All is not well in the beautiful county of Midsomer. On the eve of its first Villages In Bloom competition, a man lies dead, smelling of damson jam. Who could have done it?

Well, that’s where you come in. Step into the shoes of Midsomer CID’s newest recruit, choose your own path and decide which way the story goes.

Will you get to the bottom of the mystery? Will you bring the perpetrator to justice? And perhaps most importantly of all, could you avoid an untimely, and possibly bizarre, death… will YOU survive Midsomer? Your task is to make the right choices, solve the case and – most tricky of all – stay alive!… Good luck.

My Thoughts:

This is an interactive novel where you as the reader become a detective and help solve the case. I liked the idea of it, it is an original and fun idea. How it works is after each chapter you decide what happens next, by going to the selected page number and then at the end you can see your performance review. This would be a great stocking filler. I have always found detective stuff interesting so when I was asked to read and review this book I couldn’t wait, it is like my dream job. I re-read this story four times and with different outcomes. I really think this is a wonderful idea that worked well.

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

Get your copy here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1788402995/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=echoesinanemp-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1788402995&linkId=4617ea4846c692145a88636cd39641c2

THE CLOCK IS TICKING IN THIS ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF A THRILLER…

In London, the Metropolitan Police set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit – a cold case squad – to catch the criminals nobody else can.

In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner – convicted of forgery and theft – was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client?

On a luxury liner en route to New York, the battle for power within a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder.

And at the heart of all three investigations are Detective ChiefInspector William Warwick, rising star of the Met, and ex-undercover operative Ross Hogan, brought in from the cold.

But can they catch the killers before it’s too late?

My Thoughts:

This is my first book I have read from Jeffrey Archer and I now want to read all of his past books. I found this one captivating and engaging and it went at a good pace for me. I loved the sound of the story it is all about murder and betrayal and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I felt as though I was going on the journey with them trying to solve the case with Detective Inspector William Warwick. I think the characters really made this book a fantastic thriller that weaves in and out and you never know what will happen on the next page. I look forward to reading more of Jeffrey’s books especially if they are just as good as this one was.

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

Get your copy here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008474273/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=echoesinanemp-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0008474273&linkId=8a1eedda4cfd3e8460bebc93544f6b79

One little boy. One little lie. Where will it end?

Chantal and Stuart are a golden couple. She’s a high-flying divorce lawyer dealing with the biggest case of her career, and he’s the darling of daytime television, on the cusp of A-list celebrity. Their seventeen-year old son Alex is a passionate environmentalist, the apple of his mother’s eye.

And it’s all built on a lie.

A lie told by Chantal.

When someone discovers her secret and starts to blackmail her, Chantal’s perfect life threatens to go into freefall. Her marriage, her career, and even her relationship with her son are at stake. She can’t let it happen!

She decides to fight fire with fire, but soon finds her actions have extreme – and unexpected – consequences. As she is pulled ever deeper into a web of lies and deceit, she has to ask the most terrifying question of all…

Where will it end?

My Thoughts:

This is an author I need to keep in my radar, this was a brilliant psychological thriller that really packed a punch. It had me hooked from the first page and I raced through it at lightening speed as I wanted to find out what was going to happen. Every chapter leaves you wanting a bit more so you don’t want to put it down. I liked the story line and I felt as the story flowed well throughout. The characters were a great bunch some with relatable issues. The story is about Chantal and her family, Chantal has a big secret that no one knows, but when that secret gets into the wrong hands, there are some severe consequences for Chantal and her family. But can she get herself out of it before it is too late? The story draws you further in with the twists and some of them made me gasp. The ending you won’t even believe. I really enjoyed this story and I will be looking out for more of Miranda’s books in the future. I would definitely recommend this book too.

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

Get your copy here:

Some days you remember forever. But what if you could live them again?

If Isla Pembroke could turn back time, she knows exactly which days of her life she would change.

The day she started working in the local aquarium, not knowing that she’d still be stuck there seven years later. The day her sister Morgan ran away from home. And, most of all, the day that changed everything, when her mother’s death cracked her family in two.

So when she’s given an impossible gift – a chance to go back and relive those life-changing moments – Isla realises that she might be able to save the people she loves.

But sometimes the most surprising days aren’t the ones that change everything, but the ones that come after…

My Thoughts:

This is not my usual kind of read but I enjoyed it none the less. The story is about time travel and what would you do if you could go back in time and change things? It was an really interesting idea for a story and it really worked. It made me think about the what ifs. It was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions with feeling happy, sad, funny and also the grief. I think Tamsin has written this story very well and her characters are all described well. I look forward to reading Tamsin’s next book.

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

Get your copy here:

Years ago, they fled the lake house.

Now, the brothers have returned.

Three brothers return to the family cottage by the lake where, more than two decades earlier, a catastrophe changed the course of their lives. Now, they are here to scatter their mother’s ashes – young men, estranged but bound together by the history that defines them. Their lives have been spent competing for their father’s favour and their mother’s love, in a household more like a minefield than a home. What really happened that summer day when everything was blown to pieces?

My Thoughts:

When three brothers return to the family home where something awful happened years ago and has changed all of their lives forever, I didn’t think it would be plain sailing and it is not. They are only here for one reason and one reason only. They have all changed and when they are back together secrets that have been left to lay are uncovered and what really happened back in the past may come back to haunt them. This book had a good plot line and I liked how each chapter was a different time of the day. I did find it quite a slow moving story that didn’t really grab my attention. It is a haunting and eerie read but I did like the ending, it wrapped everything up nicely.

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

Get your copy here:

“You say your daughter is missing?” Clay Wolfe asked. The man in front of him was slightly disheveled. Red eyes. Fear creased his features.

What is the End Game?

It was as close to ecstasy as the woman had ever been in her life. It was enlightenment. She was no longer Martha Abbott. She was a warrior of Marduk engaged in a war of purity.

What is going to happen on Leap Day?

“We have allowed sin to fill our homes, and it is our divine labor to cleanse that filth from our streets.” Marduk’s voice boomed through the cavernous temple.

Something evil is lurking in the streets of Port Essex. A missing girl. Violent attacks. It is up to Clay Wolfe, his partner Baylee Baker, and a colorful assortment of friends to get to the bottom of these odious occurrences before it is too late.

My Thoughts:

This is book two in the Clay Wolfe/ Port Essex Mystery and I would recommend reading book one first as you get a sense of all the characters and you get to know the main character Clay Wolfe a little more. Clay is a private detective and with help from his assistant Baylee they pick up different cases all the time, in this story we follow them as they try to discover why a girl has gone missing and why there are violent attacks happening? are the two connected? we get to meet some very interesting characters along the way. Can Clay and Baylee find the missing girl before it is too late or will they get caught up in something even bigger than they could have ever imagined. I loved how engaging and compelling and also gritty this read was, I really didn’t want to put it down, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

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

Get your copy here:

Icelandic sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries and aren‘t on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to find her sister. But she soon realizes that her sister isn’t avoiding her … she has disappeared, without trace. 

As she confronts Ísafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Björn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours – who have their own reasons for staying out of sight – Áróra is led into an ever-darker web of intrigue and manipulation. 

Baffled by the conflicting details of her sister’s life, and blinded by the shiveringly bright midnight sun of the Icelandic summer, Áróra enlists the help of police officer Daníel, as she tries to track her sister’s movements, and begins to tail Björn – but she isn’t the only one watching…

My Thoughts:

I found this a good paced crime thriller, as the reader you can really feel the tension build. I liked the sound of the plot, I felt as though it really lived up to expectations, and I liked that the story is set in Iceland, this is a place I have always dreamt about going to but also I don’t think I have read a book that is set there. I found this story chilling and intense but also addictive, like I didn’t want to put it down and when I did I was thinking about it. The story is about two sisters that lead very different lives these days, when one goes missing, it is up to the other sister to find out what has happened? everyone is a suspect in her eyes but what really did happen to her sister and will she be safe herself? this is book one in the Arora Investigation series and I look forward to reading the next one.

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

Get your copy here:

Equal parts wartime political intrigue, detective story, psychological thriller and religious mystery, Pastor’s debut follows a German army captain and a Chicago priest as they investigate the death of a nun in Nazi-occupied Poland. In October 1939, Captain Martin Bora discovers an abbess, whose alleged power to see the future has brought her a devoted following, shot dead in her convent garden. Father Malecki has come to Cracow at pope’s bidding, to investigate her powers. Now the Vatican orders him to stay and assist in the inquiry into her killing…

My Thoughts:

This is the first book in the Martin Bora series and in this story we see a nun shot dead but no one heard the gun shot, the door is locked and there is no weapon, so what happened? it is for Captain Martin Bora to discover what happened to the nun but he is not a detective he works as a German Army Captain who works in intelligence. Martin has to work out who shot her and why and how they did it, but with being in a Poland just after the German Invasion it is a very difficult time for everyone, Can he solve the murder? I thought it was a good story and was interesting to learn about that era. I liked reading about what route Martin takes to discover how the nun died. Though for me I felt as though it lacked something and was a little flat in parts.

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

Get your copy here:

When Nell’s father makes a deathbed declaration that hints at a long-held secret, it reignites feelings of isolation that have plagued her for years. Her suspicions about the family’s past only deepen when her mother, Annie, who is losing her memories to dementia, starts making cryptic comments of her own.

Thirty-five years earlier, Annie’s life was upended by a series of traumas―one shock after another that she buried deep in her heart. The decisions she made at the time were motivated by love, but she knew even then that nobody could ever understand―let alone forgive―what she did.

As the two women’s stories unravel, a generation apart, Nell finally discovers the devastating truth about her mother’s past, and her own.

My Thoughts:

This is the story of Nell and her family, whilst Nell’s father has not got too long left, he tells Nell something she never thought she would hear. Her mother is struggling with dementia and her two sisters are putting the blame amongst other things onto Nell. Nell doesn’t know what to do anymore. The story flits back to the past when Annie (who is Nell’s mother) goes on her journey of motherhood and what really happened back then gets revealed. I couldn’t believe it. Nell finds out about her past and it is a very sad one. This is such a raw and emotional story and I really found it hard to read in some parts. You will need several tissues to finish the story as I did . The story really touched my heart.

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

Get your copy here:

She sees much more than you think . . .

Five years ago, Laurel Lovejoy had it all. The high-powered city job, the loving husband, the perfect daughter. Now, she is forty and alone, and working for a courier service. But she has discovered that being a delivery driver comes with a superpower: it makes her invisible. People accept her presence without question. They go about their lives, unaware of just how much she sees – how much she knows.

Laurel is particularly fascinated by the residents of Paradise Found, an exclusive gated cul-de-sac. She sometimes even finds her way there when she’s not working, using her days off to soak up as much information about the inhabitants and their lives as she can. Everyone needs a hobby.

Then one day Laurel sees something in one of the houses – something that blows her whole world apart, and will have devastating consequences for everyone involved . . .

My Thoughts:

I have never read a book before where the main character’s job is a courier. I was intrigued and excited to start the book, it was interesting to see the life behind the eyes of a courier and Laurel really intrigued me. I guessed she had a story and I was right, it makes for a very interesting read. The only downside for this book for me is I feel as though it is slightly related I didn’t enjoy the virus being brought up, I just feel as though the story didn’t need it. It let it down for me slightly. Anyway I did find it an enjoyable and original read. I will be interested to see what Holly the author writes about next.

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

Get your copy here: