10th May 2019 – White Tulip Candles

Book reviews, Cosy mystery, Crime thriller

No More Lies by Robert Crouch – Book Review

10th May 20199th May 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

Kent Fisher Mystery #4

Kent Fisher gets more than he bargained for when Detective Inspector Ashley Goodman enlists his help with a ten year old murder. She’s on a mission and needs a big case to put her career back on track.

And they don’t come much bigger than Miles Birchill, Downland’s wealthiest and most divisive resident.

Not for the first time, Kent has doubts about the case, forcing him to make choices. But who do you trust when everyone has something to hide?

Caught in the middle, he has no alternative but to solve the murder, unaware that his every move is being watched.

The Kent Fisher novels offer a fresh and contemporary reworking of the classic whodunit and murder mysteries of authors like Agatha Christie.

MY REVIEW

#4 in the Kent Fisher series…

DI Ashley Goodman approached Kent at his animal sanctuary, wanting his help with a case. A body had been found, 5 years ago, but new leads that involves Kent….

She says, Miles Birchill is involved……Kent’s biological father with a bit of a dodgy past….

Ash Goodman had transferred to Brighton under a bit of a cloud and sees solving this crime as a way to resurrect her career…..but why is she so certain Miles is involved?

Kent is an Health and Safety Officer, not a Detective or police officer, but in his line of work he does have access to certain records, which help in his investigations. He is a kind soul, with a daft sense of humour and a love of animals. Such a great character, and Freya is a hoot with her ‘blunderbra’….!

A thoroughly entertaining, cosy-ish crime thriller by Robert Crouch, with some great one liners and a clever plot.

My thanks to Caroline Vincent at Bits About Books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my free ebook which I received in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

PURCHASE LINK

‘No More Lies’ is available to buy from Amazon UK:-

http://getbook.at/NoMoreLies

Robert Crouch Author Info

Inspired by Miss Marple, Inspector Morse and Columbo, Robert Crouch wanted to write entertaining crime fiction the whole family could enjoy.

At their heart is Kent Fisher, an environmental health officer with more baggage than an airport carousel. Passionate about the environment, justice and fair play, he’s soon embroiled in murder.

Drawing on his experiences as an environmental health officer, Robert has created a new kind of detective who brings a unique and fresh twist to the traditional murder mystery. With complex plots, topical issues and a liberal dash of irreverent humour, the Kent Fisher mysteries offer an alternative to the standard police procedural.

Robert now writes full time and lives on the South Coast of England with his wife and their West Highland White Terrier, Harvey, who appears in the novels as Kent’s sidekick, Columbo.

To discover more, visit http://robertcrouch.co.uk.

Social Media Links

Website: http://robertcrouch.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@robertcrouchuk

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/robertcrouchauthor/

Amazon Author Page: author.to/RobertCrouch

GoodReads Author Page:www.goodreads.com/author/show/16222367.Robert_Crouch

Book reviews, Crime thriller, Police procedural

The Retriever Of Souls by Lorraine Mace – Book Review

10th May 20199th Nov 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

Brought up believing that sex is the devil’s work, a killer only finds release once he has saved his victim’s souls. Abiding by his vision, he marks them as his. A gift to guide his chosen ones on the rightful path to redemption.

Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is out to stop him, but Paolo has problems of his own. Hunting down the killer as the death toll rises, the lines soon blur between Paolo’s personal and professional lives.

MY REVIEW

This is the first in The DI Sterling series from Lorraine Mace.

Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is a committed police officer to the point where his marriage is over and family life is a mess….

Bodies of prostitutes are being found, mutilated and dumped and he is determined to catch the killer before further women are murdered….

With chapters from the murderers perspective this gives an insight into his religious mania, his state of mind and gruesome details of his kills…

Full of interesting and believable characters with its clever background stories giving them a feeling of reality.

Paolo’s is quite a complex character and his team are great and work well together….will they manage to catch their prey?

I really enjoyed this compelling thriller and will be looking out for the next in the series…and I can thoroughly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a crime thriller.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Retriever-Souls-positively-compelling-Sterling-

ebook/dp/B07HJ83F6N

US – https://www.amazon.com/Retriever-Souls-positively-compelling-Sterling-

ebook/dp/B07HJ83F6N

Author Bio –

When not working on her D.I. Sterling Series, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers’ Forum and is head judge for Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions. A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of THE WRITER’S ABC CHECKLIST (Accent Press). Other books include children’s novel VLAD THE INHALER – HERO IN THE MAKING, and NOTES FROM THE MARGIN, a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.

Social Media Links –

Website: http://www.lorrainemace.com

Blog: http://thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lomace

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorraine.mace.52

Cover reveal

The Road To Cromer Pier by Martin Gore – COVER REVEAL

10th May 20199th May 2019 lel2403

A little about the book itself first :

The Road to Cromer Pier

Janet’s first love arrives out of the blue after forty years. Those were simpler times for them both. Sunny childhood beach holidays, fish and chips and big copper pennies clunking into one armed bandits.

The Wells family has run the Cromer Pier Summertime Special Show for generations. But it’s now 2009 and the recession is biting hard. Owner Janet Wells and daughter Karen are facing an uncertain future. The show must go on, and Janet gambles on a fading talent show star. But both the star and the other cast members have their demons. This is a story of love, loyalty and luvvies. The road to Cromer Pier might be the end of their careers, or it might just be a new beginning.

And now a little about the author

I am a 61 year old Accountant who semi-retired to explore my love of creative writing. In my career I held Board level jobs for over twenty five years, in private, public and third sector organisations. I was born in Coventry, a city then dominated by the car industry and high volume manufacturing. Jaguar, Triumph, Talbot, Rolls Royce, Courtaulds, Massey Ferguson were the major employers, to name but a few.

When I was nine year’s old I told my long suffering mother that as I liked English composition and drama I was going to be a Playwright. She told me that I should work hard at school and get a proper job. She was right of course.

I started as an Office Junior at Jaguar in 1973 at eleven pounds sixty four a week. I thus grew up in the strike torn, class divided seventies. My first career ended in 2015, when I semi retired as Director of Corporate services at Humberside Probation. My second career, as a Non Executive Director, is great as it has allowed me free time to travel and indulge my passion for writing, both in novels and for theatre.

The opportunity to rekindle my interest in writing came in 2009, when I wrote my first pantomime, Cinderella, for my home group, the Walkington Pantomime Players. I have now written eight. I love theatre, particularly musical theatre, and completed the Hull Truck Theatre Playwrite course in 2010. My first play, a comedy called He’s Behind You, had its first highly successful showing in January 2016, so I intend to move forward in all three creative areas.

Pen Pals was my first novel, but a second, The Road to Cromer Pier, will be released in the Summer of 2019.

I’m an old fashioned writer I guess. I want you to laugh and to cry. I want you to believe in my characters, and feel that my stories have a beginning, a middle, and a satisfactory ending.

And HERE it is in all its stunning, stylish glory :

Social Media Links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AuthorGore

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Martin-Gore-Author-1237780169706466/

Pre-order Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R9XP3QM/

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9XP3QM/

Book reviews, Travel fiction

A Matter Of Latitude by Isobel Blackthorn – Book Review

10th May 20199th May 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

From the acclaimed author of The Drago Tree comes a riveting thriller about survival, revenge and long-hidden secrets.

When local Lanzarote anti-corruption activist, Celestino, is T-boned on a lonely stretch of road, he knows the collision was no accident.

Wounded and fearing for his life, he hides in an abandoned fishing village, waiting for a chance to make it home. Meanwhile his wife, English expat Paula, is distraught. Her pursuit of answers is deflected when her neighbor, troublesome retiree Shirley Mobad, co-opts Paula on her escapades around the Canary Islands.

Paula’s search for her husband quickly descends into mayhem, danger and intrigue. Before long, she realizes she’s being followed. She needs answers, and fast.

But where is Celestino, and will he ever make it back alive?

“A Matter of Latitude simmers with danger, betrayal and treachery, drawing the reader into the island’s history of shady dealings and uneasy relationships between natives, tourists and expats…

Isobel Blackthorn has crafted an atmospheric and setting-rich novel with alluring lyrical style.” –

Sandi Wallace, award-winning crime fiction author

MY REVIEW

Matter of Latitude is a slow-paced mystery thriller, with wonderful descriptions of the idyllic setting in Lanzarote…capturing the atmosphere and culture of the island.

This covers the cost of tourism on the economy and the corruption on the political side…which means Celestino wants to expose these perpetrators, but then he is injured in an accident and disappears…leaving Paula to search, all the while the reader knows what has happened ……

I felt the story was really about the destructive nature of tourism, it’s not all suncream and sangria…but it’s effect on the local culture and the environment and while there is a thriller element there’s much more to the story….a fascinating read with a strong sense of culture….

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

Purchase Links

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KWM65GY

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KWM65G

Author Bio –

Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of original fiction across a range of genres, including psychological thrillers, gripping mysteries, captivating travel fiction and hilarious dark satire.

Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism for her ground-breaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Her engagement with Alice Bailey’s life and works has culminated in the biographical novel, The Unlikely Occultist.

Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. Many of her novels are set on the islands, including The Drago Tree, which was released in 2015 and is now in Spanish translation, Clarissa’s Warning and A Matter of Latitude. These novels are setting rich and fall into the broad genre of travel fiction, and the novels are as much stories about the islands themselves as they are straight-ahead entertainment.

Isobel has led a rich and interesting life and her stories are as diverse as her experiences, the highs and lows, and the dramas. Some of her writing is dark, like the psychological thriller, Twerk, which is based on six years of research and first-hand accounts of dancers working in what are euphemistically called gentlemen’s clubs.A life-long campaigner for social justice, Isobel has written, protested and leant her weight to a range of issues including family violence. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives near Melbourne, Australia.

Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/Lovesick.Isobel.Blackthorn/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768657.Isobel_Blackthorn

https://twitter.com/IBlackthorn

https://www.instagram.com/isobelblackthorn/

Book reviews, Womens fiction

The Forgotten Sister by Caroline Bond – Book Review

10th May 20199th May 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

To lose your family is heart-breaking.
To be forgotten by them is unforgiveable.

Cassie and Erin are sisters. They are close – in age, looks and personality – but there is one crucial difference: Cassie is adopted.

At seventeen, Cassie sets out to find her birth mother. She is hungry for the truth, but she discovers her adoption was far more complicated than even she could have imagined. In uncovering her birth identity Cassie learns that her adoptive parents have kept a terrible secret from her her whole life, a secret that now threatens to destroy everything she has ever held dear.

The Forgotten Sister is a heart-rending, profoundly moving novel about protecting the ones you love from the secrets that will hurt them most.

MY REVIEW

The Forgotten Sister starts with Grace relieving the phone call all mothers dread , her daughter, Cassie is in A&E…..

Cassie Haines is Seventeen and had been adopted as a small child by Grace and Tom, who also have their younger daughter born after Cassie was adopted, a miracle baby. Erin and both girls are as close as sisters can be…

When Cassie visits a family planning clinic she is asked questions about her medical history and she feels it’s time to know more about her biological family…so she asks her mum, Grace, but feels she is not being told everything and so starts her own investigation.

As all teenagers know, the first place to look is social media and Cassie finds she had a sister, Leah…..why had she been kept a secret all these years?

Cassie and Leah meet and find their lives are very different, their upbringings and circumstances miles apart…..but is Leah telling the truth? Are her parents telling her the whole story?

“Think about it. What good will it do telling Cassie? None. It’s too late now. It would be cruel to tell her just to salve our consciences”

Poor Cassie is torn between her biological sister and the family she has known all her life…and she’s not sure now where she belongs, who she really is!

This is a family drama with a feeling of menace, something feels off about Leah and you’ll feel the need to know the truth….this is not an easy read, it deals with the emotive subject of adoption and the secrets kept by a family, believing it for the best. Incredible, fascinating, thought provoking and tear- jerking writing by Caroline Bond. If you like a serious family drama then this is a must read….

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

You can buy a copy here (just click on the image)

About the Author

Caroline Bond was born in Scarborough and studied English at Oxford University before working as a market researcher for 25 years. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Leeds Trinity University, and lives in Leeds with her husband and three children. Her first novel, The Second Child, was published in 2018.

Praise for Caroline’s debut novel, The Second Child

‘If you were in a lab cooking up the perfect book club book it would be this one.’
Matt Williams, BBC Radio 2 Book Club

‘I stayed up long into the night to finish The Second Child…a carefully crafted and utterly compelling tale of lost opportunity and impossible choices.’
Amanda Brooke, author of The Affair

‘Caroline Bond takes a complex situation and has written a thoughtful, wrenching and, at times, tear-jerking novel.’
Elisabeth Buchan, author of The New Mrs Clifton

‘We loved this page-turner that challenges the idea of what makes and breaks a family.’
Take A Break

‘Delves into family values, marriage, trust, love and loyalty. Highly recommended.’
LoveReading