Gillian McAllister

Some of my most anticipated books of 2019

~ noveldeelights ~ 77 Comments

At the end of last year, I mentioned doing a post focusing on some of my most anticipated releases for the new year. Since then, it seems everyone and their dog has done a post like that so obviously my idea wasn’t as original as I thought it was. Anyway, I decided to share this list regardless and hopefully you’ll find something that will pique your interest.

Listed by publication date for digital and hardcover copies.

| JANUARY |

Steve Cavanagh – Twisted
Matt Wesolowski – Changeling
Will Dean – Red Snow
Steph Broadribb – Deep Dirty Truth
Diane Setterfield – Once Upon A River

| FEBRUARY |

Angela Marsons – Dead Memories
Jo Spain – Dirty Little Secrets
Stacey Halls – The Familiars
Louise Beech – Call Me Star Girl
C.J. Tudor – The Taking of Annie Thorne
Alex Michaelides – The Silent Patient

| APRIL |

Gillian McAllister – The Evidence Against You

| MAY |

Stuart MacBride – All That’s Dead
Alison Weir – Anna of Kleve : Queen of Secrets
Sarah Hilary – Never Be Broken
Melanie Golding – Little Darlings

| JUNE |

Karin Slaughter – The Last Widow
Alex North – The Whisper Man

| JULY |

Riley Sager – Lock Every Door

| UNKNOWN |

Sharon Bolton – The Poisoner

This is a weird one but I’ve included it anyway. I could have sworn the original publication date was May but Amazon now lists it as December 2020, which quite frankly I refuse to believe because I WANT IT NOW!

Honourable mention to Johana Gustawsson and the third book in the Roy & Castells series.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a great bookish year once again! Which book(s) are you looking forward to the most? Do let me know and I hope you’ve found something in this list that caught your eye. Happy reading! xx

My Top 20 Favourite Reads of 2018

~ noveldeelights ~ 50 Comments

What an absolutely amazing year for books it has been! 

Just like last year, I thought splitting things up between series and stand-alones would help narrow down the list but nope. A Top 10 was never going to happen here. Despite the fact that my reading mojo was up and down like a bloody yo-yo all year, I still managed to read 250 books. Sure, that’s 50 less than last year but do I care? Clue : no, I don’t 😉

Anyway, I present to you My Top 20 Favourite (stand-alone) Reads of 2018. With apologies to the authors/books I had to drop from the list.

In no particular order, except for the Top 5, here we go!

Phoebe Locke – The Tall Man [my review]
Louise Voss – The Old You [my review]
Linwood Barclay – A Noise Downstairs [my review]
Mark Edwards – The Retreat [my review]

Ane Riel – Resin [no review]
Joanna Cannon – Three Things About Elsie [no review]
Gillian McAllister – No Further Questions [my review]
Shari Lapena – An Unwanted Guest [my review]

Lesley Kara – The Rumour [review to follow]
Karin Slaughter – Pieces of Her [my review]
SJI Holliday – The Lingering [my review]
Elly Griffiths – The Stranger Diaries [review to follow]

Gill Paul – The Lost Daughter [my review]
Louise Beech – The Lion Tamer Who Lost [my review]
Rachel Rhys – Fatal Inheritance [my review]

Top 5

5. C.J. Tudor – The Chalk Man [my review]
4. Ruth Ware – The Death of Mrs Westaway [my review]
3. Liz Nugent – Skin Deep [my review]
2. Elizabeth Haynes – The Murder of Harriet Monckton [my review]

My favourite book of the year is …

I don’t think this comes as a huge surprise. When I read this back in February, I said it would take something insanely special to knock this off the top spot. Skin Deep and Harriet Monckton came awfully close but in the end, “Agatha Christie on crack” won out. [my review]

A massive thank you to all the authors, publishers and Netgalley for making 2018 so spectacular! And to you, my fellow bloggers and readers, huge thanks for the support, for visiting and for commenting! ❤️

No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister @GillianMAuthor @MichaelJBooks @JennyPlatt90 #blogtour #NoFurtherQuestions #mustread

~ noveldeelights ~ 3 Comments

I’m absolutely delighted to join the blog tour for No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister today. My thanks to Jenny Platt at Michael Joseph for the invitation to join and the fabulous review copy!

512bV3OthPL._SX325_BO1,204,203,200_

Author : Gillian McAllister
Title : No Further Questions
Pages : 412
Publisher : Michael Joseph
Publication date : July 2, 2018 (ebook) | October 4, 2018 (paperback)

aboutthebook

The police say she’s guilty.
She insists she’s innocent.

She’s your sister.
You loved her.
You trusted her.
But they say she killed your child.

Who do you believe?

mythoughts

Wow! I do so love a great courtroom drama but this one has left me a complete and utter emotional wreck and I feel like I’ve gone through the wringer as much as these characters have.

Martha and Rebecca are sisters who find themselves on the opposite sides of a courtroom when Rebecca is charged with killing Martha’s baby. The truth of what happened that fateful night is slowly revealed throughout the trial. Was Layla’s death an accident or murder? Martha would quite obviously prefer her sister wasn’t responsible but how well do you ever really know someone?

Various witnesses will appear at the trial, professionals and neighbours alike. Rebecca’s life is put under a microscope, her dirty laundry hung out for all to see; her character under scrutiny and little incidents investigated that may or may not have any bearing on this case. But this story isn’t just about the mystery surrounding Layla’s death and a trial. It’s also about a family divided, who while dealing with the emotional impact from the loss of a tiny baby must sit and wonder where their loyalties lie and figure out for themselves if they believe their daughter/sister/wife is capable of what she stands accused of.

No Further Questions is an incredibly powerful story. While I did have it figured out, the heartbreaking conclusion didn’t punch me in the stomach any less than it would have had I been completely clueless. Cleverly plotted and exquisitely written, this devastating tale really got under my skin. It left me utterly drained and it’s one of those books I just can’t stop thinking about, going over events in my head for hours on end, trying to apportion blame somewhere and not quite being able to do so.

This is the third book I’ve read by Gillian McAllister and what a massive talent she is. For me, No Further Questions is most definitely her best one yet and it’s gone right onto my list of top books of the year. I have no doubt whatsoever it’ll remain there because it will take something truly special to erase this thought-provoking, gripping, tense, addictive, but most of all, unforgettable page-turner from my mind. Highly recommended!

No Further Questions is now available to buy in ebook format!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Gillian McAllister has been writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated with an English degree and lives in Birmingham where she now works as a lawyer. Her debut novel Everything But The Truth was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. Anything You Do Say followed in January 2018 and was both a kindle and paperback bestseller. No Further Questions will be published in autumn 2018.

Author links : Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

page-divide_12_orig

07102018_nofurtherquestions

Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister @GillianMAuthor @MichaelJBooks

~ noveldeelights ~ 9 Comments

34615820-2

Author : Gillian McAllister
Title : Anything you do say
Pages : 390
Publisher : Penguin
Publication date : October 19, 2017

aboutthebook

Joanna is an avoider. So far she has spent her adult life hiding bank statements and changing career aspirations weekly.

But then one night Joanna hears footsteps on the way home. Is she being followed? She is sure it’s him; the man from the bar who wouldn’t leave her alone. Hearing the steps speed up Joanna turns and pushes with all of her might, sending her pursuer tumbling down the steps and lying motionless on the floor.

Now Joanna has to do the thing she hates most – make a decision. Fight or flight? Truth or lie? Right or wrong?

mythoughts

With so many books carrying the label of psychological thriller these days, it’s a tough genre to stand out in but Gillian McAllister manages to do exactly that in the most fabulous way.

For many among us, the scenario isn’t all that hard to fathom. Walking the dark streets on your own, thinking you’re being followed. Imagine taking action but then something horrible occurs. This is what happens to Joanna as she believes she’s being followed by a man who harassed her in a bar. She pushes her pursuer, who tumbles down the steps and remains motionless. And this is where the story really starts.

Basically, you get to books for the price of one. The story alternates between chapters called “reveal” and “conceal”. In one storyline, Joanna comes clean and faces the consequences. In the other, she runs. Personally, I highly disliked Joanna. She didn’t come across as very smart and is absolutely awful at making any kind of decisions, preferring the “stick head in the sand” approach. Her constant faffing about got on my nerves quite a bit.

But I think not liking her worked to my advantage somehow. It allowed me to focus on events and really consider what I would have done in that situation.  I feel that if I had liked Joanna, I might have been distracted to the point of rooting for her in either of the scenario’s, which wouldn’t have felt right. I know what I mean, I’m just not sure I’m explaining it well. 😄

This is such a hard book to review as there’s very little I can talk about without giving the whole thing away. The storyline is incredibly thought-provoking and brilliantly executed. It’s just so utterly clever, gripping and compelling. Gillian McAllister is most definitely one to watch and books like these are what keep me coming back to this genre time and time again. Highly recommended!

Anything You Do Say is available now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads