When an arson attack strikes in south London, leaving three people dead, it quickly becomes clear that the youngest victim, Danielle Low, was the intended target.

With no clear motive, and the killer at large, DCI Banham must act fast. But working with his partner, DI Alison Grainger, has its own challenges that threaten to stall the investigation. Then another body is found in similar circumstances and he knows that there is someone far more sinister at work.

As they begin to unravel a dark web of secrets, the case unexpectedly leads close to home and with time of the essence, and the killer always one step ahead, can DCI Banham and his team work together to put a stop to the depravity before another life is lost?

My Thoughts:

I liked this book very much, it was a brilliant Detective Crime Thriller that kept me enthralled the whole way through. This book is part of the DCI Banham series and is book five but can be read as a standalone, I now want to read all the other books as this one was extremely good. I loved following a DCI around and finding out snippets about police work, it made me feel really involved in the story. It was a really good story to follow, I liked DCI Banham and some of the other characters too, it is not for the faint hearted, but it is a fast paced thriller and one that kept me on my toes.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

In the small city of Wharton, Connecticut, lives are beginning to unravel. A husband betrays his wife. A son struggles with addiction. A widow misses her late spouse. At the heart of these interlinking stories is one couple: Freddie and Greg Tyler. Greg has just been diagnosed with a brutal form of cancer. He intends to handle this the way he has faced everything else: through grit and determination. But can he successfully overcome his illness?

How will the Freddie and their daughter cope if he doesn’t? How do the other residents of Wharton learn to live with loss and find happiness again? Celebrating the grace in everyday life, this powerful debut immerses the reader in a community of friends, family, and neighbours and identifies the ways that love and forgiveness can help us survive even the most difficult of life’s challenges.

My Thoughts:

If you are after a fantastic book this is the book you should read. The characters in this book are sublime, they are real life situations that you feel as though you can connect with atleast one of them. I felt compelled to find out what was going to happen, it is a thought provoking read that I felt as though if you can help someone out by doing something nice for them then it gives them a little bit of hope. I found this such a powerful novel and I cannot wait to read it again. I look forward to reading more of Ethan’s books in the future.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl.

For the Oliviera family – mum Carol, daughters Angel and Marie – autumn 2009 in the once-prosperous beach town of Ashaway, Rhode Island is the worst of times. Money is tight, Carol can’t stay away from unsuitable men, Angel’s world is shattered when she learns her long-time boyfriend Myles has been cheating on her with classmate Birdy, and Marie is left to fend for herself. As Angel and Birdy, both consumed by the intensity of their feelings for Myles, careen towards a collision both tragic and inevitable, the loyalties of Carol and Marie will be tested in ways they could never have foreseen.

My Thoughts:

I was trying to think how I could best describe this book and the way I would describe it would be quirky, not that it is a bad thing, Stewart has turned a story into a beautiful and complex heartbreak of humans. It is a superb read, one that now I have finished reading it, I feel as though I want to go back for more. The women in this story are all so powerful in their own right and I felt as though I wanted to reach out and protect them. I need to read more of Stewart’s books now. This was a stunning first ever book by Stewart and I cannot wait to read more by him.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

When Cain retired from the CIA, he moved to Florence, Italy to get away from his past.

He’s had nine years to enjoy fine wine, good food, and the Tuscan countryside.

But now his old boss has tracked him down, and he needs Cain to do one last job.

What starts as a simple trade entangles Cain in a web of secrets involving the mafia, an NSA whistleblower, and his own past.

With the Italian police and international assassins on his trail, he’ll have to survive the night to solve the mystery of who wants him dead.

My Thoughts:

I was looking forward to this story, and it was brilliant. A fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not predict what was going to happen and because of that I found it a brilliant story. Cain is the main character who has moved away to reside in Italy, he has ghosts from his past that he would rather forget but moving to Italy has been life changing for him until his old boss wants him to do a job for him for the very last time. But does Cain really want to risk his life for it? who wants him dead? It was a great paced thriller, with some very mysterious and interesting characters, a great book to curl up with and forget about the world.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…

Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts is blissfully happy. She lives alone in a faded mansion in Marlow, sets crosswords for The Times, and there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. When the local police don’t believe her story, Judith and two unlikely friends decide to investigate for themselves. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

But soon another body turns up, and it seems they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. Now the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

My Thoughts:

I loved this read, I heard great things about it and they are certainly true. I warmed to Judith, I thought she sounded like a lovely lady, she has a lovely life being able to do what she wants when she wants. When she witnesses something horrific, the police don’t believe her so with the help of a couple of friends, she sets out to investigate themselves. It is a quirky story but a really good one, it made me want to become Judith’s friend and help her out on her quest. I read the whole book in a day and didn’t want to put it down. It was such a good murder mystery story. I look forward to the next book.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

Rose is moving. For her and her son, Noah, this is going to be a fresh start.

She’s almost finished packing but Noah is determined to spend one last night camping out in the garden like he used to. Rose agrees as long as he wraps up warm inside their small tent.

Four hours later she’s woken by a frantic banging on the window.

It’s Noah.

There’s someone in the garden.

That’s when Rose picks up the kitchen knife.

My Thoughts:

I love it when an author comes out with a fresh and entirely different plot, this one really excited me when I read it. It has a tense and creepy feeling towards it, you never know what may happen. It kept me on edge, thinking that Rose was all alone in the house with her son Noah, I would be scared out of my head. I felt as though she was very brave even if she did not feel it. She knew she had to do it for her son. It was such a page turner I did not want the story to end, it is thought provoking and chilling knowing that it could happen to anyone. Such a great story that I want to read again.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

She is his doctor. He will be her downfall.

When Rachel meets Luc, the attraction is instant.
But she is a doctor, and he is her patient.
She gives him the drugs he needs – but in doing so, risks everything.
And when a secret is exposed, they’re both in the firing line.
Not all patients are telling the truth.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, it sounded intriguing and suspenseful, but for me it was not as good as I thought it would be. The first part of the story was good as it was gripping, trying to find out what would happen but then it became very long and drawn out and I wanted to read it quickly just to finish it. I think the ending let it down too. It was such a shame as I was really looking forward to reading it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

They haven’t spoken for 12 years.

Can they fall in love in 12 days?

Lizzy Munro is working at the Cannes Film Festival, in a job that involves a lot more admin than red-carpet glamour.

There, Ciaran Flynn is the man everyone is talking about: heartthrob of the moment and director of the most romantic movie of the year.

What nobody knows is that twelve years ago, they were best friends . . . and they haven’t spoken since.

But when Ciaran’s film runs into trouble, there’s only one person he can turn to.

Is twelve days enough to save not only Ciaran’s film, but also the spark he and Lizzy once shared?

My Thoughts:

This is such a lovely debut novel, about finding a spark again. Ciaran and Lizzy were best friends a long time ago but haven’t seen or spoken to each other since, they both have their own lives to lead now, but when a chance encounter brings them together can they share how they feel about each other now they are back in each other lives. It was warm and full of joy and I felt as though I warmed to Lizzy a lot and I feel as though both characters are relatable. It was a really enjoyable read, I kind of guessed where the ending might go and was right but still it was such a sweet story. I cannot wait to read Niamh’s books in the future as I reckon they will be a big hit.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

Detective Jonah Sheens is enjoying a moment of peace and quiet, when a teenage girl wanders out of the woods.

She’s striking, with flame-red hair and a pale complexion.

She’s also covered in blood.

Jonah quickly discovers that Keely and her sister, Nina, disappeared from a children’s home a week ago. Now, Keely is here – but Nina’s still missing.

Keely likes to play games. She knows where her sister is – but before she tells, she wants Jonah’s full attention.

Is she killer, witness, or victim?

And will Jonah find out what Keely’s hiding, in time to save Nina?

My Thoughts:

I found this was a great paced thriller that kept me on my toes not really sure where each page was going to lead me and also what I would discover. It is a creepy story but a really good one that I did not want to put down. It was very hard to try and find out who was telling the truth and who wasn’t but I like a challenge but still did not work it out. I feel as though I need to read more by Gytha now and I cannot wait as this was brilliant and well thought out plot. I liked when Keely was telling her story as I was not sure if she was making it up or not and was trying to work out what her motive is, I was thinking about this book when I was not reading it. Even the front cover is creepy.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here:

It’s 2010. Staggeringly successful and brilliant tech entrepreneur Bix Bouton is desperate for a new idea. He’s forty, with four kids, and restless when he stumbles into a conversation with mostly Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or “externalising” memory. Within a decade, Bix’s new technology, Own Your Unconscious–that allows you access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others–has seduced multitudes. But not everyone.

In spellbinding linked narratives, Egan spins out the consequences of Own Your Unconscious through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades. Intellectually dazzling and extraordinarily moving, The Candy House is a bold, brilliant imagining of a world that is moments away. With a focus on social media, gaming, and alternate worlds, you can almost experience moving among dimensions in a role-playing game. Egan takes her “deeply intuitive forays into the darker aspects of our technology-driven, image-saturated culture” (Vogue) to stunning new heights and delivers a fierce and exhilarating testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for real connection, love, family, privacy and redemption.

My Thoughts:
I thought this book sounded intriguing so thought I would give it a read, it was a great idea for a story but for me I think I was a little let down, maybe I was not in the right head space to read it and needed more quiet time to concentrate on it. I found it heavy going but persisted and to be honest I enjoyed the ending, It shows of a future we could all have and that in itself is terrifying enough.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

Get your copy here: