Another week down and the end of March is nearly upon us. That’s a quarter of the year gone, more or less. Can you believe it? I’m not sure if it feels like forever or a blink of an eye. This week felt long, but that’s because I had to work four days this week for the first time in I can’t remember how long. Still managed to get out for a few walks though, and met up with lovely author, Abbie Osborne for lunch mid week which was fab as I’ve not seen her in person since last September. We had a good chat about her upcoming new release with Bloodhound Books. It sounds like she’s taken a step towards the darker side of her writing and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
It’s been a lovely week for book post this week. I’m still smiling. A couple of books arrived that I was expecting, one that I had ordered and a trio of unexpected delights that I’ve had my eye on but have now been gifted by the publisher. Plus I got a good handful of Netgalley titles, and a gifted arc of a book which is due to be published this summer from an author you all need to look out for. Book-book wise I received five lovely proof copies: The Blackbird by Tim Weaver courtesy of Penguin; three books in the Inspector Low series by Neil Humphreys – Bloody Foreigners, Marina Bay Sins and Rich Kill, Poor Kill – from the lovely folk at Muswell Press and The Dark by Sharon Bolton from the team at Orion. I bought a copy of Laidlaw by William McIlvanney from Bert’s Books.
If that wasn’t enough, I was also gifted an ARC of The Redeemer by Victoria Goldman. The Redeemer is tipped for a summer release and, having been lucky enough to have read an early version of the book, I’m excited to see how the final copy has turned out. This is the very book that gained Victoria an honourable mention in then inaugural Capital Crime New Voices Award too. No pre-order links yet but I’ll share them as soon as available and the blurb is right here for your perusal. You can find Victoria over on her dedicated author Facebook page to keep up to date with the books release.
The Redeemer by Victoria Goldman
‘REPENT BEFORE YOU DIE … OR MAY YOU NEVER R.I.P.’
Threatening plaques, vigilante killings, a Jewish community in an English town – what’s the link? The clock is ticking to the next murder.
After witnessing a racist incident in a small Hertfordshire town, journalist Shanna Regan uncovers a series of threatening fake commemorative plaques. Each plaque highlights someone’s misdemeanour rather than a good deed.
Delving deeper, Shanna discovers these plaques are linked to vigilante killings spanning several decades, with ties to the local Jewish community.
As her search for the truth becomes personal, Shanna puts her own life in danger. Can she stop the next murder in time?
In addition to ALL of the above, I picked up five wonderful titles from Netgalley – Confidence by Denise Mina; Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister; The Lost Ones by Marnie Riches; An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle and The New Doctor at Peony Practice by Christie Barlow.
Books I have read
Keep Her Sweet by Helen Fitzgerald
When a middle-aged couple downsizes to the countryside for an easier life, their two daughters become isolated, argumentative and violent … A chilling, vicious and darkly funny psychological thriller from bestselling author Helen FitzGerald.
Desperate to enjoy their empty nest, Penny and Andeep downsize to the countryside, to forage, upcycle and fall in love again, only to be joined by their two twenty-something daughters, Asha and Camille.
Living on top of each other in a tiny house, with no way to make money, tensions simmer, and as Penny and Andeep focus increasingly on themselves, the girls become isolated, argumentative and violent.
When Asha injures Camille, a family therapist is called in, but she shrugs off the escalating violence between the sisters as a classic case of sibling rivalry … and the stress of the family move.
But this is not sibling rivalry. The sisters are in far too deep for that.
This is a murder, just waiting to happen…
Chilling, vicious and darkly funny, Keep Her Sweet is not just a tense, sinister psychological thriller, but a startling look at sister relationships and they bonds they share … or shatter.
IT STARTS WITH A BODY-a young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.
For Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations at the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, an already horrific crime takes on a personal edge when she discovers the victim is an old friend, from a dark past she thought she’d left behind.
Rumour travels fast in small towns, while sweltering heat and state-wide elections only add to the pressure-cooker atmosphere. When another body is found, Riley is in danger of being engulfed by the fear and the frenzy. Something deeply disturbing is out there – and it reaches far beyond Black Hawk County.
Everyday Kindness – Collated by LJ Ross
Everyday Kindness is a charity anthology of short, fictional stories of kindness, edited by LJ Ross. These uplifting tales of hope and of small, everyday kindnesses are intended to support wider, positive mental health goals and foster wellbeing through the act of reading tales of goodwill inspired by others. Featuring authors across the spectrum of literature, some international bestsellers and award-winning writers amongst them, this is a unique collection of words.
All proceeds from the book will be donated to Shelter, a charity that helps millions of people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness.
Authors include: LJ Ross, Adam Hamdy, Alex Smith, Alexander Gordon Smith, Alison Stockham, Anne O’Leary, Barbara Copperthwaite, J.D. Kirk, C.L. Taylor, Caroline Mitchell, Chris McDonald, C.K. McDonnell, Claire Sheehy, Clare Flynn, Darren O’Sullivan, David Leadbeater, Debbie Young, Deborah Carr, Emma Robinson, Graham Brack, Hannah Lynn, Heather Martin, Holly Martin, Ian Sainsbury, Imogen Clark, James Gilbert, Jane Corry, Jean Gill, J.J. Marsh, Judith O’Reilly, Kelly Clayton, Kim Nash, Leah Mercer, Liz Fenwick, Louise Beech, Louise Jensen, Louise Mumford, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Marcia Woolf, Mark Stay, Marcie Steele, Natasha Bache, Nick Jackson, Nick Quantrill, Nicky Black, Patricia Gibney, Rachel Sargeant, Rob Parker, Rob Scragg, S.E. Lynes, Shelley Day, Casey Kelleher, Sophie Hannah, Victoria Connelly, Victoria Cooke, Will Dean.
No blog tours this coming week but reviews every day. A full week of reviews on the blog last week too, recap below:
#Review – Bad Penny – Michele Gorman
#Review – Fall – West Camel
#Review – The Girl In The Shadows – Marion Kummerow
#Review – Rizzio – Denise Mina
#Review – Nothing To Hide – James Oswald
So that is my week in a nutshell. I’m only in work two days this week – three days off and a couple of days away. I think we may be a bit waterlogged as the weather is due to change, but that never stops us. It’s par for the course really, isn’t it? With any luck we may get enough of a break in the showers to take a few candid pictures too so you may see more than swans in next week’s post. Stranger things have happened …
Have a lovely week. Hope it’s full of bookishness.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 