Mahoney by Andrew Joyce | @huckfinn76 | #guestpost #extract

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Good morning! Today, I welcome author Andrew Joyce to the blog to talk a little bit about his novel Mahoney and how he came around to writing it. But first, let’s see what Mahoney is all about.

Author : Andrew Joyce
Title : Mahoney
Pages : 495
Publisher : William Birch & Assoc.
Publication date : May 19, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

In the second year of an Gorta Mhór—the Great Famine—nineteen-year-old Devin Mahoney lies on the dirt floor of his small, dark cabin. He has not eaten in five days. His only hope of survival is to get to America, the land of milk and honey.

After surviving disease and storms at sea that decimate crew and passengers alike, Devin’s ship limps into New York Harbor three days before Christmas, 1849.

Thus starts an epic journey that will take him and his descendants through one hundred and fourteen years of American history, including the Civil War, the Wild West, and the Great Depression.

| GUEST POST |

My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. Eva has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new book, Mahoney. So, I thought I’d tell you how it came about. But to do that, I gotta tell you how my mind works.

A few years ago, I had just finished reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn for the third time, and I started thinking about what ever happened to those boys, Tom and Huck. They must have grown up, but then what? So I sat down at my computer and banged out Redemption: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. I had them as adults in the Old West. Kind of like Wyatt Earp type characters. It was a modest success and won an award for Best Western of 2013.

I think my favorite book of all time is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I’ve read it a number of times over the years—the last time being two years ago. Now, for those of you who may not have read it, it’s about one family’s trek from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of the 1930s to the “Land of Milk and Honey,” also known as California. Of course, California wasn’t a land of milk and honey. If anything, the family was worse off in California than they were in Oklahoma. The subtext of the book is how those on the lower rungs of society’s ladder are oppressed and have very little voice to fight against that oppression.

Near the end of the book, Tom Joad, the protagonist, runs afoul of the law and must leave his family or else be arrested on a trumped up charge or be killed by the big landowners’ goons. His mother, quite naturally, will miss him and is worried for him. The words he spoke to her in that scene have become iconic.

“I’ll be aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be everywhere-wherever you look. Wherever there is a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever there is a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready. An’ when our folk eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build—why, I’ll be there.” — Tom Joad, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

So, here’s what I did. Just like with Huck and Tom, I started thinking about what ever happened to Tom Joad after he left his family. I wanted to write about injustices and the people who suffer those injustices. I thought I’d follow Tom around and write about what he encountered from about the mid-thirties to 1963 when Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I have a Dream” speech.

However, there was just one problem with that: copyright laws. The character of Tom Joad belongs to the heirs of John Steinbeck. So, I had to come up with another angle. After some thought on the matter, I decided to expand my initial time frame from between 1933 and 1963 to 1849 and 1963. I’d start the story in Ireland during the potato famine and work my way to America and then I’d end up where I had originally intended.

Here’s the blurb for the book:

In this compelling, richly researched novel, author Andrew Joyce tells a riveting story of adventure, endurance, and hope as the Mahoney clan fights to gain a foothold in America.

In the second year of an Gorta Mhór—the Great Famine—nineteen-year-old Devin Mahoney lies on the dirt floor of his small, dark cabin. He has not eaten in five days. His only hope of survival is to get to America, the land of milk and honey. After surviving disease and storms at sea that decimate crew and passengers alike, Devin’s ship limps into New York Harbor three days before Christmas, 1849. Thus starts an epic journey that will take him and his descendants through one hundred and fourteen years of American history, including the Civil War, the Wild West, and the Great Depression.

Well, that’s how Mahoney came about. For those of you who may read it, I hope you enjoy it. It took me almost two years of full-time research, writing, and editing to get it to where I wanted and to tell the story I wanted to tell.

| WEE TEASER |

The reflected firelight flickered across awestruck faces and mirrored in the eyes of those who listened as stories were told of yesterday’s indignities and tomorrow’s aspirations. The look in those yearning eyes spoke of hopes and dreams. The laughter heard around the fire conveyed a sense that somehow it would all work out. For a few short hours, on Saturday nights, in the deep woods of a place none of them had ever heard of before, the constant fear that lived within their hearts was banished from their lives.

In time, they would prevail. Their sons and daughters would one day stand straight and tall as proud Americans, as proud as their fathers had been to be Irish.

Doesn’t this sound good? If you’d like to read more, you can purchase yourself a copy of Mahoney right now!

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Wordery

Thank you so much, Andrew, for stopping by and sharing your Mahoney journey with us!

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Andrew Joyce left home at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until years later when he decided to become a writer.

Joyce has written seven books. His first novel, Redemption: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, was awarded the Editors’ Choice Award for Best Western of 2013. A subsequent novel, Yellow Hair, received the Book of the Year award from Just Reviews and Best Historical Fiction of 2016 from Colleen’s Book Reviews.

Amazon Page | Twitter | Website

This Week in Books (July 17)

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Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.

| LAST BOOK I FINISHED READING |

At the peak of her career as lead singer of a legendary 1980s indie band, Meredith Vincent was driven off the international stage by a horrific incident. Now living a quiet existence in a cottage on the grounds of an old stately home, she has put her past behind her and come to terms with her new life.

When a body is found in the manicured gardens of her home, and a series of inexplicable and unsettling events begins to occur, it becomes clear that someone is watching, someone who knows who she is … Someone who wants vengeance.

And this is only the beginning…

| THE BOOK I’M CURRENTLY READING |

It was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever be the same again.

When Karen staggers in from the garden, bleeding and traumatised, she claims that she has been assaulted—by Ali’s husband, Mike. Ali must make a split-second decision: who should she believe? Her horrified husband, or her best friend? With Mike offering a very different version of events, Ali knows one of them is lying—but which? And why?

When the ensuing chaos forces her to re-examine the golden era the group shared at university, Ali realises there are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.

| WHAT I’M (PROBABLY) READING NEXT |

She was young and beautiful, married to a famous author. They were celebrating their anniversary at their stunning country estate. So why did Julia Blake walk out of her perfect life, apparently leaving no trace?

Seren, a junior reporter for the local paper, can’t believe her luck when she lands an exclusive with Julia’s husband, Max. But as Seren spends more time at the couple’s remote mansion, probing ever deeper into the case, dark questions await.

What was Julia really like, behind closed doors? Was her marriage to this brooding, secretive man as perfect as it seemed? And did she really mean to disappear that night – or was she murdered? 

Feeling the pressure this week so keeping my head down and getting stuck in. What are you reading this week? Let me know! Happy reading! xx

Child’s Play by Angela Marsons | @WriteAngie @bookouture

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Delighted to join the blog tour for Child’s Play by Angela Marsons today! Huge thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for the invitation to join and for the review copy!

Author : Angela Marsons
Title : Child’s Play
Series : DI Kim Stone #11
Pages : 359
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : July 11, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the back of her neck. 

The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica. 

With DS Penn immersed in the murder case of a young man, Kim and her team are already stretched and up against one of the most ruthless killer’s they’ve ever encountered.

Faced with hundreds of potential leads and a bereaved sister who is refusing to talk, can Kim get inside the mind of a killer and stop another murder before it’s too late? 

| MY THOUGHTS |

And Angela Marsons strikes again! What a belter of a book!

Somewhere near the top of the “some things Eva gets really excited about” list, you’ll find this series. Whenever a new Kim Stone book arrives, I get immensely giddy because I know I’m in for a treat and I know that Angela Marsons will just knock it out of the park once again. Isn’t it a wondrous feeling to know you’re safe in an author’s hands?

Kim and Bryant are called out to a murder scene in one of the most innocent places you can think of : a children’s playground in a park. The identity of the victim is quickly discovered but that’s also where things become immensely intriguing. The victim’s appearance seems at odds with her lifestyle and the team struggle to find the truth amidst all this mystery. The victim’s sister is of little help, cold and distant, and refusing to talk.

Meanwhile Penn is forced to spend time with his former West Mercia colleagues when a case he worked on gets its day in court. But things do not exactly go to plan. Did Penn make a mistake? The only way to find out is to go through the entire investigation again with a fine tooth comb.

It’s absolutely remarkable when you realise this is the eleventh book in a series. But what is even more remarkable is how Angela Marsons is able to keep this eleventh book seem as fresh as the very first one. This plot is as compelling as ever but there are also other things that keep me, as a reader, utterly hooked. One of those things is splitting up the team. Having Kim, Bryant and Stacey work on one investigation and Penn on something else feels realistic and when both of those investigations grab your attention, well, you just can’t flip the pages fast enough. There’s also the introduction of new characters, for instance. Now I won’t say anything about the character the team is forced to work with but their arrival and the reaction of the team genuinely made me laugh.

Above all else though, are the topics Angela Marsons tackle. In Child’s Play, we find ourselves in the world of child prodigies. This quickly turned into quite the thought-provoking issue for me as Angela Marsons somehow made it easy to see the points of view from various sides. The parents, often ruthless and competitive, do they have their child’s best interests at heart or not? The child prodigy, often isolated, forced to study for hours on end, what sort of impact does this have on them? And what about siblings who aren’t as smart? And all the while, you’re left to wonder how the utterly brutal prologue fits into it all. I had no idea. Both investigations left me guessing until the very end.

This is what Angela Marsons does best. She always manages to come up with a hard-hitting topic that makes me think, that makes me feel rather emotional sometimes, that isn’t always easy to read. And throughout, there is Kim and her team, guiding the reader safely through an intense and intriguing investigation. Of course, there are light-hearted moments too. Thank goodness! The relationship between Kim and Bryant is one of my favourite things ever and there’s a lot of muttering going on that made me chuckle. And let’s not forget the absolutely delightfully snarky Keats!

Child’s Play is another utterly brilliant addition to this series. It’s gripping, compelling, super tense and extremely addictive. The kind of book you pick up and don’t put down again until you’ve finished it, no matter what time of night it is. I so can’t wait for the next one!

Child’s Play is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 3 million in 3 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone.

Stop At Nothing by Tammy Cohen

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Author : Tammy Cohen
Title : Stop At Nothing
Pages : 384
Publisher : Transworld
Publication date : July 18, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

A mother’s job is to keep her children safe.

Tess has always tried to be a good mother. Of course, there are things she wishes she’d done differently, but doesn’t everyone feel that way?

Then Emma, her youngest, is attacked on her way home from a party, plunging them into a living nightmare which only gets worse when the man responsible is set free.

But what if she fails?

So when Tess sees the attacker in the street near their home, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. But blinded by her need to protect her daughter at any cost, might she end up putting her family in even greater danger?

There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to make it right …

| MY THOUGHTS |

I always get excited when a new Tammy Cohen pops up and this time was no different. The book description promised a gripping story and that’s exactly what it is although it didn’t at all go the way I thought it would.

Tess’s teenage daughter, Emma, is the victim of an attack. Rocked to the core, things only get worse when her attacker is released, free to roam the streets. Like any mother, this does not sit well with Tessa but her attempts to somehow see justice served don’t go so well.

Stop At Nothing deals with a mother failing to keep her children safe and stopping at nothing to try and protect them from further harm in future. But consumed by guilt and struggling with insomnia, is Tessa thinking straight or is she becoming paranoid? While her actions are often completely understandable, I did sometimes have the urge to yell at her, to ask her to stop and think.

My suspicious nature rather quickly realised what was going on but I couldn’t at all think of why or how it would possibly end. Told through Tessa’s eyes, there are some moments when the reader is faced with some chapters written by an unknown character and I had a heck of a time trying to figure out who was writing those or how they even fit into everything.

Tammy Cohen’s books always make for compulsive reading, one of those where you look up from the page and hours have gone by. While this may not be my favourite by her, I did thoroughly enjoy it and I absolutely devoured it. This story about a mother’s love is gripping, well-paced and pretty cleverly done. I look forward to whatever Tammy Cohen comes up with next.

My thanks to the publisher for the review copy!

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Waterstones | Wordery

Weekly Wrap-Up (July 14)

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Hello, Sunday. Is it it me or are you coming around faster and faster?

Not much to report this week. The socialising last Sunday went a tad overboard and I felt it on Monday, so that was a waste of a day 😳. The rest of the week was full of wonderful tennis. Today is the men’s final. Guess what I’m doing? If your answer is : “watch it”, you’d be wrong because the in-laws invited themselves and scuppered my plans. FFS. 🙄

Have I managed to squeeze in any books? Why, yes, I have. But erm … well, let’s see.

| BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK |

My reading is obviously as hormonal as I am 🤣. Still, three is better than nothing and I’m still ahead of my blog tour schedule and have even managed to read 12 (that’s right, twelve!) books from my 20 Books of Summer list. Feels like I’m winning, doesn’t it? 😉

In case anyone wants to guess : there was only one of those three I really enjoyed. Dun, dun, duuuuuun.

| BOOKS I BOUGHT THIS WEEK |

This was a preorder that arrived on Friday. Of course, I’ve bought a few more in the meantime but since they’re not here yet, they don’t count. Do they?

| BOOK POST THAT LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP THIS WEEK |

With thanks to Transworld and Titan Books. One for a blog tour and one for review. Really looking forward to both!

| ON THE BLOG THIS PAST WEEK |

Monday : Kicked off the blog tour for The Sleepwalker by Joseph Knox

Tuesday : Hosted a stop on the blog tour for The Divorce by Victoria Jenkins

Wednesday : This Week in Books

Thursday : Joined the blog tour for A Fatal Game by Nicholas Searle

Friday : Hosted a stop on the blog tour for I Looked Away by Jane Corry

Saturday : Shared my review for Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Sunday : Weekly Wrap-Up

| NEXT WEEK ON NOVEL DEELIGHTS |

Monday : Review | Stop At Nothing by Tammy Cohen

Tuesday : Blog tour | Review | Child’s Play by Angela Marsons

Wednesday : This Week in Books

Thursday : Guest Post | Author Andrew Joyce

Friday : Blog tour | Review | The Last Stage by Louise Voss

Saturday : Taking the day off because everyone and their dog will be at Harrogate 😂

Sunday : Weekly Wrap-Up

That’s not too bad. This is the quiet before the storm. I may need an oxygen tank to survive the week that comes after this one.

Question of the week : Dust jackets! I saw this topic on twitter a while ago and had no idea it was so controversial. So I’m putting the question to you, dear blog readers. Do you remove the dust jacket from a hardback when you’re reading it? I do. Because I don’t want to ruin the jacket, as that is what you see when the book is on a shelf. As soon as I put the book down or finish it, obviously, the jacket goes back on. Over to you!

That’s it for this week. Hope you all have a great one! Until next time. Happy reading! xx

Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson | #20BooksOfSummer

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Author : Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Title : Blood & Sugar
Pages : 430
Publisher : Mantle
Publication date : January 24, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

June, 1781. An unidentified body hangs upon a hook at Deptford Dock – horribly tortured and branded with a slaver’s mark.

Some days later, Captain Harry Corsham – a war hero embarking upon a promising parliamentary career – is visited by the sister of an old friend. Her brother, passionate abolitionist Tad Archer, had been about to expose a secret that he believed could cause irreparable damage to the British slaving industry. He’d said people were trying to kill him, and now he is missing . . .

To discover what happened to Tad, Harry is forced to pick up the threads of his friend’s investigation, delving into the heart of the conspiracy Tad had unearthed. His investigation will threaten his political prospects, his family’s happiness, and force a reckoning with his past, risking the revelation of secrets that have the power to destroy him.

And that is only if he can survive the mortal dangers awaiting him in Deptford…

| MY THOUGHTS |

Historical crime fiction is quickly becoming my new favourite genre!

It’s the summer of 1781. At Deptford Dock, the body of a man is found hanging from a hook. He’s been tortured, branded with a slaver’s mark and had his throat cut. A few days later, our main protagonist Captain Harry Corsham receives a visit from the sister of an old friend. She tells him her brother, Tad, a fierce abolitionist who is convinced he’s found a way to expose a secret that will pave the way to put an end to slavery, has gone missing.

Colour me incredibly ignorant, but I had no idea England had a slave history too. For some reason, when slavery is mentioned I always think of America. Slavery is a lucrative business so how do you go about tackling the injustice of it all when the people who are making so much money from it are also in power? Needless to say, some of the events in this book are quite uncomfortable to read. Slaves were not seen as humans, but as property; goods to be sold and resold, treated like dirt.

There are quite a few characters to come to grips with in this story, none of whom could be trusted. I had a bit of a struggle getting them all straight in my head but once that happened, it was smooth sailing. As Harry digs deeper into all the things that are going on in Deptford to try and find out what happened to Tad, danger lurks around pretty much every corner. I couldn’t at all figure out who was behind Tad’s murder or who was trying to stop Harry from finding out the truth.

Blood & Sugar is a compelling, tense and brilliantly written historical crime fiction novel. It oozes atmosphere, has a wide range of intriguing characters and all the while, it shines a spotlight on a horrible era in England’s past. An impressive debut from Laura Shepherd-Robinson, for sure.

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Waterstones | Wordery

Book 9 from my 20 Books of Summer list

I Looked Away by Jane Corry | @JaneCorryAuthor @PenguinUKBooks @EllieeHud | #blogtour #ILookedAway

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Absolutely delighted to join the blog tour for I Looked Away by Jane Corry today! My thanks to Ellie Hudson at Penguin for the invitation to join and for the wonderful review copy!

Author : Jane Corry
Title : I Looked Away
Pages : 490
Publisher : Penguin UK
Publication date : June 27, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Every Monday, 49-year-old Ellie looks after her grandson Josh. She loves him more than anything else in the world. The only thing that can mar her happiness is her husband’s affair. But he swore it was over, and Ellie has decided to be thankful for what she’s got.

Then one day, while she’s looking after Josh, her husband gets a call from that woman. And for just a moment, Ellie takes her eyes off her grandson. The accident that happens will change her life forever.

Because Ellie is hiding something in her past.

And what looks like an accident could start to look like murder…

| MY THOUGHTS |

I do so thoroughly enjoy a Jane Corry book! They are always full of incredibly brilliantly fleshed-out characters that get under your skin and drag you through a wide range of emotions. Her latest offering, I Looked Away, is no different.

Any parent can surely relate to that horrifying moment where you take your eyes off your child for that tiny split second and suddenly they are not where you left them. This is what happens to Ellie. While looking after her grandson Josh, her husband gets a call from his mistress. Ellie takes her eyes off her grandson and the accident that happens will change her life forever.

Ellie hides a massive secret and it’s one that might make people look somewhat differently at this accident. Short flashback chapters give the reader an insight into Ellie’s life and her story wasn’t always easy to read about. I often felt extremely angry and incredibly saddened as the events of her life played out in front of me.

The story is mainly told through alternating chapters from characters Ellie and Jo. I couldn’t at all figure out how the two were connected and Jane Corry kept me guessing until the reveal. Watching the two threads come together was hugely satisfying. At the end of it all, I was even left with a bit of lump in my throat.

I Looked Away deals with some hard-hitting topics, from mental abuse to PTSD to homelessness. I particularly liked how the author tackled the plight of homeless people. There is no unnecessary over-dramatisation, because let’s face it, the circumstances tend to be dramatic enough all on their own. But it is all incredibly realistic and believable, full of both the bad and the good.

Full of suspense and fascinating characters, I Looked Away pulled me in from the very first page and did not let go. Quite emotional at times but always utterly compelling, I think this one might be my favourite by Jane Corry so far. Definitely not one to miss and I can’t wait to read more by her.

I Looked Away is available to buy!

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Waterstones | Wordery

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Jane Corry is a writer and journalist (Daily Telegraph and women’s magazines) who worked for three years as the writer in residence of a high security prison for men. This experience helped inspire her Sunday Times bestsellers ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘Blood Sisters’ and ‘The Dead Ex’. She also writes short stories as well as a weekly digital column about being a granny for My Weekly.

Jane speaks at literary festivals all over the world.

Many of her ideas strike during morning dog-jogs along the beach followed by a dip in the sea – no matter how cold it is!

A Fatal Game by Nicholas Searle | @VikingBooksUK @PenguinUKBooks @EllieeHud | #blogtour #AFatalGame

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Fatal Game by Nicholas Searle. My thanks to Ellie Hudson at Penguin for the invitation to join and for the review copy!

Author : Nicholas Searle
Title : A Fatal Game
Pages : 245
Publisher : Viking
Publication date : July 4, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

A terrorist attack has just hit a busy railway station. Jake Winter was the British intelligence officer in charge of stopping the attack and now his career, and his conscience, are in freefall . . .

Jake’s next anti-terror operation has to be a success. He has got himself a new source – a young British Asian man, Rashid, recently returned, apparently disillusioned, from battle, who he hopes is the key to foiling the next attack and to getting Jake to the leader of the network. But is Rashid really working for British intelligence, or has Jake put his faith in the wrong man once again?

| MY THOUGHTS |

Who isn’t fascinated by the world of spooks? These men and women, whose jobs are steeped in mystery so much that they aren’t even allowed to talk about it, spend their days in ways we know nothing about. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing. After all, there is a lot of stuff going on out there in the world and none of it is particularly good. Ignorance is bliss?

In A Fatal Game, we meet Jake Winter. Jake is a spy for the British Intelligence Service but things are about to come crashing down around him. The story starts with a terrorist attack on a busy railway station. Jake was in charge of stopping this attack but his asset seems to have played him for a fool. While an enquiry into this terrorist attack is ongoing, Jake’s job doesn’t just stop. He’s found another source, who’s part of yet another terrorist cell. But can this young man be trusted or will history repeat itself?

This is one tense ride and you’re never really quite sure how it will all end, which seems fitting because neither do the characters in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Nicholas Searle tackled this intriguing tale from various angles. The reader follows Jake and his partner as they meet with the source, we are also introduced to the members of the terrorist cell, we follow the preparations from the armed forces, the political games behind the scenes and the enquiry into the railway station attack which makes you feel like a member of the audience, desperate for answers while all the while feeling none will be forthcoming. All these points of view really place the reader right in the centre of all the action.

What a compelling read this is. Full of fascinating characters, deceit, the games some people play and never quite knowing what will happen, A Fatal Game feels horribly realistic, utterly believable and somewhat frightening. If anything it has left me with the utmost admiration for spies all over the world, in awe of the responsibility they face every single day and the knowledge that it isn’t at all as glamorous as it looks on tv. It may be short at a mere 245 pages but it packs quite a punch and it held my attention throughout, right up until the quite dramatic conclusion. A Fatal Game is a well-plotted spy thriller that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the genre.

A Fatal Game is available to buy!

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Waterstones | Wordery

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Nicholas Searle is the author of three novels. His first novel, The Good Liar, was a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger for the best debut crime novel. In November 2019, the major Warner Bros film adaption, starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, will be on general release.

Before becoming a writer, Nicholas worked in British intelligence for more than twenty-five years.

He lives in Yorkshire.

This Week in Books (July 10)

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Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.

| LAST BOOK I FINISHED READING |

When Lydia and Josh Green walk into Karen’s office one rainy February morning, Karen sees a couple under stress, almost at breaking point. But working with struggling couples, finding out more about their problems, helping to save their marriages, is what Karen does. 

But as Karen spends more time with Lydia and Josh, her sense of unease grows… 

Lydia is something more than just a woman whose marriage is in trouble. She seems frightened for her safety. 

Josh is angry, grief-stricken and seems to be hiding a dark secret. 

And soon Karen herself is afraid – there is something about the behaviour of this couple that recalls traumatic incidents from her own past. There is something there that may be the key to saving them, if Karen can only unlock it in time…

| THE BOOK I’M CURRENTLY READING |

Every Monday, 49-year-old Ellie looks after her grandson Josh. She loves him more than anything else in the world. The only thing that can mar her happiness is her husband’s affair. But he swore it was over, and Ellie has decided to be thankful for what she’s got.

Then one day, while she’s looking after Josh, her husband gets a call from that woman. And for just a moment, Ellie takes her eyes off her grandson. The accident that happens will change her life forever.

Because Ellie is hiding something in her past.

And what looks like an accident could start to look like murder…

[I’ve been reading this one since Saturday. Socialising (subsequent hangover 😳) and Wimbledon are throwing a massive spanner in the works. It’s actually really good too!]

| WHAT I’M (PROBABLY) READING NEXT |

It’s just a normal morning for Anna McDonald. Gym kits, packed lunches, getting everyone up and ready. Until she opens the front door to her best friend, Estelle. Anna turns to see her own husband at the top of the stairs, suitcase in hand. They’re leaving together and they’re taking Anna’s two daughters with them.

Left alone in the big, dark house, Anna can’t think, she can’t take it in. With her safe, predictable world shattered, she distracts herself with a story: a true-crime podcast. There’s a sunken yacht in the Mediterranean, multiple murders and a hint of power and corruption. Then Anna realises she knew one of the victims in another life. She is convinced she knows what happened. Her past, so carefully hidden until now, will no longer stay silent.

This is a murder she can’t ignore, and she throws herself into investigating the case. But little does she know, her past and present lives are about to collide, sending everything she has worked so hard to achieve into freefall.

[This will be my first ever Denise Mina book and I’m really looking forward to it!]

What does you reading week look like? Do let me know in the comments! Have a fabulous week and lots of happy reading! xx

The Divorce by Victoria Jenkins | @vicwritescrime @bookouture

~ noveldeelights ~ 4 Comments

It’s a real pleasure to welcome you all to my stop on the blog tour for The Divorce by Victoria Jenkins. My thanks to Noelle Holten at Bookouture for the invitation to join and for my review copy!

Author : Victoria Jenkins
Title : The Divorce
Pages : 212
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : July 4, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

When Lydia and Josh Green walk into Karen’s office one rainy February morning, Karen sees a couple under stress, almost at breaking point. But working with struggling couples, finding out more about their problems, helping to save their marriages, is what Karen does. 

But as Karen spends more time with Lydia and Josh, her sense of unease grows… 

Lydia is something more than just a woman whose marriage is in trouble. She seems frightened for her safety. 

Josh is angry, grief-stricken and seems to be hiding a dark secret. 

And soon Karen herself is afraid – there is something about the behaviour of this couple that recalls traumatic incidents from her own past. There is something there that may be the key to saving them, if Karen can only unlock it in time…

| MY THOUGHTS |

You may know Victoria Jenkins from her brilliant crime fiction series featuring detectives King and Lane, but now she has crossed genres and The Divorce is her first psychological thriller.

In The Divorce, we are first introduced to Karen. She is a marriage counsellor and through her we get a glimpse into the marriage of Lydia and Josh. It soon becomes apparent though that this isn’t your average marriage. Both Josh and Lydia seem to be hiding something and don’t come across as particularly trustworthy. But is Karen’s own traumatic past blinding her from seeing the truth?

There are only three characters in this story, which allows the author to really dig deep into the psychology and give tremendous insight into what makes these characters tick. At times it even felt somewhat voyeuristic, seeing things play out through Karen’s eyes. A bit like being a fly on the wall, getting a glimpse into what goes on behind closed doors. There’s always something fascinating about that, isn’t there?

It’s not easy to keep the reader’s attention when there are so few characters to rely on but I feel Victoria Jenkins did a great job in fleshing them out, keeping me intrigued and guessing throughout. Despite the fact that I found it hard to get to grips with these characters, I did rather quickly pick a side but I couldn’t at all see what the purpose of it all was or where the story would end up.

The Divorce deals with some uncomfortable topics like domestic abuse and ends up being quite thought-provoking, wondering whose responsibility it is when something goes wrong but also the impact domestic abuse has. I could have done with just that bit more tension but overall, this is a really well written psychological thriller full of suspense and I very much look forward to whatever Victoria Jenkins decides to tackle next.

The Divorce is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Victoria Jenkins is a Welsh author who has made a name for herself writing the highly popular Detective King and Lane series of novels. The first novel in the series was “The Girls In The Water” that Jenkins first published in 2017, to much critical acclaim and popularity among crime fiction fans. 
The series of novels features Detective Constable Chloe Lane and Detective Inspector Alex King, who are the lead investigative characters that solve some mysterious murders in their hometown.

Jenkins lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based.