Mr Sandman by SJI Holliday

Today I hand back to mandie who has a review of a book she recently won, Mr Sandman by SJI Holliday. Here’s what the book is all about:

About the Book

Sophie is bored with her perfectly nice but deathly dull boyfriend Matthew. Sensing he’s about to lose her, Matthew takes her on a last-ditch attempt trip to the seaside, hoping to rekindle their dying flames. But things take a dark turn when Sophie visits Mr Sandman, a Haitian priest, who claims that he can change Matthew into the boyfriend that she wants. But does Sophie really know what she wants? Never has the phrase “be careful what you wish for” been more apt. Because Matthew does change…just not in the way that anyone could’ve predicted.

Mandie’s Thoughts

I had seen quite a bit about this novella by SJI Holliday so when I won a copy in a competition, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Having read a couple of books by Susi, I knew that this was something a little different, but I think that is what appealed to me.

On the face of it, Sophie had a good relationship with her boyfriend Matthew except for one thing. She was bored. Matthew was very attentive but there was no spontaneity, everything was done to a plan. She had already made up her mind to break up with him before they returned from their day trip to the seaside. Whilst there she visits Mr Sandman, who claiming he can grant Sophie her wish, gives her a vial of powder. After Matthew has an accident, things begin to change, and Sophie is left wondering was it all really mumbo jumbo after all.

This book really does prove the saying “be careful what you wish for”. Sophie does seem a little self-centred as its all about what she wants from a relationship and rather than even discussing it, her first instinct was to dump Matthew, followed by an instinct to try to change him….and when you read the book you will know exactly how that all turned out. The story is very heavily steeped in voodoo myths and legends and is only 84 pages long, but it is jam packed and will keep the reader engaged right to the end. I absolutely loved it and if you have not discovered Susi Holliday for yourselves, I would heartily recommend this to get you started.

About the Author

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday grew up in East Lothian, Scotland. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize. She now lives in London (except when she is in Edinburgh) and loves to travel the world.

She has written three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: “Black Wood”, “Willow Walk” and “The Damselfly” – all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray.

Her serial killer thriller “The Deaths of December” (written as Susi Holliday), featuring Detective Sergeant Eddie Carmine and Detective Constable Becky Greene was a festive hit in 2017.

Her spooky mystery “The Lingering” was released in September 2018, followed by “Violet” – a psychological thriller set on the Trans-Siberian Express – in September 2019. “Violet” has been optioned for film.

Writing as Susi Holliday (again!) her next two releases, “The Last Resort” and “Substitute” are due out from Thomas & Mercer late 2020 and summer 2021 – both of these books are suspense thrillers with a technological element (a blend of Black Mirror, Tales of the Unexpected and The Twilight Zone).