Well this has been an interesting week for blogging as up until Saturday morning we had no internet and no phone line. During the second wave of storm Angus on Monday night it mysteriously packed its bags and left for a holiday. Happily all order is now restored but I apologize for my lack of comments which depended on limited availability; happily for this post I had mostly prepared all my posts before disaster struck!
I had a lovely surprise to receive my very own copy of Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard containing my quote on the inside.
And then the lovely Joanne Robertson from My Chestnut Reading Tree shared this on twitter from Before I Let You In by Jenny Blackhurst.
This Week on the Blog
I was part of the blog tour for Edward Glover’s A Motif of Seasons on Monday which the author provided a lovely excerpt of his book.
My excerpt on Tuesday came from The Bad Things by Mary-Jane Riley, a book that sucked me in with its subtle hook of missing twins whose reporter aunt searches for answers on the release of the woman accused of perverting the course of justice.
My This Week in Books post detailed my reading of the aforementioned book and the upcoming The House of Birds by Morgan McCarthy; it really has been an outstanding reading week.
On Thursday I posted my first review of the week of The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer. If I had any doubts about this author’s brilliant writing, which I didn’t, they would have been blown away before the first page was done.
On Friday I posted what is my most anticipated (by me) post of the year; Reading Bingo 2016. Struggling with internet issues tested my patience with my formatting but I really enjoyed deciding which of my reads would be placed in which box, and for the first time ever, I completed every square. What books would you choose?
From the poll other book blogger have done pretty well this year too!
My second review of the week was posted yesterday; another brilliant read with the thirtieth book published by Val McDermid – Out of Bounds which has not one but two cold cases for Kate Pirie to solve.
This Time Last Year…
I was reading Friday On My Mind by Nicci French the fifth in the Frieda Klein series. I really love this series and this episode went straight into the action. I particularly enjoy having such a switched on chief protagonist, psychoanalyst and uncoverer of truths in-chief, who has her own villain to outwit. Even better she is backed up by a cast of realistic characters and a stellar plot.
You can read my review here
Blurb
When a bloated corpse is found floating in the River Thames the police can at least sure that identifying the victim will be straightforward. Around the dead man’s wrist is a hospital band. On it are the words Dr F. Klein . . .
But psychotherapist Frieda Klein is very much alive. And, after evidence linking her to the murder is discovered, she becomes the prime suspect.
Unable to convince the police of her innocence, Frieda is forced to make a bold decision in order to piece together the terrible truth before it’s too late either for her or for those she loves. Amazon
Stacking The Shelves
Well after weaning myself off the daily deals on Amazon for quite some time by not opening the email, this week has provided temptation on an entirely different scale and I have acquired a restrained 4 books at a bargain price! This is my present to myself in anticipation of an entire month of festivity still to go before the big day!
First up is Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes, a much-loved author of mine, and this, her latest book, had been on my wishlist from before the publication date.
Blurb
Elizabeth Haynes’ new psychological thriller is a brilliantly suspenseful and shocking story in which nothing is at it seems, but everything is at stake.
Sarah Carpenter lives in an isolated farmhouse in North Yorkshire and for the first time, after the death of her husband some years ago and her children, Louis and Kitty, leaving for university, she’s living alone. But she doesn’t consider herself lonely. She has two dogs, a wide network of friends and the support of her best friend, Sophie.
When an old acquaintance, Aiden Beck, needs somewhere to stay for a while, Sarah’s cottage seems ideal; and renewing her relationship with Aiden gives her a reason to smile again. It’s supposed to be temporary, but not everyone is comfortable with the arrangement: her children are wary of his motives, and Will Brewer, an old friend of her son’s, seems to have taken it upon himself to check up on Sarah at every opportunity. Even Sophie has grown remote and distant.
After Sophie disappears, it’s clear she hasn’t been entirely honest with anyone, including Will, who seems more concerned for Sarah’s safety than anyone else. As the weather closes in, events take a dramatic turn and Kitty too goes missing. Suddenly Sarah finds herself in terrible danger, unsure of who she can still trust.
But she isn’t facing this alone; she has Aiden, and Aiden offers the protection that Sarah needs. Doesn’t he? Amazon
And then I found My Last Confession by Helen Fitzgerald, an author who has thrilled me with the variety of her books starting with my personal favorite The Cry.
Blurb
When she starts her new job as a parole officer, Krissie is happy and in love. Then she meets convicted murderer Jeremy, and begins to believe he may be innocent. Her growing obsession with his case threatens to jeopardise everything – her job, her relationship and her life.
Perfect for fans of Julia Crouch, Sophie Hannah and Laura Lippman, My Last Confession is a dark and compelling psychological thriller that traces a young parole officer and her dangerous obsession with a convicted murderer. Helen FitzGerald is also the acclaimed author of The Cry, which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year award. Amazon
After having finished The Bad Things by Mary-Jane Riley earlier this week I couldn’t resist the second in the series After She Fell.
Blurb
There are so many ways to fall…
Catriona needs help. Her seventeen-year-old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. The death has been ruled a suicide, but Catriona isn’t convinced.
When her old friend, journalist Alex Devlin, arrives in Hallow’s Edge to investigate, she quickly finds that life at private boarding school The Drift isn’t as idyllic as the bucolic setting might suggest.
Amidst a culture of drug-taking, bullying and tension between school and village, no one is quite who they seem to be, and there are several people who might have wanted Elena to fall…
Lastly I simply had to purchase the latest in the Patrik Hedstrom and Erika Falck series, The Ice Child which is book 9, written by the highly talented Camilla Lackberg. Another already on my wishlist. This is a series that just keeps getting better, I couldn’t put down the last in the series, Buried Angels
Blurb
SEE NO EVIL
It’s January in the peaceful seaside resort of Fjällbacka. A semi-naked girl wanders through the woods in freezing cold weather. When she finally reaches the road, a car comes out of nowhere. It doesn’t manage to stop.
HEAR NO EVIL
The victim, a girl who went missing four months ago, has been subjected to unimaginably brutal treatment – and Detective Patrik Hedström suspects this is just the start.
SPEAK NO EVIL
The police soon discover that three other girls are missing from nearby towns, but there are no fresh leads. And when Patrik’s wife stumbles across a link to an old murder case, the detective is forced to see his investigation in a whole new light. Amazon
Four books for the absolute bargain price of £4.49!
TBR WATCH
Since my last post I have read 4 books and managed to gain 4, so my TBR is still standing at 178 books! Please note dear reader the gradual reduction in NetGalley books – I’m aiming to get to single figures by the end of 2016.
93 physical books
71 e-books
14 books on NetGalley
What have you found to read this week?
