Book After Book

Coal Diggers is one of the most watched reality shows on TV. Five women in their twenties and early thirties show to the world how they succeed in their businesses. It’s on its fourth season and only three of the original cast are still in the show, Brett, Jen, and Stephanie. Lauren came in the second season, while Kelly, Brett’s sister, started on the fourth, to her sister’s disappointment. It’s on this fourth season that things go really wrong because, as we learn from the first page, Brett was murdered. But what happened? How did these five women get to this point? Jessica Knoll takes us back in time and shows us how allegiances switch, jealousies rise, lies are told, and secrets are hidden.

I loved this book. I didn’t like any of the characters, but I really loved and enjoyed the book and its twisty and juicy plot. The story is told from different points of views: Kelly, Brett, and Stephanie, but you can’t trust these characters. I liked that these characters are unreliable because you never know who is telling the truth and there are many unexpected moments and revelations that took me by surprise. Since the story is told from different points of views, I found myself siding with Brett and then, after reading Stephanie’s side of the story, siding with her, and then switching over and over again. As I said I didn’t really like any of these characters because I found them selfish and self-centered, but I liked that they were strong, determined and driven and I was entertained by their machinations and lies.

At the center of the novel are women competing with each other to make it out alive of that jungle that is the reality show. I was surprised, and sometimes shocked, at the lengths these women would go to win the reality show. Even Brett and Kelly, sisters, business partners, and really close (at least at the beginning) grow apart and keep secrets from each other after Kelly becomes one of the protagonists of the show.

Liane Moriarty (of whom I am a big fan) meets Real Housewives in this compelling and vibrant novel and I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for providing me with an early copy of the book.

This is a gripping novel about friendship and obsession set in Cornwall in the summer of 1986 (with a few jumps to present time).

The story is told from many points of view. Firstly and mostly, from Tamsyn’s point of view, a 16-year-old girl living with her poor family in Cornwall. She spends her time spying with her binoculars on The Cliff House, the mansion belonging to the Davenports, a wealthy family from London. She is a loner, still grieving over her father’s death, who died when she was ten, and she finds happiness imagining of living in The Cliff House and being part of this seemingly perfect family. She sees her chance when she becomes friends with young Edie Davenport.

Edie Davenport’s life is far from perfect. Her mother is an alcoholic and her father is a famous writer who likes to flirt with women. They sent her to boarding school when she was eight years old. She travels around the world, she wears fashionable clothes, and she can have whatever she wants, but she feels unloved by her parents, so she got herself expelled from school. Although her friendship with Tamsyn is born out of boredom, Edie seems to care about her and she is also attracted to Tamsyn’s older brother, Jago.

Jago is a couple of years older than Tamsyn. He dropped out of school and went to work in the mine, but he has been jobless since this closed. He manages to bring home some money and get the odd job, but he feels a failure, especially towards his father, having promised to take care of the family.

Angie, Tamsyn and Jago’s mother, works as a cleaner for the Davenports, but she doesn’t trust them and becomes worried when the entire family seems to show an interest in Tamsyn. Also, she is worried about Jago, about their financial situation, and, like Tamsyn, she is still grieving over her husband’s death.

I didn’t really like the character of Tamsyn, but she is very well-portrayed by the author. She seems naïve and shy, but she is not that innocent. Her obsession with The Cliff House and the Davenports is at the centre of the story and make her a complex character, difficult to figure out.

“Here, at The Cliff House, the colours were exaggerated, the light brighter, the smells, the tastes and sounds richer.”

THE CLIFF HOUSE is very well-written and I found the author’s descriptions very evocative. The setting and some of the characters (the alcoholic and depressed wife, the womanizer famous author) reminded me of F. S. Fitzgerald’s novels.  The surprises are mostly at the end of the novel, but the tension is high throughout the entire novel, and I was never sure what to expect next.

THE CLIFF HOUSE is out on May 17^th and I’d like to thank HQ and HarperCollins for providing me with an early copy of this haunting and fascinating novel.

I really loved this novel. It is unique, a murder story whose protagonist is a young boy who sees the world in a different way from the rest of the world.

“I am glad I am not like most other teenage boys because I get to see the world in its full multi-coloured glory.”

Jasper is 13 years old. He lives with his father in a quiet street in Richmond. Jasper has synaesthesia, which means he sees sounds as colours. Also, he has prosopagnosia so he can’t recognise people’s faces. He spends his days painting, observing parakeets from his bedroom window, and keeping note of everything that happens in his neighbourhood.

“Bee Larkham’s murder was ice blue crystals with glittery edges and jagged, silver icicles.”

Bee Larkham is a young woman who just moved across the street. She is soon causing trouble in the neighbourhood with her loud music (which Jasper also loves) and the parakeets in her garden. Now the police wants to question her about her relationship with a 15-year-old boy, but she’s disappeared. Jasper knows what happened to her, but his memories are unclear so he goes through his notebooks to remember what really happened the night Bee disappeared.

I really felt for Jasper. The adults around Jasper don’t understand him. They think that because of his learning disabilities he doesn’t understand what is going on. But Jasper is a special boy, highly intelligent, and I did love this character. Since the story is told in first person from Jasper’s point of view, we can see Jasper struggling to express himself and, at times, it was actually painful to read (especially when he was bullied).

There are many emotional moments, I was especially moved by Jasper’s memories of his mother, who died when he was young, and he still remembers the cobalt blue of her voice and rubs one of her buttons every time he feels anxious or nervous. There is also some humour and irony, created by Jasper’s lack of sarcasm, that made me laugh.

The novel is brilliantly written and very well-researched. Jasper’s personality really drew me into the story and I found the entire novel intense and unforgettable. THE COLOUR OF BEE LARKHAM’S MURDER is out next week and I’d like to thank HarperCollins for providing me with an early copy of the book.

This book is different from the thrillers I am used to. I found the plot unbelievable, but the book is very well-written, original, and intriguing and the characters are engaging and likable.

The protagonist is a young woman who uses fake names and tells the story in first person. Her sister, Rachel, disappeared twelve years before. A summer morning, she didn’t turn up at her babysitting job and she was never found. But the woman never gave up and spent the last twelve years doing her own investigation. Her research led her to Carl Louis Feldman, a photographer accused and then acquitted of the kidnapping of a woman, and suspected of the disappearance of other women. Now, Carl lives in a nursing home and suffers from early dementia. Pretending to be his daughter, the protagonist takes Carl on a ten-day drive around Texas, to places significant to these disappearances to try and retrieve his memory.

The characters are well-crafted and complex. Carl seems to play with the protagonist and he uses his dementia against the protagonist to get her to do what he wants. He has a sense of humour and the author gives him a human side, a side that makes him rescue a wounded dog and a cat with three legs. It’s difficult to describe him as a bad or good guy. The same can be said for the female protagonist. She is so obsessed in her search for the truth and justice that she becomes reckless. She’s been preparing for years and she has everything planned out for this trip. But, like Carl, she has a human side, too. She takes on Carl’s wounded dog, she pays for his bill at the vet, and she goes back to pay her debts.

“I’m feeling more vulnerable and insignificant as the bowl of Texas sky expands and I shrink.”

I really loved the descriptions of the Texan landscape. The descriptions are vivid and evocative and I could imagine it like a movie as Carl and the woman embark on this trip on the Lone Star state with only the company of a dog.

The narration is slow-paced but the tension is always high. There are pictures, extract from Carl’s photography book, pages from the protagonist’s journal, and flashbacks from the past that weave through the plot. PAPER GHOSTS is an immersive and compulsive read and I’d like to thank Gaby Young and Michael Joseph for providing me with an early copy of this thrilling novel.

I was completely addicted to this novel. I couldn’t put it down and when I did (because, you know, I have to work) I couldn’t wait to go back to it and a few days after finishing it, I am still thinking about it.

The story revolves around the Crew, a group of five friends who grew up together in Chatwick, a small town in Vermont. Ruby (from whose point of view is told most of the story), Murphy, Ally, Danny, and Emmett had known each other since they were children and had been inseparable until they turned eighteen, when they all went their separate ways after graduation, especially Ruby who left the small town to go and study in New York.

Ten years later, Ruby is still in New York where she dreams of becoming a writer and she hasn’t seen or talked to her childhood friends for ten years. But when Danny suddenly dies, she has no choice but to go back home and face her past.

After the funeral, Danny’s mother gathers the four friends to give each of them an envelope left from Danny. Inside each of them, it’s one of their secrets, a secret that Danny wants them to share with the others. But the consequences could be catastrophic for all of them.

I wouldn’t categorize this book as a mystery or crime novel, but there is a lot of rising suspense as each character tries to keep their secret hidden. The story is told mostly from Ruby’s point of view, who can be seen as the main character of the story, but there are a few interventions from other characters that make this book even more gripping. We also jump back in time, as we learn more about their friendship, the strong bond with each other, the difficult childhoods that some of them had, the drama of first loves, their use of drugs and alcohol.

I was completely captivated by Ruby and Murphy’s relationship, best friends, and maybe something more (I hope I am not giving too much away). Their evolving relationship is what kept me glued to the page and I couldn’t wait to find out more. Although I hoped for a different ending for them (again, I am hoping I am not spoilering too much), I think that the author ended the novel in a perfect way for all the characters.

FRIENDS AND OTHER LIARS is a truly compelling, fresh and engaging novel and I’d like to thank Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of the book.

“Mary Hand Mary Hand,
Dead and buried understand.
She’ll say she wants to be your friend.
Do not let her in again.”

This is the rhyme that, in 1950, the girls at Idlewild Hall, a boarding school for girls in Vermont, were singing about the ghost who haunted the school’s gardens.

Although I was a little put off by the ghost element, of which I am not a big fan in thrillers, after reading the blurb, I was really drawn to this book. I loved that the novel is set partly in a boarding school and even the alternation between the past and the present which is always good in a mystery book.

In 1950, Idlewild Hall is a boarding school for troubled girls, girls whose families found difficult to deal with, the ones who caused troubles, the ones who were illegitimate, the ones who had no family left, the ones who were going through a traumatic event. Among them, four girls, roommates, and best friends, Katie, CeCe, Roberta, and Sonia. As each is going through their own personal problems, they also have to deal with Mary Hand, the ghost who haunts Idlewild Hall’s gardens and who reveals each girl’s worst fear.

In 2014, Fiona Sheridan is a freelance journalist who is writing an article about Idlewild Hall. After the boarding school closed in 1979, the place was left abandoned until now that a rich woman has decided to renovate it. The place is personal for Fiona because that’s where her sister’s body had been dumped after being killed by her boyfriend twenty years earlier. Fiona has never gotten over her sister’s death and she still visits the place, even in the middle of the night.

Moving between 1950 and 2014, between the four Idlewild Hall girls and Fiona, I was completely immersed as a I read about creepy and scary ghosts and legends, mysterious disappearances, homicides, prejudices against women, and small-town politics.

THE BROKEN GIRLS is dark and disturbing with a gothic atmospheric and characters with rich personality. As I said, I am not a big fan of ghost presences in novels, but somehow the paranormal elements (although not really necessary to the story) work perfectly well in this novel and give it another touch of suspense and thrill.

Haunting, sharp, and atmospheric, THE BROKEN GIRLS is one of these books that I couldn’t wait to go back to read, and it’s out now (in eBook in the UK).

I am still new to Jo Nesbo’s novels, I just read a couple of them, but I love his writing and his well-developed characters. Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare’s plays so I have been looking forward to read this and I’d like to thank Vintage Books for providing me with a proof copy of this modern retelling of the 400-year-old play.

The novel is set sometimes in the 1970s, in a town without a name, a town nobody leaves, a corrupted town where crime is high. The previous Chief Commissioner was a man in the hands of drug lords who let the town fall into chaos, but now Duncan is the new Chief Commissioner. He is a visionary, an idealistic who promises to end the war on drug by capturing the most powerful criminal in town, Hecate. At his side there are the loyal Malcolm, Duff, Inspector of the Narco Unit who dreams of becoming the Head of the Organised Crime Unit, and Macbeth, head of the SWAT team.

Macbeth comes from the poorest side of town, he grew up in an orphanage, and he is an ex drug-addict. Despite this, Duncan decides to promote him as Head of the Organised Crime Unit. And when Strega, a witch sent by Hecate, prophesizes him that he will become Chief Commissioner, Macbeth and Lady (who is the owner of the Inverness Casino) come up with a plan to get rid of Duncan and help Macbeth’s raise to the top.

I really couldn’t put this book down!!! I stayed up late at night reading and I am still thinking about it, days after I finished it. All the characters from the Shakespeare’s play are in the book, sometimes with different names (Macduff becomes Duff) and Jo Nesbo did a fantastic job in creating complex and vivid characters. They are all corrupted, but I couldn’t help liking them at some point or other throughout the novel. Duff is driven by his ambition to become powerful and Lady (who had a very troubled childhood) sees power as a tool for survival. Macbeth is the best-crafted character. Jo Nesbo follows the original storyline of the play, but until the end I couldn’t help but hope for redemption and salvation for Macbeth. It’s fascinating to watch Macbeth become a ruthless and reckless man who doesn’t stop at anything to get what he wants. But he has also a more human side, a side that doesn’t let innocent people die, a side that it’s not corrupted by drug or by his love for Lady.

Out today, MACBETH is such a superb and riveting novel. Jo Nesbo’s writing is captivating, as usual, and the setting of the novel is very dark and grim, the perfect frame to this world of drug and corruption.

I would like to start by thanking Orion for providing me with a copy of this thrilling and unpredictable novel.

THE CRAFTSMAN opens in 1999, in Sabden, in Lancashire, where Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of Larry Glassbrook, a man accused of the murders of three teenagers thirty years before. Over the years she made regular visits to Larry while he was in prison and now she is there to close one of the most terrible cases of her life. But during her brief stay there she finds a clay effigy of herself, similar to the voodoo dolls left with Larry’s victims.

Then the novel goes back to 1969, when Flossie had just joined the Lancashire Police. Three teenagers had disappeared in the last weeks and while her colleagues think that it’s a case of runaway teenagers, Flossie is convinced that it’s more complicated than that and she challenges her colleagues to prove that she is right.

THE CRAFTSMAN is very creepy and very captivating. There is never a dull moment and the tension is always high. I loved the elements of folklore and witchcraft that fit perfectly with the gloomy setting and the grim and scary plot.

I found Flossie a very intriguing character. She is hard-working and very smart. She is good at her job and I loved how she stood up to her sexist and prejudiced colleagues who just want her to make tea or clean the bathrooms just because she is a woman.

Full of mystery, legends, and twists that will chill you to the bone, THE CRAFTSMAN is one of these sublime books that keep you up at night. It’s out this week and I highly recommend you go and buy it.

What is French for falling in love?

When Del leaves small town America to compete in a perfume competition in Paris, she thinks it is just the next step on her five-year-plan. It’s an exciting opportunity. What started out as just a dream for Del and her twin sister is nearly in her grasp. If she wins this competition, they are on their way to opening their very own perfume boutique!

Arriving in Paris, watching the sun glinting off the Seine and wandering the Champs-Elysees, Del discovers the most perfect perfumery she’s ever seen. Yet, as the competition dawns Del realises that whilst she might have had the best nose in her small village, her competitors seem to know more than she could ever have dreamed. This competition isn’t going to be easy…

Del has the romance of Paris to sweep her away from her worries, but as the competition heats up, so does her desire for that which she cannot have! If only the dashing owner Sébastien didn’t smell so seductive, look so handsome and make her heart flutter like it never has before. They say love smells as sweet as a red rose in bloom, but Del would tell anyone that true love can’t be bottled – it’s beautiful and unique to everyone…even herself. With everything on the line for her future, can Del really let a little attraction get in the way of securing her dreams?

I found the story enjoyable and romantic. I read it in less than a day, not only because it’s not too long (a little more than 200 pages), but because I was engrossed in the plot. What I liked most about this novel is the character of Del. The author presents her through many fronts. She is devoted to her family, she is still grieving over her grandmother’s death and she constantly misses her twin sister Jen, her other half, especially since she is now busy with her boyfriend. She is competitive and determined to win her place in the competition but she is also a loyal and true friend and she helps the other competitors even if it means she could lose. She is also funny and gets herself in ridiculous and embarrassing situations that made me laugh out loud. And she’s never been in love, at least not until she arrives to Paris.

Small town girl meets big city boy. She grew up in a farm in Michigan, raised by her grandparents while her hippy parents healed the world with their prayers. He is the heir of an empire. While she dreams of the bright lights of the big city, he wishes for the quietness of the countryside. Del and Sébastien couldn’t be more different, and yet they hit it off right away, and I enjoyed seeing their story develop throughout the novel. The fact that the novel is set in the most romantic city in the world helped to create the romantic and atmospheric setting for Del and Seb’s love story.

The setting of Paris is another thing that I enjoyed in this novel. I loved to explore Paris along with Del as she visits the city with its iconic landmarks – from the Moulin Rouge to Notre Dame and more – and its beautiful shops and cafés.

THE LITTLE PERFUME SHOP OFF THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES is an highly enjoyable and charming novel and I’d like to thank HQ Digital for providing me with an early copy of the book and for letting me take part in the blog tour.

REBECCA RAISIN is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and most importantly, believe in true, once in a lifetime love.

What attracted me first to this book was the blurb. Described as “Making a Murderer meets Scandal” (and I really love Scandal) and as the story about two people from completely different backgrounds with hints of suspense and romance, I couldn’t wait to put my hands on it.

The protagonists of the novel are Noah Marshall and Gracie Richards. I loved his Southern politeness (calling everyone ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’) and her stubbornness and independence. Noah and Gracie grew up together in Austin. His mother and her father were police officers, partners, and best friends. But when Noah was 11 years old and Gracie was 6, her father died during what seemed a drug deal gone wrong and he was accused of being corrupted. So her mother packed their things and moved them to live in Arizona in a trailer park, while Noah’s mother climbed up her way through the Austin Police Department to become Chief.

Fourteen years later, after tragedy strikes, Noah and Gracie meet again to find answers to the mystery surrounding their parents and to find out the truth about what really happened to Gracie’s father.

I loved the main characters, the evolving relationship between Noah and Gracie and their witty exchanges. I liked that Noah was good and honest and that Gracie was determined and strong and how they hit it off right away.

I liked how the author confronts themes of racial injustice, corruption, and different backgrounds. You are aware of the presence of these themes in the story but they don’t weigh too much on the plot. KEEP HER SAFE is a romantic suspense novel with the right amount of romance and the right amount of police story. The mystery seems easy to solve but I found a few twists that took me by surprise.

Alternating between the past and the present and between characters, KEEP HER SAFE is carefully plotted and beautifully written. It is one of these books that I couldn’t put down and I couldn’t wait to go back to read and it is out now.