Well. There we have. it. January is no more and we are now over one twelfth of the way through this year. I’m not entirely sure if it has been the fastest or the longest January on record, or some strange Covid hybrid of the two. I know that it has been uneventful and I suppose that this is something that, given current circumstances, I should be very thankful for.
#Travelwithoutmoving
#Northumberland
I’ve had a so-so reading week. Nothing wrong with the books, just that I’ve not been overly productive. Purchase wise and #bookpost wise, I think I’ve been a bit slower too, but I guess I will tell as I write this post, as checking back over my book-buys is a much a journey of discovery for me as it is for you. Just the one delivery this week, a touch of #bookpost. Thanks to the lovely folks at Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy of Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly which is out on 1st April. I’m on the tour in March and really looking forward to reading the book this month. A single Netgalley title this week, The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson. It was a quiet one on the buy front too, picking up a copy of The Housewarming by S.E. Lines from Amazon and pre-orders of the signed copies of The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson and Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdottir from Goldsboro Books.
Books I have read
Hyde by Craig Russell
From international bestselling author Craig Russell comes a modern Gothic masterpiece.
Edward Hyde has a strange gift-or a curse-he keeps secret from all but his physician. He experiences two realities, one real, the other a dreamworld state brought on by a neurological condition.
When murders in Victorian Edinburgh echo the ancient Celtic threefold death ritual, Captain Edward Hyde hunts for those responsible. In the process he becomes entangled in a web of Celticist occultism and dark scheming by powerful figures. The answers are there to be found, not just in the real world but in the sinister symbolism of Edward Hyde’s otherworld.
He must find the killer, or lose his mind.
A dark tale. One that inspires Hyde’s friend . . . Robert Louis Stevenson.
Two Wrongs by Mel McGrath
One girl jumped.
And then another followed…
In the city of Bristol, young women are dying in mysterious circumstances. The deaths look like suicides – but are they something more sinister?
Honor is terrified that her daughter might be next. But as she looks for clues as to what really happened to the girls, she stumbles upon a link to a dark secret in her own past – one that she’s kept from her daughter.
Now Honor has the chance to avenge her child for the terrible events of years ago. But how far will she go to protect her daughter and right the wrongs done to her family?
Dark, clever and thought-provoking, TWO WRONGS is the breathless new thriller from bestselling author Mel McGrath – perfect for fans of Erin Kelly, Ruth Ware and Sarah Vaughan.
The Woman in The Wood by M.K. Hill
A reality TV star becomes a suspect in an Essex murder case in the sharp, funny and moving new thriller from M.K. Hill
Three years ago, Danny ‘Abs’ Cruikshank, star of reality show Laid in Essex!, was living the dream. But on the night of the party, everything changed.
It was supposed to be an intimate weekend gathering, just a few close friends in a remote cottage in Wales. But after a night of heavy drinking in the village pub, a local girl was reported missing – and never seen again. Abs and his friends had been the last to see her alive.
No-one was ever charged, but the controversy destroyed Abs’s career. And now one of his mates has been murdered…
DI Sasha Dawson and her team must race against the clock to find the killer before they strike again – but first she must discover what happened to Rhiannon Jenkins on the night she vanished. Will the truth set Abs free? Or bury him?
I know that three is not bad for a week, especially as I have been working all week as well. Plus they were brilliant stories but it still feels a little slow. I’ve read 15 books in 31 days, so I guess I should be happy with that as it’s pretty much a book every two days, and I’ve read some absolute belters too. I suppose I’m probably just basing my meh-ness on an overall covid lethargy. Busy week on the blog mind with a recap below:
#Review – The Dirty South – John Connolly
#Review – The Last Fix – K.O. Dahl
#Review – My Mother’s Secret – Julia Roberts
#Review – Blood Red City – Rod Reynolds
#Review – Shadow of a Doubt – Michelle Davies
We’ve got another full week on the blog, in fact a full month. posts every day apart from the weekends (with one important exception). It seemed a good idea to try and keep some time free this year, and weekends are the times when I can get a few quiet, mostly technology and work free moments, so we are trying to keep them sacred. That hasn’t stopped us helping out on a few tours and this week we have a blog tour review for An Eye For An Eye by Carol Wyer, as well as a mix of reviews for some cracking new, and old, titles.
i have to say that I am pretty excited about this week, and not just because it is the first of ten four-day weeks at work (yippee). I have some more most excellent books in the planner for this week and I cannot wait to tuck in. I hope that you all have something very exciting lined up this week, even if it is only just catching up on Netflix.
By the way, if you are a TV lover, and you haven’t checked it out yet, may I suggest It’s A Sin, which is available on C4 catch up. I binged the whole series on Saturday, part of the reason I didn’t read or review quite as much as I’d planned. It is entertaining, powerful and truly emotional and I defy anyone not to feel the heartbreak as they watch it. Not often I do Tv recommendations as I can’t actually be arsed to watch it, and i seem to only be paying my monthly fees to watch the same programmes on repeat on Sky Crime these days, but this was a very worthy exception. And if you like this, maybe look for The Normal Heart, an American take on the same issue. Both are heart wrenching and both have important lessons for us to learn. There are many parallels to be drawn to our current situation which probably heightens the emotions, but it is also an important reminder of a very shameful, sadly not so distant past.
Anyhoo – I’m more about the books, so if you are interested in reading more of the early days in the AIDS crisis as a whole, and about real life people just like the character of Jill in It’s A Sin, maybe check out All The Young Men by Ruth Coker Burns, a woman who honestly lived that whole experience. I’ve not read it yet, but it’s on my tbr for a time when I am ready emotionally to cope with it.
Hope you have a fabulous week all. Enjoy your books, or your telly, or even just gorging on Chocolate. It’s Pancake Day month in the UK – two weeks tomorrow – whoop whoop – so all the more reason to be having some fun.
Speak Soon.
Jen xx
Jen Med's Book Reviews 