Guest Post: The Inspiration Behind 'Gone' by Rebecca Muddiman

Emma Thorley is gone...but not forgotten. GONE is a twisty story of murder, guilt and unintended consequences from an exciting new crime novelist.

250,000 people go missing in the UK every year.

91% of those reported to police are found within 48 hours.

99% of cases are solved within a year.

And 1% stay gone.

Troubled teenager Emma Thorley vanished without a trace eleven years ago.

But now a body has been found...

As news of the discovery travels, the past comes back to haunt all those involved, from the police to Emma's friends and enemies.

Because some secrets cannot be buried for ever... and some dangers never go away.

Review: Gone by Rebecca Muddiman

Title: Gone
Author: Rebecca Muddiman
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: 15th January 2015
Pages: 368
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Emma Thorley is gone...but not forgotten. GONE is a twisty story of murder, guilt and unintended consequences from an exciting new crime novelist.

250,000 people go missing in the UK every year.

91% of those reported to police are found within 48 hours.

99% of cases are solved within a year.

And 1% stay gone.

Troubled teenager Emma Thorley vanished without a trace eleven years ago.

But now a body has been found...

As news of the discovery travels, the past comes back to haunt all those involved, from the police to Emma's friends and enemies.

Because some secrets cannot be buried for ever... and some dangers never go away.

Review: The Final Minute by Simon Kernick

Title: The Final Minute
Author: Simon Kernick
Publisher: Century
Publication Date: 15th January 2015
Pages: 400
Source: NetGalley Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Featuring Simon Kernick's maverick detective, TINA BOYD, this is the gripping new race-against-time thriller by the best-selling author of Relentless, The Last 10 Seconds and Stay Alive.

‘It’s night, and I’m in a strange house.

The lights are on, and and I’m standing outside a half-open door.

Feeling a terrible sense of forboding, I walk slowly inside.

And then I see her.

A woman lying sprawled across a huge double bed.

She’s dead. There’s blood everywhere.

And the most terrifying thing of all is that I think her killer might be me …’

A traumatic car-crash. A man with no memory, haunted by nightmares.

When the past comes calling in the most terrifying way imaginable, Matt Barron is forced to turn to the one person who can help, Ex Met cop, turned private detective, Tina Boyd.

Soon they are both on the run...

My Week In Books #2

Welcome to my second Week in Books! Had a very good week books wise with lots of reviews posted, lots of books read, lots received and I've read some fantastic reviews this week some of which I will be sharing at the end of this post.

Review: Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Title: Little Beach Street Bakery
Author: Jenny Colgan
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: 13th March 2014
Pages: 464
Source: Purchased (Kindle)
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.

And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . . And people start to hear about it.

Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.

Review: Taunting the Dead by Mel Sherratt

Title: Taunting the Dead
Author: Mel Sherratt
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 3rd December 2013
Pages: 385
Source: Received from author
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Nine out of ten murders are committed by someone the victim knows. So when Steph Ryder has her head bashed in within earshot of her family and friends, D.S. Allie Shenton begins her investigation close to home.

Soon the lies, backtracking, and secrets multiply as each of the suspects tries to cover up their actions on that fateful night. Before long, Allie homes in on Steph’s ambitious and powerful husband, Terry. Convinced he’s hiding something, she interviews him again and again—only to find that she is falling, despite herself, for his smooth charms.

As the trail grows hotter, along with Allie’s feelings, the web of deceit pulls tighter and more bodies begin to pile up. Allie must race against time to uncover the shocking truth before she becomes the killer’s next victim.

Review: The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin

Title: The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
Author: Anna McPartlin
Publisher: Black Swan
Publication Date: 1st January 2015
Pages: 448
Source: NetGalley Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Here is a truth that can’t be escaped: for Mia ‘Rabbit’ Hayes, life is coming to an end . . .

Rabbit Hayes loves her life, ordinary as it is, and the extraordinary people in it.

She loves her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colourful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye.

But it turns out the world has other plans for Rabbit, and she’s OK with that. Because she has plans for the world too, and only a handful of days left to make them happen.

Here is a truth that won’t be forgotten: this is a story about laughing through life’s surprises and finding the joy in every moment.