28th Sep 2019 – White Tulip Candles

PUBLISHERS BLURB

She lays her baby in his cot – the sound of his quiet breath filling the nursery as she leaves the room. Soon Claire will be fast asleep herself. She won’t hear the back door opening or the footsteps on the stairs.

When Claire Lucas is woken by her husband asking where their baby son is, she is dazed and confused. When she follows Darren into their child’s bedroom, she hears nothing but silence. No baby cries, no cute gurgles. The only thing left in Finlay’s cot is his beloved teddy bear. Finlay has gone.

Detective Jessie Blake rushes to the family’s modern home in the rugged Scottish Highlands. She notices that Darren avoids eye contact, and Claire seems disconnected – unable to account for the last few hours of her afternoon. Jessie knows there’s no normal response to losing a child, but something doesn’t feel right.

Friends rally round the young family, as a search of the narrow lanes and green hills of Moncrieffe begins in earnest. And as helpers battle the wild Scottish weather, Jessie is sure that someone in the search party must know more than they’re letting on. Someone must have seen something.

As a ghost from her own past comes back to haunt her, Jessie must put aside her own personal tragedy to save baby Finlay. Can she get the people of the small town to talk before it’s too late?

If you love Cara Hunter, LJ Ross and Robert Bryndza, you’ll love this addictive new crime thriller from Kerry Watts. Her Missing Child will have you hooked from the start!

MY REVIEW

This is the second book to feature Detective Jessie Blake, but I found it easy to read as a stand-alone.

Baby Finlay has disappeared. Who could have taken him ?

Jessie and her partner Dylan are tasked with leading the investigation, in what could be a heartbreaking case.

With many characters, this has an intensity that fits with the fraught plot. It covers the many emotions of those affected by a missing child and mental health issues in such a compassionate way too.

While spending all her time on this case, Jessie is also having to deal with an abusive ex, adding to the tension.

A clever plot, full of emotions and tension, in a solid police procedural. A thoughtful and gripping read.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Kerry Watts was born and grew up in a small town in the East of Scotland where she still lives today. She is always writing and carries a little notebook and pen with her wherever she goes because at her age ideas need to be captured before they disappear.

Kerry specialises in crime fiction because she enjoys pushing the boundaries of what it is to be human. The nature versus nurture debate

Author Social Media Links

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KerryWattsAuthor/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Denmanisfab

Buy LINK

https://geni.us/B07VJNKXYZSoc

PUBLISHERS BLURB

THE PAST WILL NEVER LET YOU GO…

When a four-year-old girl and her father are found dead in the Swedish city of Karlskrona, the police quickly conclude it was a murder-suicide, a tragedy requiring no further investigation.

But Luke Bergmann, a reformed criminal still haunted by his violent past, believes they are wrong. The dead man, Viktor, was his best friend, and Luke knows he would never commit such a horrific crime.

When more bodies turn up, Luke is certain the same killer has struck again. Alone, he embarks on an investigation which reaches back through decades to his friend’s involvement with a sinister cult and dark secrets are exposed as Luke struggles to keep his own long-buried demons hidden away.

And when Luke finds himself in a killer’s sights, his search for the truth becomes the fight of his life.

Can Luke get justice for Viktor and his daughter and prove his best friend was not a murderer, or will the shadows of the past overwhelm him?

Fans of The Killing, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Jo Nesbø and Will Dean will love this dark and gripping début thriller.

NOTE: KULT is inspired by shocking and tragic real events.

MY REVIEW

If you like a dark thriller, then this is for you.

Luke finds his friend Viktor’s body and that of Agnes, Viktor’s young daughter. The police feel this is a case of murder suicide, but Luke knows his friend would never hurt Agnes.

So, Luke begins his own investigation and slowly he convinces the police there is something sinister going on. Someone appears to be killing Scientologists ! Why? Is this linked to events in the 1990’s?

This is at times a difficult read, as a paedophile is involved in the abuse of children and distributing child porn as well as a murderer. I have to admit I felt some of this was unnecessary as while it confirmed this is an evil man, in my opinion it added nothing to the story.

However, apart from that, this is an incredible, dark and disturbing thriller, there’s a lot of insights into how Scientology operates, its indoctrination and brainwashing of young and impressionable people. The plot is well developed and as it moves to and fro between the 90’s and today, the picture gradually builds. Totally gripping from start to the heart pounding end.

Thank you to Sarah at Book On The Bright Side 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.

You can buy a copy here

https://amzn.to/2nJZFHd

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stefan Malmström is a former news journalist who has worked for Sveriges Radio and Swedish TV4. Today he works as a consultant, lecturer and author. At a young age, Stefan was manipulated into the Church of Scientology in Hässleholm, a small town in southern Sweden. KULT, his first book, is based on his experiences in the cult. Stefan lives in Karlskrona in Sweden with his family.