Guest Review: Other Halves by Nick Alexander (4/5)

Friday 31 October 2014 0 comments
THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED SEQUEL TO THE No.1 KINDLE BESTSELLER 'THE HALF-LIFE OF HANNAH'

Hannah and Cliff’s marriage is over. After a traumatic family holiday, Cliff’s lies have been exposed and Hannah has been reunited with her lost love, Cliff’s brother, James. But after fifteen years together, and forever bound by love for their eleven-year-old son, Luke, breaking free and starting again seems impossible.

A new life in Australia with James beckons for Hannah – but can she embark on this adventure without losing the love of her son? And can Cliff finally face up to issues he has suppressed since adolescence and find happiness in a confusing world?

Amid the turmoil of separation, and with Luke caught in the crossfire, both Hannah and Cliff face the challenge of rebuilding their lives. To make the other halves of their lives count, they need courage and determination. But perhaps it’s more than they possess . . .

Review: Prince Charles_HRH's guide to Great Britishness by @Charles_HRH (4/5)

Thursday 30 October 2014 0 comments
A hilarious guide to being British from the hugely popular and award-winning Twitter parody of Prince Charles

There are plenty of guidebooks on Great Britain, but none have been given the all-important Royal Seal of Approval. Who better to teach the world than the heir to the throne?

His Royal Highness will cover everything from History ('Might have to sell France to pay for Richard III's car park fine') to British cities ('If you're wondering why the British are so good at cycling and rowing, take a look at the cost of public transport') and The Arts ('The Madness of King George III - fantastic film. Americans didn't go to the cinema because they hadn't seen the first two. Awkward)'.

Tackling the all-important issues such as why we Brits can form a perfectly ordinary queue with just two people, or why we love a Full English Breakfast despite the fact it contains 465,873 calories, Prince @Charles_HRH's Guide to Great Britishness is a hilarious romp around our sceptered Isle.

Hamelin's Child by DJ Bennett (5/5)

Wednesday 29 October 2014 0 comments
Michael Redford died on his seventeenth birthday – the night Eddie picked him up off the street, shot him full of heroin and assaulted him.

Now he’s Mikey and he works for Joss. With streaked blond hair and a cute smile, he sleeps by day and services clients at night. Sometimes he remembers his old life, but with what he’s become now, he knows there is no return to his comfortable middle-class background.

Then he makes a friend in Lee. A child of the streets, Lee demands more from friendship than Mikey is prepared to give. But the police are closing in on them now and Mikey’s not sure anymore who he really is – streetwise Mikey or plain Michael Redford.

Hamelin’s Child was long-listed in the UK Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award. A thriller set in the seedy world of London's drug rings, this book contains strong scenes and adult material. 

Guest Review: Confessions by Kanae Minato (3/5)

Tuesday 28 October 2014 0 comments
Her pupils killed her daughter. Now, she will have her revenge. 
 
After an engagement that ended in tragedy, all Yuko Moriguchi had to live for was her four-year-old child, Manami. Now, after a heartbreaking accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation. 

But first, she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that will upend everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge. 

Narrated in alternating voices, with twists you'll never see coming, Confessions probes the limits of punishment, despair, and tragic love, culminating in a harrowing confrontation between teacher and student that will place the occupants of an entire school in harm's way. You'll never look at a classroom the same way again.

Guest Post: Debbie Johnson on Writing in Different Genres

Monday 27 October 2014 0 comments
The dead don't like to be ignored…

Jayne McCartney, Liverpool's only female private eye, is soon to get a crash course in this and other ghost-related facts.

Until now she’s kept her snooping firmly to the dodgy, sometimes dangerous – but definitely human – Liverpool underworld. But that all changes when an elderly couple approach her with a terrifying story…

Their daughter, a 19-year-old student, died falling from her halls’ window. But she didn't jump, they insist – she was pushed. By a ghost. And when Jayne discovers that the spooky Hart house has seen more than its fair share of tragic deaths, she can't help but get drawn in…

Who or what is walking the halls of Hart House? And will this case end up haunting Jayne forever…?

Review: Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn (3.5/5)

Saturday 25 October 2014 0 comments
Fashion model Kirsty Manners is young, beautiful, and recently dead...

Kirsty Manners is trying to make it as a model. As the in-house model for the Ivano King fashion house and girlfriend of Ian King, the man behind the label, she believes she is well on her way. But Kirsty is found dead in her flat one Sunday afternoon and D. I. Angela Costello is called to the scene.

First enquiries center on the local gym where Kirsty, her dangerous ex-boyfriend, Darren Carpenter, and her jealous flatmate, Sandra Hodges, worked out. But things are more complicated. Ian King is considered to have lost his edge. Why then is he so buoyant about his latest collection for London Fashion Week? What about his new girlfriend, Eleanor Chandler, who openly admits to having a reason to wish Kirsty dead?

Behind the gleaming smiles and flawless makeup of the glamorous fashion world, Angela's enquiries uncover theft, drug-addiction, prostitution, and imprisonment--and suddenly her own life could be in danger.
Kirsty Manners is young, beautiful, and ambitious. And dead. Kirsty was trying to make it in the fashion world. As the in-house model for Ivano King and having dated the great designer himself, she believed she was well on her way. But Kirsty is found dead in her flat one Sunday afternoon, and D.I. Angela Costello is called to the scene. Kirsty has left behind a lovesick ex-boyfriend and a jealous flatmate. And what about King’s new girlfriend, who openly admits she has a reason to wish Kirsty dead? Behind the flawless make-up and gleaming catwalks, Angela’s enquiries uncover theft, drug addiction, prostitution – and suddenly her own life could be in danger… - See more at: http://www.lionhudson.com/display.asp?k=9781782641315#sthash.QXljd0km.dpuf

Epic Book Post

Friday 24 October 2014 1 comments
Anyone who has worked with LightBrigade PR will know that they do some fantastic campaigns when they send books out to bloggers. I was extremely jealous when Paul Finch's recent book The Killing Club was released and bloggers received personalised proofs. Well, I received a parcel myself in the post today and it was very exciting. I thought it was that good it deserved its own post, so enjoy!


Review: The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas (4/5)

Dooleybridge, County Galway. Population: 482 (or thereabouts). The last place Fiona Clutterbuck expects to end up, alone, on her wedding night.

But after the words 'I do' have barely left her mouth, that's exactly where she is - with only her sequined shoes and a crashed camper van for company.

One thing is certain: Fi can't go back. So when the opportunity arises to work for Sean Thornton, the local oyster farmer, she jumps at the chance. Now Fi must navigate suspicious locals, jealous rivals and a wild, unpredictable boss if she's to find a new life, and love, on the Irish coast. And nothing - not even a chronic fear of water - is going to hold her back.

Join Fi on her romantic, unpredictable adventure as she learns the rules of the ocean - and picks up a few pearls of Irish wisdom along the way...

Hall of Fame Review: The Dying Place by Luca Veste (5/5)

Thursday 23 October 2014 0 comments
Once inside…there’s no way out

A fate worse than death…

DI Murphy and DS Rossi discover the body of known troublemaker Dean Hughes, dumped on the steps of St Mary’s Church in West Derby, Liverpool. His body is covered with the unmistakable marks of torture.

As they hunt for the killer, they discover a worrying pattern. Other teenagers, all young delinquents, have been disappearing without a trace.

Who is clearing the streets of Liverpool?

Where are the other missing boys being held?

And can Murphy and Rossi find them before they meet the same fate as Dean?


Review: A New Menace by Roger A. Price (5/5)

Newly retired from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, John Burrows is shocked to be called back by his old bosses for one last job. And not just any job – he's on the tail of his old adversary, the infamous Jonny Moon, a dangerous and volatile criminal who will stop at nothing to get his own way.

When a civilian is kidnapped and tortured by Moon's associates after a botched surveillance operation, Burrows knows he's in deep water. Not only must he track down Moon and deal with a mole in the ranks, he must do all this without Moon finding out who he is. Or who his partner, Jane Lee, is – the officer who, last time they met, showed him that he's not invincible.

A New Menace is a taut thriller, an exciting tale of covert surveillance, lies, deception and double agents.

Guest Post by Leigh Russell: The Challenges of Writing A Spin-off Series

Wednesday 22 October 2014 0 comments
Second in the new series featuring DI Ian Peterson

'Moments before, he had been enjoying a day out at the races. Now he could be dying…. As he fell a loud wind roared past his ears, indistinguishable from the roar of the crowd. The race was over'.

A man plummets to his death during the York Races. Suicide or murder? Newly-promoted DI Ian Peterson is plunged into a complex and high-profile case, and as the body count increases, the pressure mounts for his team to solve the crimes quickly.

But the killer is following the investigation far more keenly than Ian realises and time is running out as the case suddenly gets a lot closer to home...

Review: The Christmas Party by Carole Matthews (4/5)

Tuesday 21 October 2014 1 comments
Louise Young is a devoted single mother whose only priority is providing for her daughter, Mia. Louise has a good job in a huge international corporation and she's grateful for it. The only problem is her boss who can't keep his hands to himself, but Louise can handle him. What she really doesn't have time for is romance - until she meets the company's rising star, Josh Wallace.

Louise usually says no to evenings out but she's decided to let her hair down tonight. It's the office Christmas party, she has a pretty dress to wear and she's looking forward to some champagne and fun. She's completely unaware that others around her are too busy playing dangerous games to enjoy the party - until she's pulled into those games herself...

Romance is in the air and secrets are about to be uncovered. It's going to be a night to remember at The Christmas Party.

Hall of Fame Review: From Notting Hill with Four Weddings... Actually by Ali McNamara (5/5)

Monday 20 October 2014 0 comments
Set in the world of all your favourite rom-com movies, this is the gorgeously romantic new novel by the author of From Notting Hill with Love . . . Actually

Movie addict Scarlett O'Brien is finally living the jet-setting life she's dreamed of - but it all hangs by a shiny, golden thread.

Flying between London and New York, running two businesses, planning her wedding to handsome fiance?, Sean, with best friends Oscar and Maddie - life couldn't be better.

But then Scarlett meets paparazzi darling, Gabriella Romero, and life suddenly becomes even more extravagant and glamorous. As she begins to experience the other side to being rich and famous, it's not only Scarlett's perfect wedding that's put in jeopardy, but her whole world.

Indulge in all your favourite rom-coms at once with this warm, fun tale of what happens when you really live the glitz and the glamour.

Guest Post: Setting a Crime Fiction Book in Liverpool by Luca Veste

I'm genuinely excited to be part of the blog tour for Luca Veste's second novel, The Dying Place. I am from and live in Liverpool and have always been disappointed by the lack of crime fiction set in the city. I read Dead Gone last year and knew I had found a new talent in Luca that could not only tell a fantastic story, but set it in Liverpool! Plus he's just been snapped up by Simon & Schuster which is massively exciting given the crime authors they publish.

You only have to read the Liverpool Echo to know there's plenty to write about if you set a crime novel in the city, yet Luca raises some interesting points in this guest post that definitely got me thinking.

I'll be sharing my review for The Dying Place on Thursday but until then enjoy this post.


Hall of Fame Review: My Side of Life by Shane Filan (5/5)

Friday 17 October 2014 1 comments
As a lead singer of Westlife, one of the most successful pop acts of all time, Shane Filan was on top of the world. Together with the band, he achieved an incredible 14 No.1 singles (a record beaten only by the Beatles) sold 44 million records and was adored by fans the world over.

Everything he touched turned to gold, or so it seemed. Like many others, he had piled his fortunes into the Irish property boom and when the bubble burst, Shane struggled with mounting debt. Just ten days after Westlife’s final farewell concert, in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000 fans, Shane was declared bankrupt with debts of £18 million – losing everything.

But this wasn’t the end for Shane Filan – a devoted singer and family man, Shane circled back to his roots and a year later he launched his solo career. 

In My Side of Life Shane shares his story for the first time – his early years growing up as part of a large Irish family in Co. Sligo, the phenomenal success of Westlife and the ups and downs of their time together, the breakup of the band, his financial devastation, and finally going it alone as a solo artist.

This is Shane’s side of the story.


Review: The Killing Season by Mark Pearson (4/5)

DI Jack Delaney is trying to make a clean break. Tormented by his troubled past, he has taken his young family out of London, swapping the mayhem of London for the tranquil calm of the north Norfolk coast.

Except it's not so tranquil.

After a terrible storm hits Sheringham, a body is discovered beneath the rubble of a collapsed cliff. Natural disaster? No, this looks like murder, and Jack is the only local resident qualified to investigate.

But when more disappearances follow and the local police step in, Jack finds himself plunged dangerously deep into the investigation – and in the sights of the killer on the loose.

Review: Ghostman by Roger Hobbs (4/5)

Thursday 16 October 2014 0 comments
'Fast, hard and knowing: this is an amazing debut full of intrigue, tradecraft and suspense. Read it immediately!' Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher novels)

 

I make things disappear. It’s what I do. This time I’m tidying up the loose ends after a casino heist gone bad. The loose ends being a million cash. But I only have 48 hours, and there’s a guy out there who wants my head in a bag.




He’ll have to find me first. They don’t call me the Ghostman for nothing...

Review: Dark Tides by Chris Ewan (4/5)

Wednesday 15 October 2014 0 comments
When Claire Cooper was eight years old her mother mysteriously vanished during Hop-tu-naa, the Manx Halloween. At fourteen, Claire is still struggling to come to terms with her disappearance when she's befriended by a group of five teenagers who mark every Hop-tu-naa by performing dares.

But Claire's arrival begins to alter the group's dynamic until one year a prank goes terribly wrong, changing all their futures and tearing the friends apart.Six years later, one of the friends is killed on Hop-tu-naa in an apparent accident. But Claire, now a police officer, has her doubts. Is a single footprint found near the body a deliberate taunt?

As another Hop-tu-naa dawns, bringing with it another death and another footprint, Claire becomes convinced that somebody is seeking vengeance. But who? And which of the friends might be next? If she's to stop a killer and unlock the dark secrets of her past, Claire must confront her deepest fears, before it's too late.

The author of the bestselling SAFE HOUSE returns to the Isle of Man with a thriller that will keep you up all night.

Review: Our Life on Ice by Torvill and Dean (5/5)

Tuesday 14 October 2014 0 comments
When Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean collapsed to the ice at the climax of their routine to Bolero in the 1984 Winter Olympics, the judges could find no fault, awarding them 12 maximum scores of 6.0, while 24 million viewers watching at home in Britain simply looked on in amazement. Suddenly, we were all experts in figure skating, and we wanted to know more about the couple at the heart of it all.

Despite intense interest in them, Torvill & Dean kept their lives private, with many still wondering if the pair were really a couple. They turned professional and would eventually spend eight years working on ITV's Dancing on Ice, but still much of their story remained unknown.

Now, in Our Life on Ice, Torvill & Dean finally open up about the challenges they have faced and the pressures of life in the public eye: Jayne speaks candidly about her struggle with husband Phil to start a family, while Chris reveals the heartache in his family story. And of course, there is the skating, and the stories about what inspired their famous routines, and what the pair hope to achieve in the future as the approach their fortieth anniversary working together. It is the book their millions of fans have been waiting to read.


Review: Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt (5/5)

Monday 13 October 2014 0 comments
A #1 psychological thriller in UK, US, Germany and Australia and #3 overall bestseller in the top ten on Kindle UK.

Following the death of her husband and unborn child, Charley Belington sells the family home and bravely starts life over again. On moving into a new flat, she is befriended by her landlady, Ella, who seems like the perfect friend and confidante.

But, unbeknown to Charley, Ella is fighting her own dark and dirty demons as the fallout from a horrific childhood sends her spiralling down into madness—and unspeakable obsessions. As Ella’s mind splinters, her increasingly bizarre attentions make Charley uneasy. But with every step Charley tries to take to distance herself, Ella moves in a tightening lockstep with her, closer and closer and closer…

From the bestselling author of Taunting the Dead comes a raw, intense, sexually charged and darkly claustrophobic psychological thriller that grabs you by the back of the neck and never lets you go…

Hall of Fame Review: Truth Or Dare by Tania Carver (5/5)

Friday 10 October 2014 0 comments
The sixth psychological thriller in Tania Carver's award-nominated, internationally bestselling Phil Brennan and Marina Esposito series.

Darren Richards opened his eyes to find himself duct-taped to a chair with a crossbow pointing at him. Behind the crossbow is a hooded figure wearing a black-faced, round-eyed gas mask. The figure tells him what Darren knows: that he stole a car, drove it recklessly while under the influence of drugs and killed a woman and her baby. His solicitor managed to get the case thrown out of court on a technicality so he has not paid for his crime. That, says the figure, cannot be allowed to happen.

Darren turns to his right. Next to him are his girlfriend and their baby daughter. Both similarly taped to a chair, gagged. It's very simple, explains the figure. Either you die or your girlfriend and child die. But someone has to pay. A life for a life. The choice is Darren's...

Truth or Dare is the sixth page-turning thriller in the internationally bestselling Brennan & Esposito series. You won't be able to put it down.

Review: Cut Out by Fergus McNeill (5/5)

Thursday 9 October 2014 0 comments
What if someone wished their life was more like yours? Exactly like yours. And what if they lived upstairs? Perfect for fans of Peter James, this is unputdownable crime - featuring Detective Inspector Harland.

Nigel never meant for it to happen. At first, he just wanted to be Matt's friend. But when he discovers he can hear what is going on in the flat below him, his fascination with his new neighbour drifts into obsession.

Rearranging his furniture to recreate the layout of the rooms downstairs. Buying the same clothes, going through his post, his things. Becoming Matt without him ever knowing.

And it would have been all right, if Matt hadn't brought the girl home.

When things spiral out of control, Detective Inspector Harland has to unravel the disturbing truth. But there's far more to the case than meets the eye . . .

Review: Our Zoo by June Mottershead (4/5)

A wonderfully nostalgic memoir detailing the fascinating lives of the working class family behind the phenomenally successful Chester Zoo.

When George Mottershead moved to the village of Upton-by-Chester in 1930 to realise his dream of opening a zoo without bars, his four-year-old daughter June had no idea how extraordinary her life would become. Soon her best friend was a chimpanzee called Mary, lion cubs and parrots were vying for her attention in the kitchen, and finding a bear tucked up in bed was no more unusual than talking to a tapir about granny's lemon curd. Pelican, penguin or polar bear - for June, they were simply family.

The early years were not without their obstacles for the Mottersheads. They were shunned by the local community, bankruptcy threatened and then World War Two began. Nightly bombing raids turned the dream into a nightmare and finding food for the animals became a constant challenge. Yet George's resilience, resourcefulness and tenacity eventually paid off. Now over 80 years since June first set foot in the echoing house, Chester Zoo has achieved worldwide renown.

Here, in her enthralling memoir, June Mottershead chronicles the heartbreak, the humour, the trials and triumphs, above all the characters, both human and animal, who shaped her childhood.

Review: Race To Death by Leigh Russell (4/5)

Wednesday 8 October 2014 1 comments
Second in the new series featuring DI Ian Peterson

'Moments before, he had been enjoying a day out at the races. Now he could be dying…. As he fell a loud wind roared past his ears, indistinguishable from the roar of the crowd. The race was over'.

A man plummets to his death during the York Races. Suicide or murder? Newly-promoted DI Ian Peterson is plunged into a complex and high-profile case, and as the body count increases, the pressure mounts for his team to solve the crimes quickly.

But the killer is following the investigation far more keenly than Ian realises and time is running out as the case suddenly gets a lot closer to home...

Review: Good Girls Don't Die by Isabelle Grey (4.5/5)

Tuesday 7 October 2014 0 comments
You’d know if someone close to you was capable of lethal violence, right?

Dead wrong.

Accused of grassing up a fellow officer and driven brutally out of home and job, Grace Fisher is thankful to survive some dark times and find haven with the Major Investigation Team in Essex.

One female student is missing, last seen at a popular bar in Colchester. When a second student, also out drinking, is murdered and left grotesquely posed, the case becomes headline news.

Someone is leaking disturbing details to a tabloid crime reporter. Is it the killer? Or a detective close to the case?

With another victim, and under siege by the media, the murder enquiry hits a dead end. The review team brought in to shake things up is headed by Grace’s old DCI. Who is going to listen to her now?

Review: Ruthless by Cath Staincliffe (4/5)

Monday 6 October 2014 0 comments
A blaze at an abandoned chapel in impoverished Manorclough turns out to be more than just arson when the body of a man who has been shot twice is discovered in the ashes. For the Manchester Metropolitan police team it’s the start of a gruelling and complex case that exposes the fractures and fault lines of a community living on the edge.

DC Rachel Bailey, recently married, is trying to come to terms with her new status and deal with the fallout from her chaotic family. She throws herself into work but her compulsion to find answers and see justice done leads her into the deepest jeopardy.

DC Janet Scott's world is shaken to its foundations when death comes far too close for comfort and she finds one of her daughters on the wrong side of a police investigation.

DCI Gill Murray’s ex Dave, a Chief Superintendent, crashes back into her life, out of control and bringing chaos in his wake. Gill attempts to get Dave to face the truth of his situation, and to stay the hell away from her, but things are about to get a whole lot worse.

And then a second building goes up in flames...

Review: Burn by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge (5/5)

Friday 3 October 2014 0 comments
Detective Michael Bennett finally returns to New York City - and to the most unsettling, horrific case of his career.

At last, Detective Michael Bennett and his family are coming home to New York City. Thanks to Bennett, the ruthless crime lord whose vengeful mission forced the Bennett family into hiding has been brought down for good.

Back in the city that never sleeps, Bennett takes over a chaotic Outreach Squad in Harlem, where he receives an unusual call: a man claims to have seen a group of well-dressed men holding a bizarre party in a condemned building. With no clear crime or evidence, Bennett dismisses the report.

But when a charred body is found in that very same building, he is forced to take the caller seriously - and is drawn into an underground criminal world of terrifying depravity.

Hall of Fame Review: Not Quite A Geordie by Holly Hagan (5/5)

Thursday 2 October 2014 0 comments
Busty babe Holly Hagan has had viewers of Geordie Shore glued to their screens ever since her arrival in the first series. Fed up with her dead end job at a call center, and with dreams of being a star one day, Holly applied for a new reality TV show. She couldn’t know it was to catapult her into fame and make her one of the most recognizable faces on British TV.

Fame and fortune, though, came at a price—the road from the call center to the celebrity circuit has been far from smooth. For the first time, Holly is lifting the lid on the perks and perils she’s faced ever since her topless hot tub antics shocked the nation. Holly owes her success to a very simple change of look, which involved both a new bottle of red hair dye and a newfound confidence. Ever since then, audiences have been in stitches as they watch Holly (and her flame-red hair) flirt her way around Newcastle’s famed "Diamond Strip," and places further afield, such as Magaluf, Cancun, and Australia.

In this action-packed, revealing, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking memoir, Holly recounts her life in and out of the limelight with brutal honesty—from her childhood days when she was badly bullied, her shocking take on sex and dating, her liaison with bad-boy musician Frankie Cocozza, and what really goes on behind-the-scenes on the UK’s biggest reality TV show. Filled with genuinely touching stories and inside accounts of what they don’t show you on TV, Holly has laid herself bare, first physically and now emotionally. If you think you know all there is to know about Holly from Geordie Shore, think again.

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