BLOG TOUR ~ Only A Mother by Elisabeth Carpenter

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Only A Mother by Elisabeth Carpenter where I have a review of Elisabeth's latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers who organised this tour in conjunction with Orion Publishing Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of this review so without further ado, here it is:


ONLY A MOTHER....COULD BELIEVE HIM....COULD BURY THE TRUTH....COULD FORGIVE WHAT HE HAS DONE

Erica Wright hasn't needed to scrub 'MURDERER' off her house in over a year. Life is almost quiet again. Then her son, Craig is released from prison and she know the quiet is going to be broken.

Erica has always believed Craig was innocent - despite the lies she told for him years ago - but when he arrives home, she notices the changes in him. She doesn't recognise her son anymore.

So, when another girl goes missing, she starts to question everything. But how can a mother turn her back on her son? And, if she won't, then how far will she go to protect him?

Well, what do I say only that I didn't like it, I LOVED it. I was gripped from the first few lines of the book right through to the end where I couldn't swipe the pages quick enough. Craig was 17 when he was jailed for the rape and murder of a young girl but Erica has always defended her son and that continued while he was in prison, no matter who it was who said anything, whether it be friends, neighbours or strangers in the street. Twenty years later Craig is released from prison, he is now 37, no longer a boy but a man and Erica still tries to treat him like the 17 year old he was and you can tell that Craig is not too happy about this, it's very hard not to feel sorry for Erica. My heart went out to her and on occasions I would've loved to have given her a hug.

Then when another girl goes missing, people start talking and the whispers start again but will Erica continue to stick by and defend her son or will she turn her back on him?  Well you'll just have to pick up a copy and find out as I don't want to say anymore incase I might unintentionally spoil it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Only A Mother is available in all good bookshops, in libraries, on audio and on Kindle where it is currently £1.99 at the time of publication of this review.

BLOG TOUR ~ For The Missing by Lina Bengtsdotter

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for For The Missing where I have a review of Lina's debut novel which has been translated into English. I was thrilled to be asked by Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers who organised this tour in conjunction with Orion Publishing Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of this review so without further ado, here it is:

When a teenage girl goes missing from a small town, the local police start to buckle under the pressure. Enter Charlie Lager, the brilliant but conflicted Detective Inspector sent from Stockholm to solve the mystery of Annabelle's disappearance. Her superiors don't know that Charlie grew up in this very town - and she's determined to keep it that way. But as she gets closer to the truth, cracks begin to form in her own lies.Can Charlie find Annabelle before her darkest secrets are brought to light? FOR THE MISSING, time is running out...

This is the english translation of a popular crime book released last year in Sweden and it's the first of a series where we're introduced to DI Charlie Lager of the National Operations Department in Stockholm. A young girl from the small town of Gullspång goes missing, she and her partner Anders Bratt are sent to help with the investigation. We quickly learn that Charlie has a load of secrets with one of them being that she grew up in Gullspång with her alcoholic mother, Betty where she spent most of her life trying to overpower the memories. But what are the odds she’ll be recognised after 20 years???

I really enjoyed this book, it is told from 4 different narratives where it started off great but then I felt it dipped a little and a little bit of it was dragged out in parts but it did hold my attention apart from this but then when it picked up it was great again. There are quite a few surprises along the way also involving majority of the main characters.  With everyone in the town Gullspång looking like that they've things to hide, it makes looking for Annabelle much tougher, will they find her before it's too late?? I'd recommend this book and I am really looking forward to the next installment of DI Charlie Lager and hope that it won't be too long until it's upon us.

For The Missing is available in all good bookshops, libraries, on audio and on Kindle where it is currently £4.99 at the time of publication of this review.

BLOG TOUR ~ A Version of The Truth by B.P. Walters

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for A Version of The Truth by B.P. Walter where I've an extract from his latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Sabah Khan from Avon Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of the review so without further ado, here it is:

‘Boyfriend trouble? Is it a problem with Will, then? Have you two had a fight?’ He winces, though I’m not sure if this is because I’m wrong in my presumption or because of my use of the word ‘fight’. He’s always been quite brutal about my ‘Americanisms’, as he calls them.

‘No, nothing to do with him either. It’s about … it’s about … Dad.’

This catches me by surprise.

‘What do you mean?’ I say, letting out a small, odd-sounding laugh. ‘What’s Dad done? Has he upset you about something? I know he goes a bit crazy with the pressure and all his talk about Oxford, but that’s only because he wants the—’

‘The best for me, I know.’ He cuts me off. His eyes are staring somewhere above my shoulder, still not meeting my gaze. ‘I told you, it isn’t anything about exams.’

‘Then I don’t see what he’s done to upset you.’

‘It … it isn’t like that. Forget it. I’m sorry, it was stupid to bring it up now. Especially when you’re doing all this for tonight and have your dinner party on Monday …’

‘It’s only Grandma coming to dinner, not a CIA operation,’ I say, playing down my own stresses. ‘And “dinner party” might be a bit of an overstatement – it’s just Ally and Louise and Ernest.’ The mere thought of the three of them descending upon us for our usual Christmas gathering makes me feel instantly tired, but I don’t let it show. ‘Just tell me. I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t fix. Has he said something about me? Something I’ve done wrong? Have I upset him? God knows it can be easy to, sometimes.’

‘No, nothing like that.’

I feel myself getting exasperated. ‘Darling, you keep saying that but don’t actually say what it is about. How can I help if I don’t know what it is? Are you in trouble with the law? I’m going to keep guessing until you tell me.’

‘I’m sorry, I’m being stupid, it’s really nothing. Do you need any help with the plates and stuff?’ He gestures at the kitchen table.

BLOG TOUR ~ Fatal by Jacqui Rose

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Fatal by Jacqui Rose where I've an extract from her latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Sabah Khan from Avon Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of the review so without further ado, here it is:

Scrolling down his contacts, Cabhan hesitated. He stared at Alfie’s number, chewing nervously on his lip. Alfie had been the loudest objector when he’d come to work with the Russos, to the point he’d told him that if Cabhan did join them, Alfie would cut him out of his life, and that’s exactly what had happened. But now he was desperate, so what choice did he have?

Resolute, Cabhan pressed dial, psyching himself up, but this time the phone rang twice before he heard Alfie Jennings chirpily inviting him to leave a message.

Frustrated, he cut off the call as a loud burst of laughter made him spin around. From the shadows, he watched Bobby and Salvatore Russo walking down the stairs of the luxury hideout, deep in conversation.

He’d been here too long. Far too long. And he wanted out, the quicker the better.