.

I really liked the two main characters Cat and Sadie. They were wonderfully written, strong characters who I couldn’t help but admire with their strength and determination to make their business a success. The two women are quite different to each other but obviously care for each other quite a lot. It was great to see how they supported each other with all the ups and downs starting their new business throws at them. The other secondary characters helped make the book for me and really made the setting of Castle Court come to life. They were all so varied and well developed helping to give Castle Court a family feel as they all seemed to look out for each other.

The romance part of the book was well done with two very different men vying for the girls attention so there was something for everyone. I have to admit I did prefer Adam and was hoping that Sadie and him would work out. I felt the romance was quite realistic as it didn’t always run smoothly and there were various problems to sort out.

This is the first book by Holly Hepburn I have read and I really look forward to reading more from her in the future. If you like fun, absorbing novels that allow you to escape into another world then you’ll love this book.

Huge thanks to Harriet Collins from Simon and Schuster for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Holly Hepburn has wanted to write books for as long she can remember but she was too scared to try. One day she decided to be brave and dipped a toe into the bubble bath of romantic fiction with her first novella, Cupidity, and she’s never looked back. She often tries to be funny to be funny, except for when faced with traffic wardens and border control staff. Her favourite things are making people smile and Aidan Turner.

She’s tried many jobs over the years, from barmaid to market researcher and she even had a brief flirtation with modelling. These days she is mostly found writing.

She lives near London with her grey tabby cat, Portia. They both have an unhealthy obsession with Marmite.

I’m so excited to be kicking off the blog tour for this fantastic book today. To say I was blown away by it is a huge understatement and I really recommend it!

Lost Lives is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 10th January 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy in the link below.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Lives-unputdownable-real-life-detective-ebook/dp/B079X3SSMZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546845843&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+lives+lisa+cutts

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

Book Synopsis:

SHE TRUSTED THEM WITH HER LIFE

When Anna arrives in the UK, she believes it’s the start of a better life for her and her daughter. But what awaits her is more shocking than anything she could have ever imagined . . .

SHE TRUSTED THEM WITH HER DAUGHTER

DI Harry Powell is investigating a shooting, but the victim has been scared into silence. As Harry struggles to piece together what little information he has, he stumbles upon an operation that may put countless lives across the country at risk.

SHE WAS WRONG

As Anna’s situation grows more dangerous by the day, Harry is forced to push his overstretched team to the limits to find answers. But for one of them, will it already be too late?

My Review:

Wow I so enjoyed this book! It’s been a long time since I’ve raced through a book quite so quickly, heart in mouth as I followed all the action on the page.

This is a raw, haunting and quite emotional crime thriller which I wasn’t expecting. The story follows Anna as she journeys to the UK to start a new life but ends up leading a truly harrowing existence when it turns out she has fallen victim of human trafficking. The descriptions of the horrendous working and living conditions that she and her fellow workers have to deal with are incredibly gut wrenching and poignant to read about. The author doesn’t spare the readers feelings and some of the horrendous health conditions the workers now face (maggots on the balls being on that really stands out) were very stomach churning to read about.

The book is told from different points of view which I felt really added to the story as it made me realise that even Anna’s tormentors where trapped too and how far above their heads the operation ran. I even felt a tiny bit sorry for Alexa the Controller at one point, even if she is an awful women, as I realized she didn’t have much choice in her actions too.

What really stands out for me about this story and means that it will stick with me for a long time is that the events in the book are probably true. The author is an ex police officer and the thought of such things happening in the UK has really affected me. In the press release I received she says she’s always careful which car washes she uses and where she gets her chickens from. I too will be careful now!

The police investigation into the human trafficking was quite skillfully done as it was well paced and seemed very realistic. I loved the descriptions of the team and their relationships with each other was lovely to read about. I felt that I got to know them all quite personally throughout the book and found myself wishing I could work with them too.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I’ll definitely be reading more as Lost Lives is one of the best crime thrillers I’ve read.

Huge thanks to Becky from Simon & Schuster for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you like fast paced, gripping and emotional crime thrillers you’ll love this book. A must read!

About The Author:

Lisa Cutts is the author of two police procedural novels, based on her nineteen years of policing experience. She works as a detective constable for Kent Police and has spent ten years in the Serious Crime Directorate dealing mostly with murders and other serious investigations. She has been on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book with Mariella Frostrup, part of First Fictions festival at West Dean college, Chichester, on the inaugural panel at Brighton’s Dark and Stormy festival and the Chiswick Book Festival 2015. Her debut novel, Never Forget, won the 2014 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for best thriller.

Book Synopsis:

Best friends Holly and Roz tell each other everything.

So when Holly gets a shot at her dream job after putting everything on hold to raise her daughter, she assumes Roz will be waiting to pop the champagne.

But is she just imagining things or is Roz not quite as happy as she should be?

And now she thinks about it, a few things don’t quite add up…

Perhaps it was a mistake to tell Roz all her secrets.

Because it takes two to tango, 
But only one to start a war… 

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of Jane Fallon’s books so I was very excited to be asked to be part of the blog tour for her latest book, keeping it to read over Christmas when I’d have time to fully enjoy it.

In Tell Me A Secret the author has once again created a wonderful escapist novel about female friendship and the problems they can cause. I liked that the book was set in the work place as I thought that provided lots of opportunities for jealousy and sabotage. Throughout the book the author skillfully weaves a fantastic story full of intrigue with lots of twists and turns that’s keeps the reader guessing. I think I suspected everyone of sabotaging Holly at times which always makes the read more enjoyable.

This book is different from the author’s other books as there is no romance in it and the rivalry isn’t over a man for once. Instead the focus is purely on female friendships and the different forms they can take. The problems in the book are ones that I’m sure most readers would recognise and is quite comforting to read about as it makes you realise how common they are. There is also that naughty sense of being able to watch all the action unfold without being judged! I’m sure we all enjoy a bit of drama at times.

My only slight problem with this book was that I didn’t warm to the main character Holly. I found her to be a little annoying at times and I found myself feeling sympathy for the person sabotaging her as I think she’d be quite difficult to work with. This wasn’t necessary a bad thing though as I think it made me more open minded as I wasn’t on one person’s side, so was able to just be an observer.

I’ve read most of Jane Fallon’s books and she is one of my go to author’s for reads that are gripping and full of escapism. I’m always excited when she has a new book out so can’t wait to read more from her.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt at Michael St Joseph for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you like gripping reads about female friendships that you can lose yourself in then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Jane Fallon is the multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things to Do before You’re 30. Her debut novel “Getting Rid of Matthew’ was published in 2007 and became a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller as have her subsequent books ‘Got You Back’, ‘Foursome’, ‘The Ugly Sister’, ‘Skeletons’, ‘Strictly Between Us’ and ‘My Sweet Revenge”
Her 8th novel Faking Friends is available now to pre order in both paperback and for Kindle.
Join Jane on Twitter – @janefallon or at her website http://www.janefallon.co.uk

Book Synopsis:

Because murderers are never who you expect…

She was the quiet one… but is she guilty?

For twin sisters Rose and Bel, enrolling at the prestigious new boarding school should have been a fresh start. But with its sinister rituals and traditions, Odell soon brings out a deadly rivalry between the sisters.

For Sarah and husband Heath, the chance to teach at Odell seems like the best thing that ever happened to their small family – a chance to rise through the ranks and put the past behind them.

Until one dark night ends in murder.

But who’s guilty and who’s telling the truth? And who’s been in on it all along..?

My Review:

Having been to a boarding school myself mysteries set in school settings have always intrigued me. I think it’s the sense of reliving some of the experience and the familiarity with some of the pupils that makes it so interesting.

The author does a great job with the characters in this book as whilst they are fairly stereotypical I felt they were well developed and I enjoyed learning more about them. The twins are very different to one another and it was interesting to see their different friends and experiences at school. I’ve seen a couple of reviewers describe one group as similar to those in the film ‘mean girls’ which I would say was accurate. Some of their activities, particularly those describing hazing of other students, were quite uncomfortable to read about and I often flipped past them.

The mystery of who has died was very well done and I liked the suspense and gradual revealing of this. The reader is aware that one twin has been held for this murder at the beginning of the book but not which one. This is gradually revealed through a series of flashbacks and police interviews which made for quite gripping reading. However I felt that once I discovered who had died it was quite obvious who had done it, though that is just my personal opinion and may be the result of reading lots of mysteries!

This is the second book by this author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. If you like stories about teenage cliques or murder mysteries set in schools then you’ll love this book.

Huge thanks to HQ Stories for my copy of this book via Netgalley and to Joe Thomas for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School. She worked at a prestigious Manhattan law firm before spending eight years fighting crime in NYC as a federal prosecutor. Her debut novel It’s Always The Husband was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.

Book Synopsis:

On Christmas Eve in 1988, seven-year-old Alfie Marsden vanished in the Wentshire Forest Pass, when a burst tyre forced his father, Sorrel, to stop the car. Leaving the car to summon the emergency services, Sorrel returned to find his son gone. No trace of the child, nor his remains, have ever been found. Alfie Marsden was declared officially dead in 1995.
Elusive online journalist, Scott King, whose ‘Six Stories’ podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the disappearance, interviewing six witnesses, including Sorrel, his son and his ex-partner, to try to find out what really happened that fateful night. He takes a journey through the trees of the Wentshire Forest – a place synonymous with strange sightings, and tales of hidden folk who dwell there. He talks to a company that tried and failed to build a development in the forest, and a psychic who claims to know where Alfie is…
Intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought provoking, Changeling is an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller, taking you to places you will never, ever forget.

My Review:

Changeling is another fantastic, eerie addition to the Six Stories Series. This is a book that plays on childhood fears of a dark wood and what lurks in there. It will get under your skin and into your mind making you think about it constantly. Every knocking noise made me jump and had me on edge until I had investigated where the source was coming from, a sure sign of a fabulous book.

The story starts off slowly with a lot of back ground information into the disappearance and the history of the woods where Alfie disappeared. My interest was immediately piqued by the supernatural tales that come from the woods and the unexplained occurrences that happened during the investigation. The tension then gradually increases as Scott delves deeper into the story and the people involved. The author skillfully weaves a complex and chilling tale that grips the reader throughout as they wait to discover what had happened. This tension is added to by Scott’s reluctance to Investigate the incident leading the reader to wonder what he thinks he might find.

I must admit I had many theories on what the outcome would be but was proved wrong about all of them as the amazing twist at the end took me completely by surprise which I always love. Although surprising the twist seemed quite plausible and was a fantastic conclusion to the story.

There are a few descriptions that some people might struggle with involving child neglect and abuse which are in keeping with the story so if you don’t like that kind of thing just be aware. I’m not sure if it affected me more because my eldest is the same age as Alfie but it didn’t ruin the book for me.

This is the third book in this series and the third I’ve read, though I don’t think the books have to be read in order as they are all individual stories. In my opinion Changeling is the author’s best yet and I’m seriously excited to see what he comes up with next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you like chilling, dark reads then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK- an US-based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more. His novella, The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick, and film rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller.
Follow Matt on Twitter @ConcreteKraken and on his website: mjwesolowskiauthor.wordpress.com

Book Synopsis:

One blustery October morning in a quiet suburb of Copenhagen, the police make a terrible discovery. A young woman is found brutally murdered in a playground and one of her hands is missing. Above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts.

Ambitious young detective Naia Thulin is assigned the case. Her partner, Mark Hess, is a burned-out investigator who’s just been kicked out of Europol. They soon discover a mysterious piece of evidence on the chestnut man – evidence connecting it to a girl who went missing a year earlier and is presumed dead – the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung.

The man who confessed to her murder is behind bars and the case is long since closed.

Soon afterwards, another woman is found murdered, along with another chestnut man. Thulin and Hess suspect that there’s a connection between the Hartung case, the murdered women and a killer who is spreading fear throughout the country. But what is it?

Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because it’s clear that the murderer is on a mission that is far from over . . .

The Chestnut Man is published on the 10th January 2019, but you can pre-order it here.

My Review:

The Chestnut Man is a dark, fast paced and chilling book that was one of the best books I’ve read from this genre for ages!

From the chilling first pages this is a book that draws you in from the start and is impossible to put down.  There is lots of action and revelations that ensure the reader is totally gripped! It was a perfect book to escape into on a long journey up to Scotland with three kids!

The story follows an investigation into a very brutal serial killer and a mysterious link with a past case.  I thought this was very well done with the author playing a type of cat and mouse game with the reader as they try to work out what’s happening.  Some of the descriptions are quite graphic and actually made me feel sick at times, so be warned but I didn’t feel it was overdone as it fitted with the story.  

I loved the development of the partnership between Thulin and Hess though I initially didn’t like Thulin as I felt she was quite full of herself.  I enjoyed reading about how they gradually started working together as a team.  I hope that they are featured in future books.

The book is divided into days, with it opening on the date of a very brutal event and then going back in time to cover events leading up to this.  It also goes on afterwards to cover the aftermath and conclusion.  I felt this added to the tension in the book as the reader is aware of what is going to happen so is waiting for it.  The chapters are quite short and are told from multiple points of view which helps keeps the readers attention and makes for easy, quick reading.

This is the debut novel from the writer of The Killing and although I’ve never seen the Killing, I’m reliably informed by other bloggers that if you like the show then you’ll love this book as the styles are similar.  I’m very excited to read more from this author and hope that there is more to come, hopefully with the same detective team as I thought they worked well together.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt from Michael St Joseph’s for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.  If you are a fan of dark fast paced, thrilling crime novels then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Søren Sveistrup is an internationally acclaimed scriptwriter of the Danish television phenomenon The Killing which won various international awards and sold in more than a hundred countries. More recently, Sveistrup wrote the screenplay for Jo Nesbø’s The Snowman. Sveistrup obtained a Master in Literature and in History from the University of Copenhagen and studied at the Danish Film School. He has won countless prizes, including an Emmy for Nikolaj and Julie and a BAFTA for The Killing.

Good evening everyone and Happy New Year! I’m on the blog tour for, For The Missing by Lina Bengtsdotter today. Apologies to Tracy for the late post I’ve been traveling down from Scotland today.

Book Synopsis:

The award-winning, international bestselling Swedish crime debut about a missing girl, and the detective who must return home and confront her darkest secrets in order to find her – for fans of MISSING, PRESUMED by Susie Steiner, I’M TRAVELLING ALONE by Samuel Bjork, and THEN SHE WAS GONE by Lisa Jewell.

She must find Annabelle. Before it’s too late.

THE MISSING
Nora’s daughter Annabelle has disappeared, last seen on her way home from a party.

THE LOST
Gullspång’s inexperienced police are wilting under the national media spotlight – and its residents desperate for answers.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING . . .
Stockholm DI Charlie Lager must return home to find Annabelle, and then get out of town as soon as she can. Before everyone discovers the truth about her . . .

For The Missing is available now in ebook and paperback, purchase your copy here.

My Review:

For The Missing is a dark, enthralling crime novel that I thoroughly enjoyed! Although based on the classic detective story about a cop who is struggling to escape her demons the author manages to make the story seem fresh with the atmospheric narrative and attention to detail.

The author does a great job of setting the scene for this novel so that it seems very real.  The claustrophobia of a small, tight knit town is almost palpable with everyone seeming to know everyone else’s business.  This also adds an edge to the story as you realise that Annabelle might have known her attacker and I started to suspect everyone!

There are some fabulous characters in this book which range from quirky and fun to very scary.  The story is told from both Charlie and Annabel’s point of view, with the author taking the reader through all aspects of their lives and their past so I felt that I got to really know them both personally.  I had some opinions about both of these characters at the beginning which were proved wrong as I discovered more about them.

As other reviewers are saying this isn’t a particularly fast paced, action packed novel.  Instead the author focuses on the lives of the two characters, Annabel & Charlie, delving deep into their history to discover why they act like they do which I thought was very gripping.  I wanted to keep on reading to find out what happens next.

This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel as I thought her writing was brilliant.  It has a great flow to it which helps to draw the reader in and helps keep their attention.  I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Tracy for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.  If you like dark, enthralling crime books with a hint of Swedish noir than you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Lina Bengtsdotter grew up in Gullspång, Sweden. She is a teacher in Swedish and Psychology and has published a number of short stories in various newspapers and magazines in Sweden and the Nordic countries. She has lived in the UK and in Italy and today resides outside of Stockholm with her three children. FOR THE MISSING is her debut novel.

Book Synopsis:

Her eyes were closed. From a distance the blood around her neck might have looked like a necklace, but up close her body told a different tale. She had been murdered. A tiny songbird lay beside her, its neck broken…

Detective Tom Fabian’s past is catching up with him. It has been years since the most high-profile case of his career – when his evidence put infamous serial killer Christopher Wisher behind bars forever. But when Wisher summons a reluctant Fabian to his prison cell to hand over a diary, he realises that Wisher’s twisted games are far from over.

Shortly after Fabian’s visit, Wisher is found dead in his cell. And a few days later, the police find a woman’s body bearing Wisher’s signature, a dead songbird. But the police never released this detail to the public… so who has Wisher been talking to?

Fabian is desperate to find the killer before another innocent life is taken. But as more bodies turn up, Fabian begins to realise that Wisher may have handed him the clues before he died. Is the twisted serial killer still pulling the strings from beyond the grave…?

If you can’t get enough of crime thrillers by Adam Croft or Melinda Leigh, you will love The Songbird Girls.

The Songbird Girls is available now in ebook and paperback.  You can purchase a copy of both here.

My Review:

The Songbird Girls is another fantastic, gripping book from Richard Parker!

The reader is thrown straight into the action with a shocking first chapter which immediately got my heart racing.  I’ve always enjoyed thrillers about serial killers so this story intrigued me from the start.  Wisher is a fascinating character that made me uneasy from the moment he was introduced.  The descriptions of his manner during the investigation chilled me and I found I could imagine his stare very well.  He was a character that managed to get under my skin and one that invaded my dreams often whilst reading.

This is a very fast paced book with lots of action and intrigue that makes you want to keep reading.  The author manages to put a new twist on the classic serial killer story with the inclusion of Wisher’s diary which seems to be giving the police clues.  I thought this was exceptionally well done at and helped add to the tension as I tried to solve them along with the police.

I’ve read all of Richard’s books and he is one of my ‘go to’ crime writers when I want a gripping book.  His books have helped me through many a long night with sleepless babies! The Songbird Girls is the start of another fantastic series from him and I look forward to reading more from him, hopefully very soon!

Huge thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and to Noelle for inviting me onto the blog tour.  If you like gripping and intriguing crime fiction then you’ll love this book!

 

About The Author:

Richard Parker was formerly a TV script writer, script editor and producer before turning his hand to penning twisted stand alone thrillers.

NEVER SAY GOODBYE is his seventh thriller novel and is the first in a new suspense series to feature D I Tom Fabian.

KEEP HER SAFE is his sixth stand alone novel and is out now from Bookouture/Hachette. Readers are already double locking their doors at night.

HIDE AND SEEK is his fifth book and was published August 2017 by Bookouture. Dare you meet Mr Whisper?

FOLLOW YOU was his fourth psychological thriller. Reviewers are saying it’s Bookouture’s darkest crime novel to date.

STALK ME was his third and rode high in the UK and US charts.

SCARE ME was his second. Hollywood movie rights have been acquired by major US studio, Relativity Media. Star of PRISON BREAK and screenwriter of dark horror thriller STOKER, Wentworth Miller, has written the big screen adaptation.

STOP ME, Richard’s darkly fiendish debut, was shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award.