And there we have it. The end of the month. Happy Halloween folks.
Bottom row – Audrey II (Little Shop Of Horrors) and Gage and Church (Pet Sematary)
Aren’t they cute?
I’d like to say I’ve done something constructive with my time, that I made the most of my final day of my long weekend last weekend, but I haven’t and I didn’t. I’ve more or less managed to keep on top of my reading and, hopefully, by the time you read this I’ll have made a dent in my reviews as well. Can’t guarantee the quality, but the thought is there …
It’s been a more sedate book week this week after my ‘power of three moment’ last weekend. You’d have thought I’d have saved that for Halloween right? Meh – I like to be awkward. Just the one bit of book post this week but it made me very happy. Thanks to Carol Wyer for the dedicated copy of Behind Closed Doors and the very lovely message that accompanied it.
Book buy wise I managed to get in four orders/preorders. Crow 27 by Matt Johnson (21 Oct) is a brand new Robert Finlay story and I can’t wait to read it. I preordered A Summer Surprise at the Little Blue Boathouse by Christie Barlow (30 Apr 23) and Expectant by Vanda Symon (16 Feb 23). Very excited for both of those. I also treated myself to a copy of Twisted Lives by Mel Sherratt (27 Oct) which was released this week. Not too many, not too few,
Just the two new Netgalley titles this week. That’s enough, right? Homecoming by Isabel Ashdown (24 Nov) which I’m reading for the blog tour organised by Tracy Fenton and Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood. I loved book one in the Marlow Murder Club series about a group of amateur sleuths (ladies of a certain age and the most unlikely trio you could ever expect to meet) who set out to solve a puzzling murder, so am looking forward to seeing what they get up to this time.
Books I have read
Private Investigator and WWII veteran, Aloysius Archer, returns to solve a new case in Hollywood in Dream Town, a riveting thriller from international number 1 bestselling author, David Baldacci.
All that glitters . . .
1952, Los Angeles. It is New Year’s Eve and PI Aloysius Archer is dining with his friend and rising Hollywood actress Liberty Callahan when they’re approached by Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter who would like to hire him, as she suspects someone is trying to kill her.
Murder and mystery
A visit to Lamb’s Malibu residence leaves Archer knocked unconscious after he stumbles over a dead body in the hallway; and Lamb seems to have vanished. With the police now involved in the case, a close friend and colleague of Lamb’s employs Archer to find out what’s happened to the screenwriter.
The City of Angels – or somewhere much, much darker?
Archer’s investigation takes him from the rich, glamorous and glitzy LA to the seedy, dark side of the city, and onward to the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, just now hitting its stride as a hot spot for celebrities and a money-making machine for the mob. In a place where cops and crooks work hand in hand, Archer will cross paths with Hollywood stars, politicians and notorious criminals. He’ll almost die several times, and he’ll discover bodies and secrets from the canyons and beaches of Malibu and the luxurious mansions of Bel Air and Beverly Hills to the narcotics clubs of Chinatown.
With the help of Liberty and his PI partner Willie Dash, Archer will risk everything and leave no stone unturned in finding the missing Eleanor Lamb, and in bringing to justice killers who would love nothing better than to plant Archer six feet under.
You’ve heard his true story – now go deeper into Ant Middleton’s world with his ultra-authentic thriller series.
Hiding out in a small village in France, ex-Special Forces veteran turned vigilante Mallory is trying to keep out of trouble, aware that there is a darkness within him that seeks out trouble – that enjoys it.
But one night in a bar he meets an old man afraid for his granddaughter, worried about the young man with whom she’s become involved.
Unable to resist the pull of action, and of helping a family in need, Mallory is quickly draw into a turf war that it will take all his special skills to survive.
The Sunday Times-bestselling book one in the Mallory series, Cold Justice, is available now.
Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver
THERE ARE TWO FUNDAMENTAL RULES OF SURVIVAL.
#1: NEVER BE WITHOUT A MEANS OF ESCAPE.
Allison Parker is on the run with her teenage daughter, Hannah, and Colter Shaw has been hired by her eccentric boss, entrepreneur Marty Harmon, to find and protect her. Though he’s an expert at tracking missing persons—even those who don’t wish to be found—Shaw has met his match in Allison, who brings all her skills as a brilliant engineer designing revolutionary technology to the game of evading detection.
#2: NEVER BE WITHOUT ACCESS TO A WEAPON.
The reason for Allison’s panicked flight is soon apparent. She’s being stalked by her ex-husband, Jon Merritt. Newly released from prison and fueled by blinding rage, Jon is a man whose former profession as a police detective makes him uniquely suited for the hunt. And he’s not alone. Two hitmen are also hot on her heels—an eerie pair of thugs who take delight not only in murder but in the sport of devising clever ways to make bodies disappear forever. Even if Shaw manages to catch up with Allison and her daughter, his troubles will just be beginning.
SHAW IS ABOUT TO DISCOVER RULE #3:
NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING.
As Shaw ventures further into the wilderness, the truth becomes as hard to decipher as the forest’s unmarked trails…and peril awaits at every turn.
More luck than planning that I’ve managed to read three books again this week. Helps that they are all thrillers and I love the characters as that makes my concentration a little better than normal.
Busy enough week on the blog – recap below:
#Review – The Woman On The Island – Ann Cleeves
#Review – The Bleeding – Johanna Gustawsson
#Review – The Brutal Tide – Kate Rhodes
#Review – The Dilemma – Julia Roberts
#Review – Silent Victim – Michael Wood
#Review – Deceit – Jónína Leósdóttir
Another full week of reviews, but just the one tour. This time it’s The Silent Dead by Marnie Riches. I love Marnie’s work so it’s always a pleasure getting to read a new title early. This one’s a cracker.
That’s it from me. I like to leave things on a happy note so here’s a boop picture of my kitties, Pain-in and The-butt …
Happy reading all. Just one more week of work for me and then a step away from the norm for the next couple of weeks. Maybe that will help me get back on track, who knows?
Oh, and if you are taking part in Na-No-Wri-Mo then good luck. I’ll be ready and waiting to read your novel on the other side.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 