Author: bookafterbook

Publication: 18th April 2019 – Penguin Books UK

It’s one of the most disturbing cases DI Fawley has ever worked.

The Christmas holidays, and two children have just been pulled from the wreckage of their burning home in North Oxford. The toddler is dead, and his brother is soon fighting for his life.

Why were they left in the house alone? Where is their mother, and why is their father not answering his phone?

Then new evidence is discovered, and DI Fawley’s worst nightmare comes true.

Because this fire wasn’t an accident. It was murder.

And the killer is still out there…

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For some reason I had the latest novel by Cara Hunter on my TBR for a while before I decided to pick it up and once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I love her writing style, her characters, and her twisty plots and I was really happy to go back to Oxford and Adam Fawley’s amazing team.

It’s a cold night in Oxford right, after the Christmas holidays, and DI Fawley and his team are called to investigate a house fire. Two children are pulled out from the ruins while her parents are nowhere to be found. The firefights quickly rule out the accident, there was too much accelerant on the scene, but who would want to harm two young children? And where are their parents?

Cara Hunter knows how to capture the author’s attention by using different perspectives and a well-crafted narrative structure: we jump from one character to another, we travel back in time to see the events that led to the night of the fire, and we read emails, detailed police reports, newspaper articles, and comments from readers that make the story feel much more authentic and intriguing.

The authenticity is given also by the author’s focus on the detectives’ personal lives. As DI Fawley and his team work hard to find out the truth, they have their own problems to solve. Following the events of the previous books, there are jealousies and resentments that could cause trouble among the members of the team and DI Adam Fawley has his own marital problems to figure out.

The story is suspenseful and the surprises just keep coming, however, as it happens with stories involving children, there are also a few heartbreaking moments that were hard to read. No Way Out is thrilling and compelling with a cast of likable and engaging characters that I am already looking forward to meet again in the next novel coming out in January!

 

Publication: 4th April 2019 (hardcover & eBook); 3rd October 2019 (paperback) – Michael Joseph

Four friends visited the island. But only three returned . . .

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is sent to the isolated island of Elliðaey to investigate a disappearance.

But she finds haunting similarities to an old case – the murder of a young woman ten years ago.

Has a patient killer struck again?

Hulda is soon caught in a web of deceit, convinced everyone is lying, even those closest to her.

What secrets is the island hiding?

And what price will she pay for uncovering the truth?

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I loved The Darkness, the first novel featuring Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir so I have been looking forward to reading The Island, the second book in the series. While in The Darkness Hulda was preparing to retire and leave the police force, in The Island we go back in time when Hulda was an established detective, but, because of prejudices against working women, she was still finding it hard getting the promotion she deserved and she wished for. In this new novel, we see a more personal side to Hulda’s life, as she seeks the father she never met and she grieves over the loss of the people she loves.

In the 1980s, we meet a young couple going away for the weekend in a cabin in the Icelandic Westfjords. Their love story is new and exciting and no one knows about it, not even their friends and their families. A few days later, a body is found and the police investigates. Ten years later, four friends, who haven’t seen each other for a while, get together and spend the weekend on an isolated island. Once again, the weekend ends in tragedy and Hulda investigates…

First of all, I love Ragnar Jónasson’s descriptions of Iceland. They are so beautiful, detailed, and evocative that make me wish that I could hop on a plane and go there right away. Also, I love how the remoteness and danger of the places described fit perfectly with the suspense in the story.

I really like the character of Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir. She is determined, not afraid to speak up and stand up for herself in a men-only working environment where she is expected simply to make coffee and follow orders. She is smart and good at her job, looking for the truth, no matter what. I found her personal life heartbreaking, but also intriguing. The personal tragedies that hit her family could have broken her, but she still finds a purpose in her job. In The Island, her search for her birth father is central to the plot and it made me like this character more and more.

The murder, the secrets, and the lies kept the suspense high. If you loved Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None you will love the plot created by the author: four friends alone on a remote island, one of them disappears, one (or all) of them is guilty… Brilliant!

Gripping, beautifully-written, and full of twists, I devoured The Island and I am already looking forward to reading the third book of this fantastic trilogy!!!

A huge thank you to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel.

 

 

Publication: 7th December 2019 (eBook); 20th February 2020 (paperback) – One More Chapter

Hannah Thompson loves her family beyond words… but sometimes she wishes they would recognise her as more than just ‘mum’.

Eldest son Dylan is soon to be flying the nest, sixteen-year-old Scarlet keeps asking about penalties for worryingly specific crimes, they’ve forgotten world book day and Benji absolutely will not be Where’s Wally again, and it’s at least two days before she and hubby Nick can sit down for Wine Wednesdays… and even longer until Fizzy Friday.

Determined to find herself a job that she loves, earn a whole lot of money and to have her teenagers respect her as ‘Hannah’ as well as ‘mum’; it might sound like a tall order, but she’s a mum on a mission.

A laugh-out-loud read of self-discovery, family chaos and love. Perfect for fans of Gill Sims, Fiona Gibson and Nick Spalding.

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If you are looking for a fun and entertaining read that will make you laugh (even on a train full of people that then turn to look at you in a weird way, true story!) then you should pick up Not Just A Mum, the fantastic debut novel by Rebecca Smith.

The protagonist is Hannah Thompson, in her forties, married, three children (two teenagers and one adorable ten-year-old boy), a biology teacher turned into an English teacher to a class of students who are more interested in pulling each other’s chairs than in learning about George Orwell. She is a voracious reader and aspiring author and she decides to start writing erotica, but sex scenes are hard to write when she blushes just thinking about them…

As much as her work life is far from dull, her family life is even more noisy and interesting: her oldest son, Dylan, spends a lot of time alone in his room “revising for the exams” with his new girlfriend; her daughter Scarlet wants to change her name to Scarlett with two tt, she wants the fridge full of cucumbers, and she has her own ideas about feminism; luckily, her ten-year-old son Benji is still innocent and all he wants to do is play. And then, there is her husband, Nick, supportive, always ready to help and experimenting new positions to help Hannah write her erotica book.

As I mentioned, I laughed, a lot! Hannah is hilarious… she is one of these characters that it’s always likable and engaging, even her classes often take a fun turn. The story is told from her point of views so I sympathized with her as she tried to control a class of hormonal teenagers, as she struggled with her children growing up, and as she tried to find a new path in her life that satisfies her.

Not Just A Mum is so well-written that I was surprised to learn that it’s a debut novel. Captivating, refreshing, and riveting, it’s a book I will keep recommending!!!

A huge thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.

Publication: 7th March 2019 (hardcover, eBook); 31st October 2019 (paperback) – Constable

How do you find a killer when you’re surrounded by madness?

1935. As Europe prepares itself for a calamitous war, six homicidal lunatics – the so-called ‘Devil’s Six’ – are confined in a remote castle asylum in rural Czechoslovakia. Each patient has their own dark story to tell and Dr Viktor Kosárek, a young psychiatrist using revolutionary techniques, is tasked with unlocking their murderous secrets.

At the same time, a terrifying killer known as ‘Leather Apron’ is butchering victims across Prague. Successfully eluding capture, it would seem his depraved crimes are committed by the Devil himself. Maybe they are… and what links him with the insane inmates of the Castle of the Eagles?

Only the Devil knows. And it is up to Viktor to find out.

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I found the new novel by Craig Russell quite fascinating and scary. It’s an historical novel with gothic and horror elements that make each page highly suspenseful. At the center of the story there is a brutal serial killer on the loose in a pre-World War II Czechoslovakia where the first signs of tension between Jewish and German-born people start to show.

One of the protagonists of the story is Doctor Victor Kosárek who, after finishing his studies under Carl Jung, is starting his new job at Hrad Orlu, an asylum housed in a ancient medieval castle famous because its residents are the notorious “Devil Six”, the worst psychopatics in Central Europe. Victor hopes that his new tecnique of interviewing will help him figure out the Devil Aspect and uncover the truth behind their acts.

In the meantime, in Prague, the serial killer known as Leather Apron is terrorizing the city and detective  Lukas Smolak has to stop him, but the bodies keep piling up and clues lead him to questions some of the residents of Hrad Orlu.

The Devil Aspect is dark, claustrophobic, and chilling. The murders described are gruesome and not for the light-hearted (I found some of the descriptions hard to read). The author couldn’t find apter title for this novel. Through Viktor’s interviews with the inmates of Hrad Orlu we hear some of the worst murders I have ever read and the author masterfully sets them at the beginning of one of the darkest era in history. It’s the year 1935 and the Nazi power is spreading through Europe. We see predictions of a black furutre because of the historical and political situation at the time, we see people not trusting each other because of their religion and origin, the madness and evil inside the asylum going hand to hand with the madness and evil happening outside.

A story of murders, folklore, legends, and beliefs, The Devil Aspect kept me literally on the edge of my seat and it’s full of shocking twists that I didn’t see coming. A real page-turner!

A big thank you to Little, Brown and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the novel.

 

Publication: 28th November 2019 – Simon & Schuster UK

In late 1983, a letter arrives from Italy, containing secrets so unthinkable that it is hidden away, apparently forever. More than three decades later, it is found . . . by the last person who was ever supposed to see it.

When Allie opens an envelope in her grandmother’s house, it changes everything she knows about her family – and herself.

With the truth liable to hurt those she loves most, she hires a private detective to find out what happened to her late mother in the summer before Allie was born. Taking leave from her job as a research scientist, she is led to the sun-drenched shores of Lake Garda, accompanied by her best friend Ed.

But the secrets that emerge go far beyond anything they were expecting. Now, Allie must find the courage to confront her family’s tangled past and reshape her own future.

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What would you do if you find out that everything you believed in about your birth and your family is a lie? Would you look for the truth even if it could hurt everyone you love? That’s a hard decision to make for Allie, the protagonist of Catherine Isaac’s beautiful new novel, Messy, Wonderful Us.

When Allie goes through her grandmother’s drawers what she finds is not at all what she expected. The discovery of a photo and a letter from Italy turns her world upside down. Allie decides to travel to Italy in search of truth without saying anything to her father or her grandparents. Accompanying her is her best friend Ed. Wealthy, handsome, and with a beautiful wife, Ed’s life should be perfect. Yet, he can’t sleep and he is depressed and, in need to take some serious decisions, he decides to take a break from his life and go with Allie to Italy. Travelling from Lake Garda to Portofino, secrets come to light, secrets that could change their lives forever.

The characters are not perfect. They are flawed, but they are also authentic, relatable, and very likable (at least, most of them because there is also a villain). There is also a third character’s point view, with their own secrets and whose identity is revealed towards the end so I am not going to tell much about them. My favourite character was Allie’s father, Joe. So sweet and good and I loved reading about their father-daughter close relationship.

I loved the beautiful descriptions of Italy, so evocative and detailed that it was almost like being there. It’s a fantastic setting for this heart-warming and immersive story. Catherine Isaac masterfully explores themes of grief, second chances, self-discovery, family, and friendship. I was tense as the secrets are slowly revealed and I didn’t relax until the very ending of the story. There are many emotional moments, but I also had a few laugh at Allie and Ed’s witty exchanges and I loved how easy their relationship is.

Messy, Wonderful Us is a brilliant and thought-provoking novel and I can’t wait to read more by Catherine Isaac.

A huge thank you to Sara-Jade and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an early copy of the novel.

 

Publication: 28th November 2019 (eBook); 30th April 2020 (paperback) – Simon & Schuster UK

LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS . . . ISN’T IT?

My brother’s getting married in a few weeks and asked for help picking a song for his first dance. I suggested Kiss’s ‘Love’s a Slap in the Face’.

It didn’t go down well.

When she was a teenager, Zoë Frixos fell in love with Simon Baxter, her best friend and the boy next door. But his family moved to America before she could tell him how she felt and, like a scratched record, she’s never quite moved on. Now, almost twenty years later, Simon is heading back to London, newly single and as charming as ever . . .

With Simon back in town, Zoë is determined to finally pluck up the courage to tell him how she feels, but as obstacles continue to get in her way – Jess, Simon’s perfect ex-girlfriend, Nick, an obnoxious publicist determined to ruin Zoe’s career, and family pressure around her brother’s big(ish) fat(ish) Greek wedding – Zoe begins to wonder whether, after all these years, she and Simon just aren’t meant to be.

What if, instead, they’re forever destined to shuffle around their feelings for each other, never quite mastering the steps. Is Zoë right to be sceptical about romance, or is it time she changed her tune?

With a smart, relatable central character and razor-sharp wit, Love Songs for Sceptics is perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Lucy Vine and Sophie Kinsella.

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Zoe Frixos, music journalist, wants two things: finally getting together with Simon, her first love, and getting to interview elusive singer Marcie Tyler for her magazine. Zoe had been in love with Simon since she was thirteen. Now, he’s single and back for good in London so this may be their chance to be together, at last. If only his ex-girlfriend wasn’t so much present in his life…

Marcie Taylor is Zoe’s idol, but she’s been away from the music scene for the last ten years and she hasn’t given any interview. An article about her may be her chance to save her magazine, Re-sound, from being closed, even if that means having to spend much of her time with her annoying PR, Nick.

To say that I enjoyed this novel it’s saying too little. I loved it and I devoured in one day (luckily it was a Sunday or I would have had to take the day off!). Love Songs for Sceptics is funny, refreshing, and captivating and I really liked the characters. Zoe is a brilliant and well-developed heroine: she is determined, stubborn, witty, and very likable. I admired the strengths she would go to save her magazine and to help the people she loves and she made me laugh a lot. I also liked her colleagues Mike, Lucy, and Gavin, her brother Pete and her future sister-in-law Alice, and the sometime-irritating Nick.

Zoe is not the only protagonist of the story. The author’s deep knowledge of music is impressive and I loved how she weaves it through the story making it at the centre of the plot.

Love Songs for Sceptics is definitely a must-read for 2019 (the eBook is out next week) and 2020 (paperback is published in April) and I highly recommend it to all music and romance readers out there!

A huge thank you to Sara-Jade and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an early copy of the novel.

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Christina Pishiris was born in London to Greek Cypriot parents, who used to bribe her to go to family weddings by promising that George Michael might be there. To deal with the inevitable disappointment, she began scribbling stories on napkins and has been writing ever since. She started her career as a journalist, specialising in the TV industry, before going freelance. Since meeting her film-maker husband she’s also moved into production, working on music documentaries. Her hobbies include compiling cheesy 80s playlists, coveting the neighbour’s cat and writing protest letters to Guerlain after they discontinued her favourite perfume.

Publication: 14th November 2019 – Hodder & Stoughton

A cold case for Captain Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido of the Hawks elite police unit – not what they were looking for. And a difficult case, too. The body of Johnson Johnson, ex-cop, has been found beside a railway line. He appears to have jumped from South Africa’s – perhaps the world’s – most luxurious train, and two suspicious characters seen with him have disappeared into thin air. The regular police have already failed to make progress and others are intent on muddying the waters.

Meanwhile in Bordeaux, Daniel Darret is settled in a new life on a different continent. A quiet life. But his skills as an international hit-man are required one more time, and Daniel is given no choice in the matter. He must hunt again – his prey the corrupt president of his homeland.

Three strands of the same story become entwined in a ferocious race against time – for the Hawks to work out what lies behind the death of Johnson, for Daniel to evade the relentless Russian agents tracking him, for Benny Griessel to survive long enough to take another huge step in his efforts to piece together again the life he nearly destroyed – and finally ask Alexa Bernard to marry him.

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Happy Monday everyone and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Last Hunt, the latest thrilling novel by Deon Meyer.

The Last Hunt is the sixth novel featuring Cape Town Captain Benny Griessel, but it’s my first book in this series and by this author. I had no problem following the story as it can easily be read as a stand-alone and, if you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, you’ll soon be reading even the previous five novels. The protagonist of the series, Captain Benny Griessel, is part of the Hawks, an elite unit of the police of Cape Town and, together with his partner Vaughan Cupido, he is called to investigate the murder of an ex bodyguard, Johnson Johnson, who disappeared during a job and whose body was found a few days later. The case is weeks old, assigned to the Hawks unit when it is clear that the local police isn’t able to solve the murder. Their job is not made easy by some powerful forces who want to stop them from finding out the truth…

In the meantime, in Bordeaux, France, Daniel Darret is leading a quiet life after leaving behind his life as a professional hit-man. However, someone from his past has found him and they need his help to save his country. From Europe to South Africa, the author takes us in a world of political corruption, blackmail, and murder that kept me completely captivated.

The Last Hunt is quite a rollercoaster of a read. With a fast-paced and gripping storyline, it is a bit spy-story a bit thriller and I loved how the detectives’ personal lives mixed with the story. Will Benny find the courage to propose to his girlfriend? Will Daniel have the quiet life he dreams of? With the tension high from the first to the last page and fantastic and engaging characters, The Last Hunt is a thriller not to miss!!!

A huge thank you to Jenny Platt and Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of this brilliant novel.

Deon Meyer is the award winning and bestseller of both series and standalone crime thrillers. He has won the Deutsche Krimi Preis Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique for DEAD AT DAYBREAK, which was adapted for an Afrikaans M Net TV series. He has
also received the Barry Award in the Best Thriller and was shortlisted for the Macavity Best Mystery Novel Award. He has been shortlisted for the CWA
International Dagger three times. Rights in his titles are sold in 30 territories and 28 languages and many of his books have been optioned for film. DEAD BEFORE DYING was filmed for a 6 part TV series, titled CAPE TOWN. He is much in demand for appearances at festivals and tours around the world.

Publication: 15th August 2019 (eBook); 14th November 2019 (paperback) – Zaffre

For fans of J. P. Delaney’s The Girl Before comes a thriller that makes us question the lengths we would go to, to keep our family safe.

Three years ago, Nikki and Ethan Rhodes suffered a devastating loss when their four-year-old daughter Grace was tragically killed in a road accident. Ethan, a radio personality, escapes into work, leaving Nikki to care for their remaining child, Bella, who hasn’t spoken since that day.

Seeking a fresh start, the family moves into a revolutionary new house designed by renowned architect, Catriona Fisher. The house features a state-of-the-art security system, along with every amenity you could dream of.

For the Rhodes’ this is a chance to finally pick up the pieces and get on with their lives in a place where they feel totally safe.

But what if 17 Church Row isn’t the safe haven that they think it is?

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I am delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of 17 Church Row, the thrilling new novel by James Carol. A huge thank you to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to join the blog tour and to Bonnier Zaffre for providing me with a proof copy of the novel.

After a tragedy left one daughter dead and the other mute, Nikki and her husband Ethan are looking for a fresh start and the super technological house on 17 Church Row seems the right place to start. Thanks to Alice, the house’s virtual assistant, everything seems to run smoothly as she seems to have everything under control. However from doors locked to sudden black-outs, their new house doesn’t seem to be as safe as they thought…

I found scary the world depicted by James Carol in which people come to rely completely on technology, so much so that they start to bond with them and confide in them. In the novel, the Rhodes family relies entirely on Alice, the virtual assistant, even for the smallest things, and they seek her advice. There is a particular scene that I found very thought-provoking in which Nikki finds Alice reading a story to her daughter Grace and she realizes that it was something that she should have done herself and not a computer. I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I wouldn’t want to live in a house where doors open on their own or where there is a virtual assistant that follows my every move and anticipate my wishes.

17 Church Row is not only a novel about technology and a high suspenseful thriller. It’s also a story of loss and moving on. The author perfectly captures the grief of the Rhodes family, especially Nikki, over the death of their daughter. The descriptions of Nikki’s pain, her fear of losing her other child, her need to protect her all the time were moving and intense and I really felt for her and for her daughter Grace.

Would I recommend 17 Church Row? Of course! It is gripping and twisty and if you loved The Girl Before by JP Delaney, you are going to adore this. It’s similar in themes (the high-tech house and the mystery), but it has its own originality and twists that make it difficult to put it down!

Publication: 31st October 2019 – HarperFiction

Fearless, frank and for anyone who’s ever doubted themselves, So Lucky is the straight-talking new novel from the Sunday Times bestseller.

IS ANYONE’S LIFE . . .

Beth shows that women really can have it all.
Ruby lives life by her own rules.
And then there’s Lauren, living the dream.

AS PERFECT AS IT LOOKS?
 
Beth hasn’t had sex in a year.
Ruby feels like she’s failing.
Lauren’s happiness is fake news.

And it just takes one shocking event to make the truth come tumbling out…

The bold and brilliant new novel from Dawn O’Porter, the bestselling author of The Cows.

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I did love reading The Cows so I have been really excited to read Dawn O’Porter’s new novel, So Lucky. The protagonists are three women. Ruby feels she is failing as a mother, she is angry all the time, and she is ashamed of her own body because of a rare condition. Beth has just had a baby, but she went right back to work to organize the wedding of the year. She feels guilty not only for leaving her son at home, but also for her dreams of sleeping with other men as her husband doesn’t seem very interested in having a more intimate relationship with her. And then, there is Lauren. A model with millions of followers on Instagram and about to marry her gorgeous billionaire fiancé, but is her life as perfect as it looks on Instagram?

What I really love about Dawn O’Porter’s novels is the authenticity of her characters and her stories. With their problems, their insecurities, and their dreams, these women feel realistic and relatable and the readers feel connected to them. I liked Beth, Ruby and Lauren, even if there were times when I found them irritating or I didn’t like what they were doing. I sympathized more with Beth and Ruby because we get a complete and honest picture of them. Lauren remains more of a mystery. We meet Lauren through her Instagram posts and through Ruby and Beth’s eyes who are both involved in the organization of her wedding. The self-assurance she shows to her followers is shadowed, in real life, by her overbearing and bossy mother and her too-perfect-too-be-true fiancé. I think that my favourite character is Risky, Beth’s assistant. She is so outspoken and brazen and she often made me laugh out loud.

So Lucky is thought-provoking, compelling, and captivating and I stayed up late at night to finish it because I couldn’t stop reading about this three fantastic women!

A huge thank to HarperFiction for providing me with a proof copy of the novel.

 

Publication: 24th October 2019 – Orbit

Kate Collins has been ghosted.

She was supposed to be moving in with her new boyfriend Scott, but all she finds after relocating to Brighton is an empty flat. Scott has vanished. His possessions have all disappeared.

Except for his mobile phone.

Kate knows she shouldn’t hack into Scott’s phone. She shouldn’t look at his Tinder, his texts, his social media. But she can’t quite help herself.

That’s when the trouble starts. Strange, whispering phone calls from numbers she doesn’t recognise. Scratch marks on the door that she can’t explain.

And the growing feeling that she’s being watched . . .

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Ghoster, the gripping new novel by Jason Arnopp. A huge thank you to Tracy for inviting me to join the blog tour and to Orbit for providing me with a copy of this novel.

Kate is really excited to move in with her boyfriend of four months, Scott. She’s already given up her apartment and her job in Leeds and all her things are packed up for her move to Brighton. There is only one problem: where is Scott? He hasn’t responded to any of her calls or texts and when she arrives to his apartment in Brighton, she finds it completely empty. The only thing left is his phone. In her search of Scott and the truth, Kate becomes completely obsessed with his phone and uncovers a truth that it is much darker and creepier than she may have imagined.

Ghoster was quite a ride of a read!!! It was nothing at all what I expected! It’s chilling, mysterious, highly suspenseful, and original. The author masterly mixes supernatural elements, thriller and our obsession with technology and social media creating a story that it is original and unpredictable. I loved how the author used different timelines and different perspectives. The story is told from Kate’s perspective, but thanks to her snooping inside Scott’s phone, we also get a deep knowledge of this character. Also, I enjoyed switching between the present, as Kate tries to figure out the truth, and the past, how Kate and Scott met and their first few months together.

The characters are multi-layered and well-developed. I liked Kate. She has conversations with her brain who tries to show her the rational side of things, while she is very impulsive, something that gets her often in trouble. We meet Scott only through Kate’s eyes and his phone that seems to hold all his life inside, and he is very difficult to figure out and very complex.

Ghoster is thought-provoking, weird, and engrossing with its unique plot and combination of different genres and I enjoyed every single page of it until the very shocking and twisty ending!

Follow the rest of the blog tour: