Tag Archive | Harper Collins

Slaughterhouse Farm by T Orr Munroe

May25

Gripping

Slaughterhouse Farm by T Orr Munroe is an absolutely gripping contemporary crime novel that I just could not put down. It is the second book in the CSI Ally Dymond series but can be read as a stand-alone. I cannot wait to read more books in this outstanding series.

The action is set in Devon. Whilst the countryside can be beautiful, there are some gruesome discoveries that are at odds with the natural beauty.

Trauma can be hard to heal from. It may last a lifetime. A life has been blighted since a teen, being fed lies by those who should know better.

Mothers protect their offspring – and not always in the way we expect.

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The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick

May11

Coming Home

The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick is an absolutely marvellous historical tale. It will educate you as you read as the novel is grounded in fact.

Liz Fenwick has woven an epic tale with true life figures from World War II. Readers will instantly recognize the name Ian Flemming but many other characters were real too.

The tale is spun around Merry, a skilled cartographer who is remarkable at her craft. Special operatives relied on her eye for detail to make sorties into occupied France.

We see how difficult life was for women, having to choose between love or career. Women had opportunities in war to excel but were returned to the lesser positions in peacetime.

Life was difficult for homosexuals. We follow a couple of ladies who have to behave very differently outside their home. They have to deny who they really are.

The women in the novel are incredibly brave and very clever. They have huge hearts that help others in need.

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The Fall by Louise Jensen

Apr27

Dominoes

The Fall by Louise Jensen is an absolutely cracking contemporary psychological thriller that seriously messed with my sleep as I just did not want to put it down!

We see the action from various points of view in the third person and in different time periods. The voice of the guilty party can be heard but try as I might, I could not work out who it was. I put two and two together and came up with five!

A terrible tragedy is splitting a family apart as we know there is nothing that a parent won’t do for their child. Once united, a chasm is beginning to appear – but just how wide is it?

When tragedy strikes, it seems only natural to want to believe in something outside of one’s self. “She wished she had faith in something… longed for the utmost certainty that her prayers would be if not answered then at least listened to.” We need to know that we are not alone.

Peer pressure is awful. With social media, it is impossible to escape the bullies. We witness a character’s self-esteem eroding and crumbling.

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End Game by Liz Mistry

Apr20

Gripping

End Game by Liz Mistry is a gripping contemporary crime thriller. It is the sixth book in the DS Nikki Parekh series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action takes place in and around Bradford as present day murders seem to be linked to crimes spanning decades. As the book progresses, the reader tries to join the dots.

As we work our way through the book, we ‘hear’ the voice of the crime boss, one of the victims, and watch the action alternating between present day to an undisclosed time in the past.

With comprehensive descriptions, the landscapes spring to life. As my daughter lives in Baildon, I was familiar with many of the locations which added to my enjoyment. The weather and dark nights all build on the dark atmosphere.

Nikki Parekh and her side-kick Sajid are likable, hard-working coppers. They leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of justice.

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