THE SHADOW NETWORK by Deborah Swift @swiftstory

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I read all Deborah Swift's books, full stop!  Original discovered her on Twitter.

In a Nutshell: World War II espionage drama

The next in the series of Deborah Swift's excellent and oh-so-British tales of espionage and undercover networks during World War II.  The Shadow Network is particularly interesting because Lilli, the main character, is a part-Jewish refugee from Berlin, who falls prey to circumstances that lead her to take a major part in a 'black' propaganda outfit, targeting the German people and armed forces.  

This book has a particularly thrilling start, set as it is in Germany, when life was precarious for so many.  The pace continues throughout, culminating in gripping ending that made me wish it was a TV mini-series.  Ms Swift has painted a wonderfully nasty antagonist in the form of Brendan Murphy, member of the IRA.

As ever, the research is detailed and fascinating; Deborah Swift outlines the real story behind the fiction in the back of the book, and, once more, I wished I'd read it first.  I've no doubt that this novel will be as successful as The Silk Code - and I look forward to Operation Tulip!

HARD TO FORGIVE by Georgia Rose @georgiarosebook

 5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I'd already read another in the series.  This is Book 3 of A Shade Darker.

In a Nutshell: A woman alone, a life lived in obsession and regret...

I've read a few of Georgia Rose's books over the years.  I liked the last one in this series, the most enjoyable Shape of Revenge, but this is a different class, by far the best thing she's written.  Loved it!

Dora Smith is 69 and lives alone in the cosy village of Melton, in which all these books are set.  It's a close community, with all the advantages and drawbacks this brings, and Dora is involved yet sets herself slightly apart from her neighbours.  She has secrets; conflicting in her head is a riot of heartbreak, loss, obsession and a sense of isolation that she reveals to no one.  Sometimes she wears it well, and is content in her life.  Other times the ghosts from the past as well as the present crowd in, tearing her sanity apart.

This is a short novel, probably around 50-60k words, which is just right for the story.  Early in the book we're taken back in time to see Dora as a young woman and experience the tragedies that befell her - I found this absolutely gripping.  Yet there was another surprise I didn't expect, near the end.  The end itself made me need to know more.  What happens to her?  Hopefully we will see Dora again in another instalment of this twelve-book series.

So skilfully written is Dora's first person narrative that - even though she lives in her own head, rarely looking out - it allows the reader to see what the other people in the village think about her, opinions of which she is probably unaware.  So clever!  All the way through, Dora reminded me of Susan the vicar's wife in Alan Bennett's Bed Among The Lentils - if you like his Talking Heads monologues you'll love this, though it's considerably darker.

Well done, Georgia Rose, and I look forward to the next book!

THE PRICE OF ATONEMENT by Mae Clair @MaeClair1 #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Ghostly mystery and secrets in 19th Century California

The Price of Atonement is Book #1 of the Harbor Pointe series of 8 books, each one written by a different author.  Isn't that a great idea?

'The Harbor Pointe Inn has loomed on California's cliffs for generations of Hawthornes. For some, it's been a blessing. For others, a curse. Travel through two centuries of stories to discover the old inn's secrets.'

This is a delightfully atmospheric story about the mysterious Leviticus and his employee Wyatt, who turn up at Harbour Pointe one dark October night in 1887.  Leviticus is haunted by his own personal tragedy, and now spends his time searching out tormented spirits unwilling or unable to move from this world to the next.

The lighthouse and inn hold tragic history within their walls; once a thriving establishment of hope and the prospect of good fortune, the inn now receives few visitors, and Leviticus and Wyatt are soon to discover why.  The Hawthorne family has many skeletons in the cupboard, and every one of them is increasingly disturbed by the presence that wanders alone on the 'Widow's Walk', up at the top of the lighthouse.

I liked Leviticus, and found that his own story was just as interesting as the one he investigated.  This is such a well-written novella, fitting perfectly into the shorter format, and I enjoyed it very much.  Good unpredictable plot.  Now I must decide which one I would like to read next!

BURIED IN THE PAST by Anna Legat @LegatWriter

 5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I've enjoyed others by this author so thought I'd try this one!

In a Nutshell: A novel about the Polish partisans of WWII, and a mystery surrounding an unmarked grave, waiting to be solved fifty years later. 

This is a terrific book that taught me much I didn't know about Poland eighty years ago - I didn't realise that, during World War II, Russia was considered as much an enemy as Nazi Germany, or why.  I read the second half of the book in one afternoon; I was utterly gripped.  

The main timeline of the story concerns Edek and Szymon, two young lads wanting to join the partisans (or Home Army).  Now and again, we move forward a few decades and meet Dorota, who is fascinated by and determined to solve the mysteries surrounding her family ... and the identity of a body in an unmarked grave.

The mystery side of the story was well thought out and provided a completely unexpected outcome, but I found the chapters set during the war the most compelling.  It is so hard for us to comprehend the hardship people endured in their daily lives less than a century ago, and what they were prepared to suffer for the sake of their country, what they would risk to help their friends; this novel really brought home the terror of Nazi occupation, and the bravery of the persecuted people of that time and place.  The Warsaw uprising, the stealing of munitions from the local German garrison, a thrilling escape from one of the cattle trucks heading to Auschwitz, the annihilation of whole villages, the murder of so many innocents.

Highly recommended!

THE UNVEILING OF POLLY FORREST by Charlotte Whitney #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Family drama/mystery set in rural Michigan during the 1930s Depression

A book about America's Great Depression always piques my interest; this suspense-filled story of sisters Sarah and Polly, living in farming country in Michigan in 1934, certainly conjured up the atmosphere.  Elder sister and vicar's wife Sarah is dutiful, industrious, a tad self-righteous and bitterly jealous of Polly;  Polly is stunningly pretty, stylish (with a penchant for glamorous hats), and newly married to the mysterious Sam.

It's clear that the author has a passion for this period of history and really understands the hardship people lived through, with no knowledge of how or when it would end, and I so appreciated all the detail of the every day lives.  As for the characters, I found that at first I sympathised with Sarah and wasn't so keen on Polly, but as more insight was given, I soon felt the other way round, and felt the claustrophobia of Polly's life, while disliking Sarah's attitude.  I very much liked how the truth about Sam and Polly emerged so gradually; a slow 'unveiling' indeed.

The book is told from the POVs of Sarah, Polly and Sarah's husband Wes; I did feel that Sarah and Wes's 'voices' were too alike, and I'd sometimes have to flick back to remind myself whose chapter I was reading.  

I didn't realise straight away that I'd read another book by this author for the review team, a while back; I refreshed my memory about it, and think this is a much more interesting novel, with a more complex and intriguing plot, though one storyline seemed superfluous - a forbidden desire that I thought was going to go somewhere exciting but just petered out, as if the author had got bored with it.  Aside from the start being a little exposition heavy, to set the scene and give background information, I enjoyed the unfolding of the story and was completely taken by surprise when the 'reveal' came - that's always a real bonus!  

IMMORTELLE by Catherine McCarthy @serialsemantic

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: I've read short stories by this author and liked them very much; thus, I bought!

In a Nutshell: Novella, dark mystery/ghost/mild thriller, set in rural Wales about a hundred years ago (I think).

The story is about Elinor, a ceramic artist interested in pagan and supernatural folklore/magic, whose daughter Rowena dies under mysterious circumstances.  In her grief, Elinor starts work on an immortelle (a ceramic, glass-domed wreath, particularly popular in the Victorian and Edwardian eras) as a memento as a memento for Rowena's grave.

Soon, many local people are asking her to make immortelles for their own dead loved ones, and, around a year later, one of the departed recipients appears to her.  Elinor has always had suspicions about Rowena's death, and believes that at some point her fears will be confirmed.

As with the other stories I've read by Catherine McCarthy, this one reeks of Welsh mysticism and secrets hidden in the hills, floating by on the wind or trickling in with the tide.  It is beautifully written, with not a drop in quality all the way through; it is this, and the atmosphere Ms McCarthy creates, that made this a page turner throughout, even in the middle section which is more concerned with emotion than events.  Such was the subtle build up of suspense that I felt, all the way through, as if there might be a truly shocking occurrence just round the corner.

I'd class it as a low-key supernatural mystery rather than horror, though it does have that dark, sinister quality to it that this author pulls off so well; it probably comes naturally, as she was clearly born to write this stuff!  The story totally works; it fits nicely into the novella length with an ending that is pleasing on several levels.

HER MAD SONG by C J Halbard #RBRT

3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
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On Amazon.aus

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In A Nutshell: Sort of fantasy, sort of folklore, sort of pre-climate change apocalypse....

I admit to struggling a bit with this book, although it was well-written in many ways.  A look at Goodreads half way through told me that Her Mad Song is not the first in this series, and I did feel as though I needed to understand more about the world the author has created, to fully 'get' it.  An introduction tells us that Tempest Bay {a remote coastal town in New Zealand where the series is set} exists in novellas, podcasts and interactive experiences.

The story begins with an unnamed man and a twelve-year-old girl, Lucia, arriving at Tempest Bay, and moves on to curious relationships with the people they meet there, including a meteorologist they've sought out.  CJ Halbard certainly has literary talent and has produced some fine atmospheric prose.  The characterisation and dialogue are both fairly good, though the experimental style didn't always work for me; the predominance of the subordinate/dependent clause became irritating after a while.  The subordinate clause in place of a full sentence can have such impact, but it needs to be used sparingly.  Then there's that lack of speech marks thing ... writers such as Cormac McCarthy manage to get away with it by leaving you in no doubt when a passage or line is speech rather than narrative, with minimum use of he-said-she-said, but it's not the easiest of skills to master.   Breaking 'the rules' tends to work better once you've worked within them for a while.

Readers who appreciate poetic writing and like something a bit unreal and outside the box may absolutely love this, but I thought it could do with the hand of a good developmental editor to give it better structure and definition; the story seemed a bit 'all over the place'.  There is much to commend, but I'm just ... not sure. 

I read the information at the back, hoping to get a bit more insight.  Much of it appears to be allegorical; an 'emotional climate change', an 'external imaginative environment that connects us all', in which we could be 'causing permanent lasting damage'.  The concept seemed rather vague, without much substance or explanation, though I took a look at the excerpts from the other stories, at the end, and I liked them well enough.  Could be that I'm just the wrong audience; the website is enticing and well-presented, for anyone who is interested; it's HERE.

THE BOY AND THE LAKE by Adam Pelzman #RBRT

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
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On Goodreads and BookBub

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member. 

In A Nutshell: Literary coming-of-age novel set in 1960s New Jersey, with a low-key mystery.

From the blurb, I thought this book would be dark and plot-driven; it mentions protagonist Ben's suspicions about a body found floating in the lake, thus: As Ben’s suspicions mount, he’s forced to confront the terrifying possibility that his close-knit community is not what it seems to be—that, beneath a façade of prosperity and contentment, darker forces may be at work. I expected all sorts of sinister revelations, but the Ben's questions surrounding the death of Helen Lowenthal form the background rather than the main story—though when his answer arrives, it is shocking indeed.  I love a good twist within a twist that I didn't even half-guess, and this certainly ticked that box.

Essentially, this is a coming-of-age novel.  Although I think it could have done with a little more plot, the writing itself is spectacularly good, of much literary merit, making it a joy to read.  The subtleties of the characters, traditions and social protocols of the Jewish community in the 1960s were acutely observed, as were the marital problems of Ben's parents, his mother's neuroses, and his own burgeoning drink problem.  Later, the lake by which the community lives is contaminated, which I took to be allegorical of not only the underlying problems within the society that was Red Meadow, but the 1960s themselves—the corruption and unrest beneath the image of hope, prosperity, revolution and the Summer of Love.  Or perhaps I'm reading too much into it.

It's one of those books that I didn't absolutely love because of personal preference about genre, but I can appreciate is first class of its type.  Should complex family intrigue, stunningly good writing, coming-of-age dramas and the strange new world of the 1960s be totally your thing, I would recommend that you buy and start reading this immediately.  And the ending is perfect.

CRACKED LENSES by L J McIntyre

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
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How I discovered this book: Friend Recommendation

In a Nutshell: English photographer visits eerie New Zealand town.  Murder and mystery.

This book reminded me, at first, of films such as The Wicker Man and Straw Dogs, and also, slightly, of 1960s TV series The Prisoner.  Jack Coulson is a photographer who travels to the isolated, small town of Nesgrove in New Zealand, hoping to take the photograph that will go 'viral' and make his career.  He soon discovers that this is no normal town - especially when he finds out that, owing to a Facebook post about his trip, they're already expecting him...

Jack's personal demons are as much a part of the story as the mystery surrounding Nesgrove.  He is on medication for anxiety, had a traumatic childhood, and seeks validation through social media 'likes', on a neurotic level.  At first I thought he was going to be a bit of an irritating twerp, with his social media obsession and preoccupation with his emotional state, but threaded through the story are transcripts of his sessions with a counsellor, and I began to understand why he was so; also, I saw that he makes the perfect main character for this story.  Though the events in Nesgrove are terrifying, they also change his life in ways he could not have imagined.

I found this book a definite page-turner, with the grim atmosphere of Nesgrove and Jack's neuroses so starkly illustrated.  The writing flows well, the suspense builds at just the right pace and I read it quickly, eager to find out what would happen next; each event was unpredictable and at no time was I able to see which way the story was likely to go. 

The only part I was not keen on was the 'reveal' about the village: the reasons 'why', and Jack's final scene, which I actually read twice because I was not quite sure exactly what it was supposed to mean.  But that sort of opinion is purely subjective, and I'd still recommend this as a jolly good book.

ODD NUMBERS by JJ Marsh

3.5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Psychological/mystery/drama about five friends and their biennial reunions.

I chose this book from the review team list because I loved An Empty Vessel by this author, though this book is completely different.

For the past twenty years, Gael, Lovisa, Mika, Simone and Clark have spent every other New Year together, taking it in turns to choose the venue for a short holiday.  There used to be six of them, but Dhan died at their Y2K celebration two decades before.  At the time it was thought to be a terrible accident, but as the book progresses, we start to wonder if it was suicide, or even murder.

Interesting, interesting - and it is a testament to JJ Marsh's storytelling skill that I enjoyed much of this, and was eager to find out what happened, despite some issues I had with the novel as a whole.

The book is told in first person chapters from all five friends, and dots back and forth in time between the present and the various reunions of the past twenty years, which were held in many different locations.  To say I found the zig-zagging between time and locations confusing is something of an understatement; by half-way through I decided to stop trying to remember exactly where and when I was currently supposed to be, who was married to whom when, what already had or hadn't happened in the chapter I was reading, and just concentrate on the relationship dynamics, and the uncovering of the mystery.

One of the characters comments that if it was not for Dhan's death, maybe their friendship would not have endured.  I thought she was probably right, as much of the time they don't seem that keen on each other.  None of them are very likeable people (even the 'nice' one talks in humourless therapy-speak half the time), but I don't mind that.  I'd rather read about a sociopath than a saint any day; it's far more interesting, the only problem being not having anyone to root for when all the characters are self-centred, cunning and/or in denial about more or less everything. 

Aside from the chaotic timeline, I found it difficult to 'know' any of them, because each of their point-of-view chapters is written in much the same 'voice', despite their being of different nationalities, different social classes, etc.  Aside from the varying subject matter, the odd Americanism from Clark, and Simone being a manipulative, particularly nasty piece of work, they all use the same language, have the same speech patterns, similar mood, tempo, vocabularies.  Mika, Lovisa and Gael I could never 'see' at all; sometimes I thought I was reading Mika when it was Gael, etc.  I also found some of the dialogue unrealistic.

Having said that... (and it's a big 'having said that') I did enjoy reading this book, became immersed in the intrigue and thought the basic plot was great.  I liked the slow uncovering of each person's dark secrets, the truth about Dhan and the final drama, though it felt a bit rushed; I think more could have been made of it.  There were a fair few irritations (not least of all the reiteration of the current trend I've noticed on new, young audience TV shows: that out of any group of young people, fifty per cent of them will have casual sex with either gender at the drop of a hat), but I found that ... yes, I couldn't put it down.  It's a hard one to rate. Yes, I liked it.  Sort of.  Mostly.

To sum up:  The plot kept me interested throughout.  JJ Marsh's innate talent does come across, despite the book's weaker elements; although the characters never really came to life for me, I liked the story a lot.  So although I couldn't say 'yes, definitely, you must buy this', I also want to say, it's fun and original, and I did like it.  Mostly.  Sort of.

MURDER UNDONE by Robin Storey

3.5 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Woman murders husband.  Gets chance to go back in time and make different decisions.  Involves drugs, sex, criminal underworld.

This book starts well, with main character Eva poisoning her cheating husband.  Fast forward twenty years: she's married again, and living with the fall-out.  Except she can't deal with it; she drinks too much, and goes into bars to pick up men for casual sex.  Then she is offered a chance to go back in time, still retaining her memories of her 'real' life, and not murder Cheating Charlie after all....

I found this author's style pretty readable; I'd suddenly realise I'd galloped through 10 pages or so, without thinking about stopping to make notes, which is a good sign.  I was moderately drawn in when I first started to read, but as soon as Eva got a chance to go back in time, I thought, ah—now I'm interested!

The story continued to zip along in a readable fashion, but I did have some problems with it.  Eva's character seemed more like a vehicle for the plot that the other way round; I never believed in her.  One minute she is the pampered, submissive wife of a millionaire businessman, the next she is daredevil sleuth, able to talk her way into any private location, and mixing with the criminal underworld without turning a hair, to the extent of having sex with them for information (and enjoying it despite the guy having had a knife to her throat, but I'm not even going to go there; the cocaine she'd taken, alone, would make her paranoid and agitated in this situation).

I was dubious about some dialogue (the way one of the female characters talks about sex would make Samantha from Sex and the City cringe) and unconvinced by some events; for instance, before she goes back in time, Eva is around 60 years old, but gets hit on/approached for casual sex every time she enters a bar to have a drink.  However glamorous and well-kept a woman of that age may be, I found this a little unlikely.

One other point is something the author might want to consider for future work of this genre.  Later in the book, Eva is caught driving under the influence of cocaine.  There was a detailed chapter about her court appearance, ending with the news report about it on TV.  Why not just cut the whole court thing, and start the chapter with the news report, ending with a paragraph or two about how she felt, watching it broadcast to the world?  That would have given all the information the reader needed, and let them get on with the more juicy stuff, like infidelity, deteriorating marriage and underworld dealings ...

... because it is a rip-roaring tale, and not badly put together at all, generally. 
The basic idea is great, though I didn't feel enough use was made of the fact that she was living her life over again; I expected more references to the past, and perhaps the steering of other events, too.  It's a bit like a watered-down Jackie Collins (that's a compliment, by the way!), but, alas, I need to be convinced by and become totally involved with the characters in order to really enjoy a book, and Eva never came alive to me.

To sum up: the author has much of the skill and writing style for this genre, but it still needs a bit of fine tuning!

HERE AFTER by Sean Costello

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
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How I discovered this book: Amazon browse

In a Nutshell: Man whose son has just died goes on a mission to find the son of a friend who has been abducted.  Paranormal element.

I was attracted to this book because I'm a sucker for a cover with a road going into the distance, and I made the decision to buy because the reviews are so good.  I didn't realise until later that I'd read an earlier book by this author, Squall, that I thought only so-so; this book, though, is in a different class.

The early part, when main character Peter is dragging himself through his days after the death of his son, is so well done and believable.  I'm not usually much of a one for death-in-family dramas, but this is very readable.  At a group for parents who have lost children, he meets Roger, whose son was abducted.  Roger is a mess; aggressive, drinking too much.  Peter begins to see a connection with Roger's son and another boy abducted previously.

After the great start I felt my enthusiasm for this book ebb and flow; sometimes I was really enjoying it, other times I thought it needed a bit of editing down, as there is a fair bit of detail that I found too long-winded.  Then I'd start to enjoy it again, particularly in some terrific bits of dialogue with some people Peter meets on his search; small town types, and a great section in which some the policemen on watch outside another abducted child's house are killed.  You know when you read a few pages and find yourself sitting back, thinking, wow, that was good?

One thing I did like was that the paranormal element (only minor) is not over the top; it was just kind of touching.  And he never tried to explain it, which absolutely worked for me.

The last third of the book is the best, really gripping, and the plot unfolds in a way I would never have guessed; it would make a great TV series.  I definitely recommend!

NOT HERE by Genevieve Nocovo

3 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Mystery/thriller set in San Francisco.

Dina Ostica, a 23 year old podcaster living alone in San Francisco, has a troubled background after escaping a difficult relationship.  The mystery begins when her friend, an old hippie who is her go-to source for material for her podcasts about life in and the history of the city, disappears.

I thought the atmosphere of the city came across as most authentic; it is clear that the author has a fine knowledge of the place.  I liked the subject matter; Dina's story was very 'current', with issues raised so relevant to this part of the 21st century.  The problem I had with the book as a whole, though, was that it felt rather flat.  There were too many irrelevancies that were not woven into the story, like what people wore and what they ate, intricate detail about gym sessions and mundane conversational exchanges.  Dina is written in the third person, in such a way that we never experience her inner thoughts; we are told how she feels, or what she thinks about something, but I felt that I was being supplied with information, rather than getting to know a character.

The plot is well put together (aside from the fact that I couldn't work out how Dina hoped to make enough money to live on from podcasting), the ideas are interesting and the book is professionally presented, but the writing itself needs some work if this series is to become memorable.  The information was all there, such as what a place looked like and what happened after what had happened previously, but I never felt involved in the story or the characters.

I believe this is the author's debut novel.  It is competent and the basics are there, with some excellent plotting and slow build of suspense; she just needs to work on really getting inside the head of her characters, seeking ways to make her storytelling more captivating, and her dialogue more realistic, character revealing and interesting.

NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU by Nikki Crutchley @NikkiCAuthor

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

Genre: Crime and abduction, set in New Zealand

The book opens with an excellent prologue about Faith, a teenage foster kid getting abducted, back in 2001.  It then goes back to the main story, about Zoe, a thirty-something, recently unemployed teacher whose life is all at sea, going back to small town Crawton because her mother has died.  Zoe's feelings about this can hardly even be called 'mixed' ~ her relationship with Lilian was cold and distant, and she hasn't seen her since she was eighteen.  When she arrives in Crawton, though, she is left wondering what really happened to her mother.

Meanwhile, meth-head Megan has been abducted, and is kept prisoner in a storage cupboard.

Despite the themes of abduction, murder and the sleazy underworld of drugs, I'd describe this as a low-key thriller; much of the novel concerns Zoe's relationship with her mother and the other issues she is working through, and there is quite a lot of domestic and day-to-day conversational detail, which, together with the writing style, lends itself more to a dark drama with gradually unfolding sinister developments than edge-of-your-seat suspense.  It's nicely written and the characterisation is good, particularly Faith, with whom the book opens.  One of the characters has Alzheimer's, and I thought this was most realistic.

I had a feeling who the baddie(s) might be about half way through, but that's probably because I watch a lot of TV of this genre; it's not at all obvious.  The plot is convincing and cleverly structured, I thought the descriptions of what the abducted girls went through was particularly well done, and the ending was good ~ I do appreciate a well-thought out ending.  I can imagine this being the sort of book you might get into reading on holiday.

THE BABY ON THE BACK PORCH by Lucia N. Davis @LNDavisAuthor

3 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

Genre: Short story, mystery, ghosts.

San Francisco girl Sara rents a mountain cabin as a retreat, having been through a difficult year with a relationship break-up and bereavement.  As luck would have it, the landlord is the handsome, single David.  No sooner has Sara got settled in than she starts to have sightings of a bear in the garden... and then everything goes from bad to worse, to dangerous and inexplicable. 

This is a nicely written story, presented well, and I didn't guess what was going to happen, always a plus with a mystery.  I did find the style a little safe; it's all very 'nice', so perhaps just not really for me, though I imagine it would appeal to perhaps an older readership who like a 'clean read', and enjoy a light, undemanding drama.  It took me about an hour to read.

THE CHRISTMAS GHOSTS by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book and why I chose it: I have read every single other book by Gemma Lawrence, and have recently rediscovered the appeal of short stories for when you don't have the headspace/time for starting a whole novel!

Genre: Christmas short stories.

This is a collection of five long short stories, all very different. My favourites are Hot Toddy, a beautiful story about a woman of nearly eighty who is visited by someone she loves very much, and the last one, The Christmas Ghosts itself, which is about a young woman who earns money by house-sitting for the wealthy, whilst trying to put together her first novel.  I liked this one because her life appealed to me; the solitude in the lovely house, the beautiful surroundings, the hours and hours of uninterrupted time to write.  I was amused by her rather childlike debut novelist fancies and fantasies, and nodded my head a few times about the difficulty she has in getting her friends and family to take what she is doing seriously.  Oh yes, and the Christmas ghosts themselves.  I can't tell you about them, because that would give away the story, but it's a lovely idea, and something I would adore; a view into the past.

I've only read historical fiction by this author, so it was interesting to see how she fared with contemporary stories, but I am happy to report that, yes, she can do this, too!  Another thing I liked about this collection was that it is not twee or 'heartwarming', as some Christmas stories can be; one of the ghosts is a mangled animal, and another wears a Nirvana hoodie. 😄

PARALLEL LIES by Georgia Rose @GeorgiaRoseBook #NewRelease

4 out of 5 stars

*New Release*

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Blurb 

‘My name is Madeleine, Madeleine Ross. It is a name chosen with thought and because it is classy, and that is what is needed here…’

Madeleine Ross has life exactly as she planned it.
Cosy cottage, friendly village, satisfying job.
Company… when she wants it.

It’s an enviable existence for an independent young woman, and one she’s keen to protect.

Enter Daniel – strong, dependable and a danger to everything she’s built. He’s not something she was looking for, but hearts can’t be controlled and maybe, just maybe he might be worth letting into hers.

But, all is not what it seems. Because Madeleine is hiding a lifetime of secrets. Deep secrets.

And they never stay buried for ever.

Her darkest secret returns, like the proverbial bad penny. He is her first love, shadowy, dangerous, the baddest of bad boys. No matter how far she runs, or how well she hides, she can never escape him.

Or her past.

Here he is, on her doorstep, with a proposition she is powerless to resist but which could devastate the future she hoped to have.

Can Madeleine satisfy the old love while keeping the new?

You can’t always get what you want but, desperate to preserve the life she has worked so hard for, Madeleine is willing to risk everything to prove that she can.

My Review

How I discovered this book: I've got to know the author via the Twitter writers community, and was interested to read her new release ~ here she is on Twitter.

Parallel Lies falls in the genres of mystery and romantic suspense.  The main character is Madeleine Ross, who lives in one of those BBC Sunday night drama type villages, where she fits in very well ... or so it seems.  Right from the start, we realise that there is more to her than meets the eye, that she has big secrets about her identity.  She's an interesting though not a particularly likeable character, often cold, cynical and critical, which was a plus point for me; I admire any author who has the confidence to make her main character someone the reader will not necessarily warm to, and I enjoyed her astute observations about the pretensions and social hierarchy of the villagers.  

Because of the shocking and traumatic events in Maddy's past, she holds people at a distance.  She does not form romantic attachments but finds partners for emotionless sex amongst regulars at her local gym; one can only imagine the conversations in the men's changing rooms. Then again, part of her charm is that she cares little for what people think, or so she would have us believe; that she tries to convince us of this speaks otherwise.  And then the man appears who will turn her heart on its head....

I gave a big round of applause for the way in which the mystery unfolds; the information is fed to the reader at the right time, in exactly the right amounts, to hold the reader's interest and make them wonder what's round the next corner.  Just when Madeleine's new life seems to be on the up, a love from her past arrives. He knows everything about her and threatens to insert a particularly malicious set of spanners into the works.

There were some elements about the novel that stretched feasibility for me, but, of course, disbelief suspension ceilings vary from person to person, and mine is probably lower than most.  Recommended readers: anyone who likes an artfully unravelling mystery, heists, plenty of love life shenanigans and a fair few unexpected turns of event.  

About the author

Georgia Rose is a writer and the author of the romantic and suspenseful Grayson Trilogy books: A Single Step, Before the Dawn and Thicker than Water. Her fourth novel, Parallel Lies, encompasses crime along with her usual blending of genre.

Georgia has never found a TV series to beat her all-time favourite, ER, and nowadays only Game of Thrones or Ray Donovan stand any chance of keep her attention for any period of time. Her background in countryside living, riding, instructing and working with horses has provided the knowledge needed for some of her storylines; the others are a product of her passion for people watching and her overactive imagination!