Author: bookafterbook

Publication: 25th April 2019 – Little, Brown UK

A stunning standalone novel from the multi-award-winning thriller author Chris Brookmyre about one family, two holidays, and a murder.

The Temple family seem to have it all: the former actress; the famous professor; their three successful grown-up children. Amanda, new to nannying, is working at a holiday villa neighbouring the Temple’s and is fascinated by them. But like any family, beneath the smiles and hugs there lurks far darker emotions.

Sixteen years earlier, little Niamh Temple died while they were on holiday in Portugal. Now, as Amanda joins the family for a reunion at their seaside villa, she begins to suspect one of them might be hiding something terrible…

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Happy publication day to Chris Brookmyre and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for his new terrific and engrossing novel, FALLEN ANGEL. I’d like to thank Caolinn Douglas, Grace Vincent, and Little, Brown UK for inviting me to join the blog tour and for providing me with a proof copy of a story that kept me completely captivated for two days.

I loved this novel, I really did. The plot is unpredictable, the characters are enigmatic, and the setting is so beautiful. With a clear and intelligent prose, Chris Brookmyre created a gripping and suspenseful story of a dysfunctional family and the dark and disturbing secrets of its members.

On the splendid setting of the Portuguese seaside, two families live side by side in their villas. One villa is the holiday home of the Temple family: the once-famous actress, the renowned well-known professor, and their three children. On the outside, they look like the perfect family, but there are secrets, resentment, rivalry, and a tragedy in the past that risk to come to light when the family reunites again to mourn one of their own. In the other villa, there is Amanda Coolidge, a young blogger, a future journalist spending her summer working as a babysitter for a family friend before going back to Canada to start college. She is intrigued by the family next door. It’s clear that there is not much love between some members of the Temple family and what really happened that summer in 2002 when a tragedy hit the family? The truth may be much more sinister than Amanda thinks…

The characters are not easy to like, but they are very intriguing and compelling. There are the three women of the Temple family: narcissistic Celia, the matriarch of the family, once a famous actress and now living in the shadow of her more famous husband; indulgent Marion who always put her family first; and ice-cold Ivy, the youngest daughter with a troubled past who changed her name to distance herself from her family.  And then there is Amanda. She is curious, investigative, and she wants to find out the truth about the Temple family, even if that may get her in danger. Using different timelines and different points of views, Chris Brookmyre slowly unravels the truth and keeps the tension always high.

FALLEN ANGEL is a superb, unpredictable, and compulsive novel, one of my favourite novels of the year, so much so that I am still thinking about it days after I finished reading it.

Chris Brookmyre was a journalist before becoming a full-time novelist with the publication of his award-winning debut Quite Ugly One Morning, which established him as one of Britain’s leading crime authors. His Jack Parlabane novels have sold more than two million copies in the UK alone, and Black Widow won both the McIlvanney Prize and the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award.

I am so delighted to share with you the beautiful cover for a story of magic, war, and friendship. ODIN’S GAME is the new novel by Tim Hodkinson and it’s published by Aria on 20th June 2019.

Orkney, 931: A young woman flees her home to secure a life for her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that she must lose him once more.

The subject of a Viking prophecy, it is Einar’s destiny to leave Iceland and fight his father – of whom only only one will survive.

As the clouds of war gather, he will fight unimaginable foes, forge new friendships, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior.

Not everyone will survive, but who will conquer all?

 

About the author

Tim Hodkinson grew up in Northern Ireland where the rugged coast and call of the Atlantic ocean led to a lifelong fascination with vikings and a degree in Medieval English and Old Norse Literature. Apart from Old Norse sagas, Tim’s more recent writing heroes include Ben Kane, Giles Kristian, Bernard Cornwell, George RR Martin and Lee Child. After several years New Hampshire, USA, Tim has returned to Northern Ireland, where he lives with his wife and children.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: @TimHodkinson

Pre-order links:

 Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Iu5hOT

iBooks: https://apple.co/2XtSz6x

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2VUn6Kb

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DwpjEH

 

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Publication: 18th April 2019 – Trapeze Books

There’s a killer on the island – and someone knows who…

When human bones are found in a remote bay in the Channel Islands, DCI Michael Gilbert is plunged into an investigation to find out who they belong to. The remains are decades old – but after another body is discovered, the police realise they could be dealing with a serial killer.

Journalist Jennifer Dorey is desperate for answers, driven by a secret of her own – but it soon becomes clear that nobody on the island is quite what they seem. Will anyone tell the truth before it’s too late? Or will the killer on the island strike again…?

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I am so delighted to welcome you on my stop of the blog tour for DARK SKY ISLAND, the new novel by Lara Dearman. I’d like to thank Tracy Fenton for inviting me to join the blog tour and for introducing me to this captivating series.

Lara Dearman created a suspenseful and intelligent novel that keeps the reader completely engrossed with the beautiful evocative setting of the Channel Islands, multiple murders, and a smart and engaging protagonist. DARK SKY ISLAND is the second novel featuring crime reporter Jennifer Dorey. She works for The Guernsey News where she has to bear the jealousy of her colleagues while juggling a complicated and intimate relationship with her colleague Elliott. In DARK SKY ISLAND, Jennifer teams up again with DCI Michael Gilbert to investigate human bones found in a bay on Sark island, a man killed in his own home, an island full of secrets, and her father’s suspicious death.

Using different points of views and different timelines, Lara Dearman crafts a suspenseful story that keep the readers on their toes. The beautiful descriptions made me fall in love with the setting, so dark and atmospheric, and the small community of the island of Sark, full of suspicious characters and secrets, made the story suspenseful and sinister.

Jennifer Dorey and DCI Michael Gilbert make a fantastic and engaging investigative pair. Their investigation into the bones found on Sark and the murder of one of inhabitants of the island put both Jennifer and Michael in dangerous situations, but they are determined in finding out the truth, especially when things become more personal for Jennifer who is trying to figure out if her father’s death was really an accident.

Lara Dearman is a terrific author with a beautiful prose and DARK SKY ISLAND is a gripping and unpredictable crime novel so I am really looking forward to reading more novels featuring the likable and intelligent character of Jennifer Dorey.

Publication: 18th April 2019 – Michael Joseph

1952. Soviet troops control British streets. After the disastrous failure of D-Day, Britain is occupied by Nazi Germany, but is eventually liberated by Russian soldiers arriving from the east and Americans from the west. The two superpowers divide the nation between them, a wall running through London like a scar.

When Jane Cawson calls into her husband’s medical practice and detects the perfume worn by his former wife, Lorelei – star of propaganda films for the new Marxist regime – she fears what is between them. But when Jane rushes to confront them, she finds herself instead caught up in the glamorous actress’ death.

Nick is soon arrested for murder. Desperate to clear his name, Jane must risk the attention of the brutal secret police as she follows a trail of corruption right to the highest level of the state.

And she might find she never really knew her husband at all.

Set within the familiar streets of London, Rubin’s debut dystopian thriller dares to reimagine what 1950s Britain would have become under the iron rule of the Soviet Union.

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Happy Monday everyone and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for LIBERATION SQUARE, the brilliant debut novel by Gareth Rubin. I’d like to thank Jenny and Michael Joseph for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and providing me with a copy of this fantastic novel.

It’s the year 1952 and Europe is divided by a wall: Russian Comunism on the east side and American Capitalism on the west side. But the wall is not in Berlin, as it says on all the history books, because, in Gareth Rubin’s version of World War II, D-Day failed, Nazi Germany occupied England, and only the intervention of Russian and American troops brought the war to an end. While the royal family and Winston Churchill escaped to Scotland, a wall was erected in London dividing the capital and the nation between the Russian Republic of Great Britain on one side and the American Democratic United Kingdom on the other side.

With an atmosphere that reminded me of 1984 by George Orwell (who, by the way, makes a surprising small appearance), LIBERATION SQUARE kept me completely engrossed. The protagonist is Jane Cawson. Newly married to local GP Nick, when he is accused of the murder of his first wife Lorelei, Jane is sure he is innocent and, as she investigates on her own, she uncovers a web of lies and deceit that make her question not only the government, but also her marriage and her trust in her husband. At the beginning, Jane seems like any average woman until unexpected and exceptional circumstances turn her into a spy, a determined and fearless woman ready to do anything to find out the truth, including breaking into a house, impersonating someone one else, and sneaking into parties to mingle with very powerful people.

Very well-written and self-paced, LIBERATION SQUARE describes a scary and dark world where the government encourages procreation for the welfare of the nation, where opponents of the regime are sent to mental institutions to be reprogrammed, where people who try to escape to the other side of the wall are shot by the soldiers guarding it.

I loved how Gareth Rubin perfectly mixes crime, dystopian, spy thriller, and historical genres to create a remarkable and gripping novel that features a likable and strong heroine and a twisty and engaging plot that made it almost impossible to put the book down!

Gareth Rubin is an author and journalist who has written for many national newspapers. He lives in London; Liberation Square is his first novel.

Publication: 4th April 2019 – HQ

One charming bookshop, two unlikely friends, and a summer in Paris that will change their lives forever…

Grace can’t believe it when her husband of twenty-five years announces he doesn’t want to join her on their anniversary trip to Paris – instead, he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock, Grace makes the bold decision to go on this holiday of a lifetime alone.

Audrey leaves behind heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no knowledge of the French language, her summer adventure seems doomed to fail. Until she meets Grace, and everything changes…

Living in neighbouring apartments above the bookshop, Grace and Audrey form an unlikely friendship. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding each other might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them.

 

I am delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of ONE SUMMER IN PARIS, the fantastic new novel by Sarah Morgan and I’d like to thank Lucy and HQ for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for providing me with a copy of the novel.

I am so so happy every time the queen Sarah Morgan publishes a new book. She creates charming stories with engaging and always likable characters set in beautiful places (I still think about spending a Christmas in Scotland thanks to her latest novel, The Christmas Sisters). This time, she takes the readers to spend the summer in the romantic and evocative Paris. Here we meet Grace and Audrey who arrive to the French capital to escape their problems at home. Grace is in her late forties, she has a teenage daughter about to leave home to go to college, and she’s been happily married to David for twenty-five years. Or so she thought, because on Valentine’s Day, which is also their anniversary, he announces her that he wants a divorce. Heartbroken, Grace decides to escape to the place where she had been happy before her world crumbled down when she was young. Here she meets Audrey. She is an eighteen years old girl who left behind London, her alcoholic mother, and her troubles at school. For Audrey Paris is freedom, but freedom doesn’t look as good as she thought when her job in a bookshop proves more difficult than she thought.

I loved the characters of Audrey and Grace who could be both different and similar at the same time. Audrey’s life is chaos while Grace is the queen of lists and organization, but both have family secrets that make them lie to other people. During an unforgettable summer, they help each other face their problems and overcome their limits and their unlikely friendship kept me completely captivated. Of course, Paris is not only the city of new beginning, but also the city of love as both Grace and Audrey find charming and handsome French men to keep them busy.

Paris itself is a protagonist of the novel. The author evocative descriptions of the city, the food, and the people made me fall in love with the city all over again and made me wish to hop on a plane for this fascinating city. Heart-warming, entertaining, and fresh, ONE SUMMER IN PARIS is another must-read for new and old Sarah Morgan’s fans.

 

Publication: 8th April 2019 (paperback); 15th April 2019 (eBook) – Bloodhound Books

Matthew Trevelyar leaves his job in London to return to his Cornish roots in the village of St Agnes. After losing his wife to leukaemia, he wants to make a fresh start.

His new life is going well until Matt returns to his cottage to discover a grim warning on his doorstop. The message is clear – Leave now and go back to London.

Not wanting to give up his new life, Matt eventually discovers that there has been a 200-year-old feud between his family, the Trevelyars, and another local family, the Penhallows.

When Matt learns that one of his ancestors burned down a barn belonging to the Penhallows, and that a child died in the fire, he understands why his family name is mud. But why is Matt paying for the sins of his ancestors now? And is there more to the feud than meets the eye?

 

Welcome on my stop of the blog tour of THE FEUD, the new brilliant novel by Amanda James, and I’d like to thank Heather and Bloodhound for inviting me to join and for providing me with a copy of this engrossing novel.

The protagonist is Matt Trevelyar, a teacher who leaves behind his life in London to start a new job in a school in St. Agnes in Cornwall. After losing his wife to leukemia, Matt is looking for a new start and he thinks that St. Agnes is the perfect place for it. But, right from the beginning, it’s clear that someone doesn’t want him there and that they are ready to do anything to send him away. As a few innocent pranks turn into something more serious that could ruin Matt’s life, he has to figure out who he can trust, how to stop his enemy, and how to win the love of local artist Lavander.

The author craftily mixes various elements to create a story that it is twisty, sinister, and captivating. There is the small town atmosphere full of gossip that spreads quickly. There is a centuries-old feud between two local families that has dramatic consequences. There is a bit of magic, witchcraft, and folklore with the presence of love potion and magic herbs. There is murder and obsession. And there is a love story and love triangle as Matt has the chance to find love again with Lavander, but he has also to deal with the unrequited love of a colleague.

THE FEUD has realistic characters, a brilliant storyline, and it is set in a small town in beautiful Cornwall that takes on a dark and suspenseful atmosphere for a story about love, revenge, jealousy, and forgiveness.

 

Amanda has written since she was a child, but never imagined that her words would be published, given that she left school with no real qualifications of note apart from an A* in how to be a nuisance in class. Nevertheless, she returned to education when her daughter was five and eventually became a history teacher. Then in 2010, after many twists and turns, the dream of becoming a writer came true when her first short story was published. Amanda has written many short stories and has six novels currently published.

Amanda grew up in Sheffield but now has realised her lifelong dream of living in Cornwall and her writing is inspired every day by the dramatic coastline near her home. She has sketched out many stories in her head while walking the cliff paths. Three of her mystery/suspense novels are set there, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Summer in Tintagel and the Behind the Lie. Rip Current is also set in Cornwall and will be published by Bloodhound Books in April 2018.

Amanda, known to many as Mandy, spends far more time than is good for her on social media and has turned procrastination to a fine art. She can also usually be found playing on the beach with her family, or walking the cliff paths planning her next book.

Amanda’s blog – http://mandykjameswrites.blogspot.com/

Twitter – @akjames61

Facebook – mandy.james.33

 

 

 

 

Publication: 4th April 2019 – Trapeze

When a group of urban explorers stumble across a murderer’s kill room in a derelict film studio, terror strikes. And when one of the group is found dead, the team realise – they’re being hunted.

DI Dominic Bell is investigating the murder, but as the body count rises, time is running out. The only person who can help him is a figure from his past, Clementine Starke – but Clementine is haunted by her own demons. Can the two of them pair up to catch the killer? Or is it already too late?

 

 

 

I started reading Stephanie Marland’s novels because I am a huge fan of her Lori Anderson series, which she writes under the name Steph Broadribb. YOU DIE NEXT is the second book in the Starke & Bell series and, even though it’s a bit darker than her other novels, I am completely addicted and I am already looking forward to the next novel.

Who are the protagonists? Clementine Starke is a researcher who studies the effects of obsession on people for her PhD. Clementine herself is her own first case study. Why? Because she has two obsessions: the murder of her father and DI Dominick Bell. Her father was a police detective that was murdered during a fire that almost killed her and left her numb to emotions. The killer was never found, but she’s enlisted the help of a true-crime online group to find out the truth. She met DI Dominick Bell while solving a case in the first book, My Little Eye, where he saved her life from a killer. This event connected them in a “special” (her word), unhealthy and dangerous (my words) way. Despite Dominick’s efforts to keep Clementine at a distance, she gets mixed up not only in his new murder investigation, but also in the case of corrupt officers that involves one of his own family.

In YOU DIE NEXT, the author explores a world that I am unfamiliar with and that, to be honest, I didn’t even know existed. Urban explorers are groups of people that film themselves while they go through abandoned and neglected buildings and, thanks to technology and social media, they have thousands of followers during their nightly adventures. During the filming, their faces are covered and they use nicknames and no one knows who they really are. One night, one of the most popular group of urban explores breaks into an old film studio and stumbles upon a scene that makes them run away scared. The fear of prosecution for the break in stops them from going to the police, but someone is leaving threatening messages for them. And when the first body turns up, they ask themselves, who dies next? As the bodies pile up, DI Dominick Bell tries to solve the case while Clementine is ready to do absolutely anything to help and protect him.

Clementine and Dominick are both intriguing characters. They both have a very dark side, they both have demons to deal with and their relationship is obsessive and a bit dangerous. I like these two flawed and engaging characters that created a story that is intense, twisty, and chilling and that kept me completely hooked until the very last word.

 

 

Publication: 4th April 2019 – HQ

She was racing towards the gorge. The place the locals knew as ‘Dead Girl’s Drop’…

DI Meg Dalton is thrown headlong into her latest case when she finds a ten-year-old girl running barefoot through the woods in a blood-soaked nightdress. In the house nearby, the girl’s father has been brutally stabbed to death.

At first Meg suspects a robbery gone tragically wrong, but something doesn’t add up. Why does the girl have no memory of what happened to her? And why has her behaviour changed so dramatically since her recent heart transplant?

The case takes a chilling turn when evidence points to the girl’s involvement in her own father’s murder. As unsettling family secrets emerge, Meg is forced to question her deepest beliefs to discover the shocking truth, before the killer strikes again…

 

I am very delighted to welcome you on my stop on the blog tour for DEAD MAN’S DAUGHTER, the new suspenseful novel by Roz Watkins, the second book in this fantastic series featuring DI Meg Dalton and I’d like to thank Lily and HQ for inviting me to join in the blog tour and for providing me with a copy of a story that kept me completely engrossed for two days.

DEAD MAN’S DAUGHTER is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone (although I highly recommend you read The Devil’s Dice, too!). In this second book, DI Meg Dalton is called to investigate the appearance of a girl running through the woods and covered in blood which leads her to the discovery of a man murdered in his own home. What it seems to be a robbery gone wrong, it turns quickly into a creepy and inexplicable murder that leads Meg to question her beliefs and her instincts.

I first met the protagonist, DI Meg Dalton, when, last year, I read The Devil’s Dice, the first novel in the series. After years away, she is back in the Peak District to stay closer to her mother and she finds a job in the Derbyshire Police. Now, six months after her return, she still has her ups and downs professionally and personally. Inside the police station, she has a good relationship with both her colleagues Fiona and Jai (although for the latter she has mixed feelings of friendship and romance), but she also has to suffer the jealousy of a resentful colleague and an obnoxious boss. Outside of the police station, she doesn’t have much of a social life, but she knows that she can always rely on her best friend Hannah, and family issues keep her mind busy even when she is at work. Thanks to the author’s detailed descriptions and beautiful writing, the character of Meg feels realistic: she is smart, determined, and well-developed, and her flaws, her emotions, her guilt over her job, her family, and her sister’s death make her more human and likable.

I found the setting very atmospheric and evocative. For some reason, I kept picturing Derbyshire as a cloudy and rainy place and this fits perfectly with the twisty, sinister, and very gripping plot of the novel. DEAD MAN’S DAUGHTER is a terrific read that captivated me from the beginning to the very end and it confirms Roz Watkin as a brilliant author who knows how to create thrilling and unpredictable stories.

 

Roz Watkins is the author of the DI Meg Dalton crime series, which is set in The Peak District where Roz lives with her partner and a menagerie of demanding animals.

Her first book, The Devil’s Dice, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award, and has been optioned for TV.

Roz studied engineering at Cambridge University, before training in patent law. She was a partner in a firm of patent attorneys in Derby, but this has absolutely nothing to do with there being a dead one in her first novel.

In her spare time, Roz likes to walk in the Peak District, scouting out murder locations.

Find out more at www.rozwatkins.co.uk

Today, it’s my pleasure to reveal the cover of a gripping novel I am really looking forward to reading it. I KNOW YOU’RE THERE is the new novel by Sarah Simpson and it’s published by Aria on 6th June 2019.

I KNOW YOU’RE THERE is undoubtedly the most eagerly anticipated psychological thriller of 2019.

Another unnerving and sublimely twisty tale from the queen of domestic suspense Sarah Simpson – coming in June 2019.

 

Sarah Simpson has a first-class honours degree in Psychology and has experienced working at a Brain Rehabilitation Hospital. She has spent time as a family consultant for Warwickshire and Oxfordshire solicitors and gained knowledge of the Family Court System. She now lives in Cornwall with her husband, three children and animals.

Follow Sarah

Twitter handle: @sarahrsimpson

Facebook: @sarahsimpsoncornwall

Pre-order links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TnF7yy

iBooks: https://apple.co/2FkFnJH

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2CuEwpa

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2OhCvBf

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Happy publication day to Christi Daugherty!!!

A BEAUTIFUL CORPSE is the second book in the Harper McClain’s series. It’s captivating, engaging, and brilliant and it is out today in paperback so it’s my absolute pleasure to share again my review of this novel.

The Echo Killing, the first book in the series, came out last year and I fell in love with both the story and the protagonist, Harper McClain, a young determined crime reporter. I waited the whole year to read this second book and I wasn’t disappointed and now I am waiting for book number 3!

Publication: 4th March 2019 (eBook); 4th April 2019 (paperback) – HarperFiction

A murder that shocks a city… 
Shots ring out on one of Savannah’s most famous streets. A beautiful law student lies dead.
  
A case full of secrets and lies…
Three men close to the victim are questioned. All of them claim to love her. All of them say they are innocent of her murder.
 
An investigation that could prove deadly…
As crime reporter Harper McClain unravels a tangled story of obsession and jealousy, the killer focuses on her. He’s already killed one woman. Will he kill another?

 

At the end of 2017, I randomly happened on The Echo Killing on Netgalley and, after reading the blurb which I found really intriguing, I requested it. Then I read it and became obsessed with the novel and since then I have been waiting for its sequel, A BEAUTIFUL CORPSE, which I read in one day and which left me excited and impatient to read the next one.

It’s set in Savannah, Georgia, where the summers are hot and dry and where there are enough crimes to keep our protagonist busy. Who is the protagonist? Meet Harper McClain, a young reporter who covers the crime beat which means that she usually works at night and sleeps during the day (although, I have to say she doesn’t do much sleep during the day). When she was twelve years old, Harper’s mother was killed and she was the one who found the body, but the killer was never found. Now, someone is clearly after her, breaking into her house and leaving notes into her car, but she also has other things that keep her quite busy. First, there is her job. Naomi, a young woman who worked in the same bar with her friend Bonnie, has been killed.  The police suspect her boyfriend, but Harper has her own theories and she becomes quite involved in the case. Also, the Savannah Police, who she once considered her family, is now shutting her out following the events in The Echo Killing, making it very difficult for her to do her job.

Now, let’s talk about her love life. In The Echo Killing, Harper had a brief but intense fling with Luke, a detective, but things didn’t end well. However, a year later it seems that it’s not over between the two of them and I have to say I am becoming quite invested in their love story so I am really looking forward to see what happens in the next book.

I really like the character of Harper, a strong-willed, independent, and clever young woman. Her life gets more and more complicated, both personally and professionally, and she is an excellent journalist who doesn’t stop until she finds out the truth, even if that means that often she finds herself in danger and the target of a killer.

A BEAUTIFUL CORPSE is fast-paced, suspenseful, and intriguing. The author knows how to captivate the attention of the reader with a clear and simple prose, beautiful descriptions of Savannah, engaging characters, and a riveting and gripping plot. If you are looking for something addictive and thrilling, then I highly recommend A BEAUTIFUL CORPSE (and The Echo Killing), while I will be waiting for book number 3!