Good news. My car has passed its MOT. Not that I expected otherwise, but it’s always good to have it confirmed in writing in a way that means I don’t fall foul of the law. As long as I renew my tax next month, anyway.
Today I start workplace hokey-kokey, not sure if I will be in office or not. Not going to lie – I could do with a break from the day to day, but I was thinking more along the lines of me, sofa, book, peace, not what I will be doing (potentially) but hey ho …
Been very busy at work because I have been trying to ensure everything urgent is done just in case, that I haven’t done anything remotely interesting all week and have no interesting pictures to share. To make up for it, I went out and took a nice moon picture and a slightly less in focus or nice picture of Jupiter. Don’t I just spoilt you all? Can’t decide if the dots around Jupiter are just light orbs caused by the magnification or its moons. I like to think moons then it slightly makes up for my really poor, shaky hand photography. (Hand held night shot taken by just poking my camera out of the porch door as it was too cold …)
Anyway … Book wise I think I’ve had a pretty good week. My Goldsboro book orders of Wolf Pack by Will Dean and The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson (translated by David Warriner) both arrived – yay.
I had one Netgalley download – The Institution by Helen Fields courtesy of Avon, a new Connie Woolwine thriller (02 Mar 23) and, because they have now had their cover reveals, I can confirm that, yes, I have pre-ordered Expectant by Vanda Symon (16 Feb 23) and The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone (16 Mar 23), both Orenda Books titles. Sooooo excited about all of these titles. Cannot wait to read them.
Other books I have bought/pre-ordered this week are 22 Seconds by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro; My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby (republication of his debut novel – 06 Dec); and Sinister Spring by Agatha Christie (02 Mar 23)
Not too shabby a week and I am very happy.
Books I have read
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Ike Randolph left jail fifteen years ago, with not so much as a speeding ticket since.
But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.
Ike is devastated to learn his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Though he never fully accepted his son, Ike is broken by his death.
Derek’s father Buddy Lee was as ashamed of Derek being gay as Derek was of his father’s criminal past. But Buddy Lee – with seedy contacts deep in the underworld – needs to know who killed his only child.
Desperate to do better by them in death than they did in life, two hardened ex-cons must confront their own prejudices about their sons – and each other – as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.
A provocative revenge thriller and an achingly tender story of redemption, this novel is a ferocious portrait of grief; for those loved and lost, and for mistakes than can never truly be undone.
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
Twelve clues.
Twelve keys.
Twelve days of Christmas.
But who will survive until Twelfth Night?
Lily Armitage never intended to return to Endgame House – the grand family home where her mother died twenty-one Christmases ago. Until she receives a letter from her aunt, asking her to return to take part in an annual tradition: the Christmas Game. The challenge? Solve twelve clues, to find twelve keys. The prize? The deeds to the manor house.
Lily has no desire to win the house. But her aunt makes one more promise: The clues will also reveal who really killed Lily’s mother all those years ago.
So, for the twelve days of Christmas, Lily must stay at Endgame House with her estranged cousins and unravel the riddles that hold the key not just to the family home, but to its darkest secrets. However, it soon becomes clear that her cousins all have their own reasons for wanting to win the house – and not all of them are playing fair.
As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, the game turns deadly. Soon Lily realises that she is no longer fighting for an inheritance, but for her life.
This Christmas is to die for . . . Let the game begin
Welcome to The Starlings… sun, sea and neighbours to die for.
Security, a sparkling sea view and the best kind of neighbours – The Starlings gated community has it all. Here, doors are left open, children run free, and at the heart of it all is the entrepreneurial Gold Family, who first dreamed up this aspirational vision of ‘Dorset’s Safest Community’. To the outside world the popular family appears glitteringly blessed… until an idyllic party takes a dark turn and one of their number is found slumped at the foot of the clocktower. Who knows what really happened? And what answers are harboured within the old building, the former Highcap Mother and Baby Home?’
A mesmerising, character-rich thriller with a long-buried secret vibrating at its core: this is Isabel Ashdown at her heart-stopping best, for readers who enjoyed Big Little Lies, Dr Foster or Little Fires Everywhere.
Another three book read … I am spotting a pattern here. Slow, slow, slow in the week, blast through a couple on a weekend. Whatever works though, right? Busy enough week on the blog although the slow down begins so I have time to prep for Bookvent 2023. Recap below:
#Review – Scheme – Jeffery Deaver
#Review – The Silent Dead – Marnie Riches
#Review – The Gathering Dark – James Oswald
#Review – Ghosts in the Gloaming – Denzil Meyrick
#Review – Death in the Sunshine – Steph Broadribb
The week ahead is full of riches. Well, book reviews, but that’s close enough. Just the one blog tour though, Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons, which I share with the world on Wednesday – publication day.
In celebration of the publication of Hidden Scars, I am delighted to have been invited to be part of a Facebook live event with Angela Marsons, Kim Nash and Nigel Adams. If you’d like to see just how frazzled I look after a day at work, or are just curious as to whether I can come up with any sensible questions that don’t involve Jaffa Cakes, then head over to the Bookouture Facebook page at 7pm on Tuesday 8th. We’ll be there!
Hope you all have a wonderful week of reading or whatever other pursuits keep you happy. The world is being cast in shadow at the moment so best to enjoy the light wherever you find it.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 