Category: 5*

5*, book review, crime thriller, psychological thriller

#bookreview Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons. #KimStone #DetectiveKimStone #Book18 #DeadlyFate @bookouture @WriteAngie

if only I could read faster

Ok, so yes this blog has been sleeping for a very long time, but I am coming out of retirement to tell you how amazing the latest Detective Kim Stone book is. Hard to believe that there are eighteen books and that each one is brilliant.

Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons.

My Review:

Woah!! How Angela Marsons does it I just don’t know, but we are at book 18 of the fabulous Detective Kim Stone books and the series just keeps getting better and better. This book really made me think, I love how the story weaves around and takes us on a journey, as always we have the main story but also a few smaller side stories that normally add to the main storyline. And Angela Marsons has to be the Queen of sucking readers in and tossing us about and then finishing to book and in this case, OMG, I NEED to know what is going to happen. Marsons has broken readers’ hearts before in this series, and I don’t trust her not to do it again, so book 19 better not be too far away! If you haven’t read any of the Kim Stone series then you need to change that right now, and if you are thinking that you can’t possibly commit to a series with 18 (and counting) books, then fear not, they will fly by if you do start at book one (which you should), but if you want to start with this book or any other then you can do that too, but you will be missing out. The Kim Stone books are my favourite series ever and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Blurb:

The woman’s bright blonde hair floats in the breeze. She almost looks like she could be resting on the soft green grass. But her brown eyes stare unblinking up at the sky, and the final cut across her mouth is dark with blood. Her words silenced forever…

Late one evening, as the final church bell rings out, Sandra Deakin’s cold and lifeless body is found in the overgrown graveyard with multiple stab wounds. When Detective Kim Stone rushes to the scene, the violence of the attack convinces her that this murder was deeply personal. What could have caused such hate?

As the team dig into Sandra’s life, they discover she believed she could communicate with the dead. Was that why she was targeted? The last people to see her alive were a group of women who had a session with her the night before she was killed, and as Kim and her team pay them a visit, they soon learn each of the women is lying about why they wanted Sandra’s help…

Kim realises she must dig deep and open her mind to every avenue if she’s going to stand a chance at solving this case. And when she learns that Sandra was banned from the church grounds and had been receiving death threats too, she’s ever more certain that Sandra’s gifts are at the heart of everything.

But just when she thinks she’s found a lead, the broken body of a nineteen-year-old boy is found outside a call centre – a single slash across his mouth just like Sandra’s. Kim knows they are now racing against time to understand what triggered these attacks, and to stop a twisted killer.

But they might be too late. Just as Kim sits down at a local psychic show she discovers something that makes her blood run cold. Both Sandra and the call centre were named in an article about frauds. And this show stars the next name on the list. She looks around the audience with a feeling of utter dread, certain the killer is among them…

Totally addictive with a final twist that will leave you shouting out loud, you’ll want to inhale Deadly Fate in one sitting. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid and Robert Dugoni will love the new crime thriller from the number one multi-million-copy bestselling author Angela Marsons.

Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons is out on 25th May 2023 and is available from Amazon UK and all good bookshops.

5*, blog tours, book review, crime thriller

#BlogTour #BookReview Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons. @WriteAngie @bookouture #booksontour #StolenOnes #KimStone

if only I could read faster

Ok, so it feels a bit like this blog has turned into the Angela Marsons blog, which it kinda has. But, I can’t think of a better author for my blog to focus on. I just love her writing and even since I have lost my reading mojo, I have still read and enjoyed Marsons’ books. But this book, Stolen Ones, has changed something in me. I loved it so much that I remembered what it was like to read and love a book and I then read another book straight after and so, I’m hoping that maybe this book has helped me to find that missing mojo. Which just shows how good it is.

So I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons and I am really grateful for Kim Nash at Bookouture for sticking with me. I was given a copy of Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons to read, but I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

I absolutely love the DI Kim Stone books by Angela Marsons, and it is hard to believe that this is the fifteenth book in the series. What makes that remarkable, is that every one of those fifteen books has been as good as the others and Marsons has managed to keep the series going and feeling fresh and engaging which is pretty amazing.

But of course, some books will, for whatever reason, stand out and Stolen Ones is definitely one of those for me. From the very first page I was hooked, I remember reading the first five or so pages and having to put it down to collect my children from school and I really didn’t want to stop reading. Marsons’ had hooked me from the very start and that feeling kept me going through the entire book.

I guess that missing children is always going to strike a chord with me, but wow, this book took me on a rollercoaster ride. And as ever, the research that the author puts into her books is obvious and Stolen Ones focuses on body language and I found it fascinating.

If you enjoy thrilling reads that hook you right in then Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons is definitely a book for you. And sure, it is book fifteen in a series but you could read this book without reading the previous books, but if you did do that you would definitely be missing out as this is such a good series.

Blurb:
25 years ago he took a girl. Today he takes another.

One August afternoon, eight-year-old Grace Lennard skips into the garden of the childcare centre she attends and vanishes into thin air. Rushing to the scene of Grace’s disappearance, Detective Kim Stone finds a chilling piece of evidence: the engraved heart bracelet belonging to Melody Jones – the little girl who was taken from a playground exactly twenty-five years ago.

Hours before, Steven Harte had walked into Halesowen police station and confessed to having information that would lead Kim to Melody. And he told Kim she’d have a more urgent problem to deal with first. Now Kim must play Steven’s twisted game if she’s to find Grace alive.

With only twenty-four hours to make every second of Steven’s interrogation count, and scan his behaviour for hidden clues, Kim and her team soon link Steven to the abduction of several vulnerable girls – two were kept for a year and then released, unharmed – but where are Melody and the others?

Then small bones are discovered in the grounds of a local park, and Kim fears the worst.

Kim may think she’s close to convicting a killer, but the case is about to get even more complex. Steven is hiding one final explosive truth and he’s not the only one. Dr Alex Thorne – the evil woman Kim did her best to keep behind bars is about to reveal a shocking secret to Kim that will hit her where it hurts the most. Kim knows she must put aside her own demons to save Grace and find the other missing girls in time. But can Kim untangle Steven’s web before any more innocent lives are lost?

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave your heart in your mouth. You will be totally hooked on the utterly addictive, number one, multi-million-copy bestselling Detective Kim Stone series.

About The Author:

Angela Marsons.

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 4 million in 5 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.

Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons is out now and is available from:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B09BVJCBY5cover

Apple: http://ow.ly/KQAn50FKOui

Kobo: http://ow.ly/xjnb50FKOsf

Google: http://ow.ly/uyke50FKOo8

5*, blog tours, book review, crime thriller, series

#BlogTour #BookReview Twisted Lies by Angela Marsons. @bookouture @Write_Angie #TwistedLies #CrimeThriller

if only I could read faster

Today it is my stop on the blog tour for Twisted Lies by Angela Marsons, another cracking read in the Kim Stone series. Thank you to Bookouture for having me on the tour and for a copy of Twisted Lies, I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

How does she do it? That’s what I ask myself every time I read a book in the DI Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons. There are not many series that I keep reading for fifteen books and still love as much as I did at the start, or possibly even more. Most series have lost their way by now, the author struggling to find new and interesting storylines and the characters become stagnant and predictable. Not here though.

I love the characters and watching them grow and it has been great to follow them over the years, there is absolutely nothing stagnant about these books and I love how the passion of the author comes out in her writing. It is clear that she researches thoroughly and writes about subjects that interests her as the passion comes out in the story.

Those of you that have read previous books in the Kim Stone series will know how good this book is going to be. If you haven’t then start with the first book, Silent Scream. You won’t regret it!!

Once again the reader is taken on a twisted journey and I loved every page. I can’t wait for the next book!!

Blurb:

Her stomach lurches as she sits in the windowless room. He throws her phone to the ground, grinds it against the floor with the heel of his shoe and brings his face closer to hers. There was no turning back now, her life as she knew it was gone.

When the lifeless body of a man is found on an industrial estate, Detective Kim Stone arrives on the scene and discovers he’s been tortured in the worst way imaginable.

But as she breaks the devastating news to the victim’s wife, Diane Phipps, Kim can’t help feeling that something isn’t quite right about the woman’s reaction.

Twenty-four hours later, the victim’s family disappears into thin air.

Then a second body is found staked to the ground in a local nature reserve.

Desperate to crack the case open quickly, Kim and her team unravel a vital clue – a fiercely guarded secret that links both victims and could cost even more lives.

A secret that some police officers are also protecting.

Faced with deceit from those she should be able to trust, family members who won’t talk, and local reporter, Tracy Frost, opening a can of worms on the case of a woman murdered by her husband a year ago – Kim is in deep water like never before.

Kim must find the motive if she is to find the killer who is systematically targeting and torturing his victims. But can she unlock the shocking truth and stop him before he strikes again?

An absolutely jaw-dropping crime thriller from the number one, multi-million-copy bestselling author of the incredibly addictive Detective Kim Stone series.

About The Author:

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 4 million in 5 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.

Twisted Lies by Angela Marsons is out now and is available from Amazon UK and all good bookshops.

5*, blog tours, book review, crime thriller, psychological thriller

#BookReview #BlogTour Deadly Cry by Angela Marsons. #DeadlyCry #DIKimStone @bookouture @WriteAngie

if only I could read faster

I cannot believe that Deadly Cry by Angela Marsons is the thirteenth book in this fabulous series. I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for this fabulous book and thank you to Bookouture for a copy of Deadly Cry so that I could review it for the blog tour.

My Review:

Over the years there have been many series that I have enjoyed reading, Patricia Cornwell and Karen Rose spring to mind, they were books that I looked forward to and I loved reading as the characters grew and I could follow them on their journey. But over time the books became less exciting and a bit repetitive and I found myself not rushing to read the new books on release day and eventually not reading the books at all.

It is hard for an author to keep things fresh over a prolonged series, readers get bored and characters stop being interesting. But Angela Marsons’ has bucked that trend, I have loved every book in the Detective Kim Stone series and if anything they get better as the series goes on. Each book can be read as a standalone but if you do that you really will be missing out, not only on the characters back story, but also on some really rather great reads.

I loved Deadly Cry, the storyline is original and kept me guessing all the way through and even when I thought that I had worked out who the baddie was I still hadn’t worked most of it out. This is a thrilling read with a decent death count.

The characters are still brilliant, I love reading about Kim Stone and her team and I am looking forward to the next thirteen books in the series because Angela Marsons has managed to do something really rather amazing, she has created characters that readers love and want to read more of, and she comes up with some cracking storylines.

Blurb:

You have to stop me from hurting anyone else. I don’t want to do these horrible things. Help me before I’m forced to do it again. And I will do it again because I have no choice. I’ve never had a choice.

In a busy shopping centre, a little girl clutches a teddy bear, clinging to it in the absence of her mother, Katrina. Hours later, Katrina’s body is discovered in an abandoned building. For Detective Kim Stone, it looks like a quick, functional kill. But Kim’s instincts tell her there’s more to this senseless murder than meets the eye. What was the motive for killing a young mother out shopping with her child?

Days later, a second victim is found in a local park, her neck broken just like Katrina’s and her six-year-old son missing.

With her colleague, Detective Stacey Wood, working on another unsolved crime and a member of the team grieving the loss of a close relative, Kim is struggling to make inroads on what is fast becoming a complex case. And when a handwritten letter from the killer lands on Kim’s desk addressed to her, and pleading for help, she knows time is running out to bring the little boy home alive.

With the support of a handwriting analyst and profiler, Kim and the team begin to get inside the mind of the killer and make a shocking discovery.

Some of the victims have scratch marks on their wrists.

But these are no random scratches. The killer is using them to communicate with someone. The question is… with whom?

And if Kim doesn’t find them soon, another innocent soul will die.

The multi-million-copy bestselling Detective Kim Stone series is every bit as addictive, original and exciting as readers say and you’ll be hooked from the very first page. Nobody does it better than the Queen of Crime, Angela Marsons.

About The Author:

Angela Marsons

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 3 million in 3 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone. 
http://angelamarsons-books.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AngelaMarsonsAuthor/  https://twitter.com/WriteAngie

Deadly Cry by Angela Marsons is out today and is available from

Amazon: https://buff.ly/3itLYDy

Apple: https://buff.ly/2XQtdlU

Kobo: https://buff.ly/3it5LTq

Google: https://buff.ly/3gRoEPC


Audible: UK: zpr.io/Hr5M8
Audible US: zpr.io/Hr5MD

To listen to a sample: SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/deadly-cry-by-angela-marsons-narrated-by-jan-cramer

Deadly Cry by Angela Marsons.

5*, blog tours, book review, psychological thriller

#BlogTour #BookReview Flowers for the Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite. @bookouture #BooksOnTour @bcopperthwait

if only I could read faster

Today it is my stop on the blog tour for the fabulous Flowers For The Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite and published by Bookouture (who kindly provided me a copy of the book to review). It has been a while since I took part in a blog tour and I have to admit that I have lost my reading mojo, something that really upsets me. Thankfully this book was so good that I thoroughly enjoyed it, I really hope that it helps to kick start my reading mojo!

My Review:

I am a bit fan of Barbara Copperthwaite so I was delighted to hear that there there was a new book of hers that I had yet to read.

This book is really creepy and it really made me think about the people around me and who might be watching me. Friends of mine often tell me that I notice everything and I would really like to think that I would notice someone was following me.

The thought of someone watching me sleep is horrible, but I think that I would know if someone was in my home when I was out (little side story is that I once had a landlord who liked to come when I was out and let herself in to have a look around, every time she came I knew as soon as I opened the door and would check with my curtain twitching neighbours who would confirm that she had been.) Anyway, I digress.

Laura is a character that I couldn’t help but care about, her tragic back story and struggle to get herself together was heartbreaking and when bad boy Adam targeted her I was wishing he had found someone else.

But the story then took twists and turns that I hadn’t been expecting and I loved every one of them. Once again the author has written a fabulous tale with brilliant characters who feel so very real and who the reader can’t help but care about.

I’m not going to give anything away, but I really enjoyed this book and recommend all books by the author.

Blurb:

He sees her. The one. The sunglasses don’t fool anyone, she is clearly upset, her nose and lips swollen from crying. They are two lost souls and he knows his love can help her. After all, she is not the first girl he has followed home…

Adam is the perfect boyfriend. He pays attention, he buys flowers. He knows everything about Laura and looks after her every need. He cooks, he cleans – he even does the dishes without being asked.

But Laura has never met Adam. Still grieving after a devastating car crash that killed her family, she’s forgetful and struggling to pull her life together. She’d be horrified to know the depth of this unsettling fantasy in which she is the star. But there’s no denying the chill she feels every time she finds another elaborate bouquet on her doorstep, or wakes in the night sensing she is not alone.

Adam has been watching her every move, and now it’s time to act. Except, there’s one little detail he’s missed: Laura has been watching him too.

After everything she’s been through, Laura’s ready to fight back and stop being the victim in her own life story. But in Adam’s world, there are no happy endings…

An unputdownable thriller guaranteed to have you sleeping with the light on and questioning everything you think you know about serial-killer thrillers! Perfect for fans of You by Caroline Kepnes, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Dowling and The One by John Marrs.

About the Author:

Barbara Copperthwaite

Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET.

More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).

Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers’ eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.

When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs. 

Author Social Media Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCopperthwaite

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCopperthwait

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_barbara_copperthwaite/

Website: www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

Where to Buy:

Amazon:  https://geni.us/B08D6R29XMSocial

Apple:  http://ow.ly/WFoZ50AIIhB

Kobo: http://ow.ly/BntR50AIIfd

Google: http://ow.ly/Qdye50AIIjD

Flowers For The Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite
5*, blog tours, book review, crime thriller, series

#BookReview #BlogTour Her Shallow Grave D.K. Hood. @bookouture @DKHood_Author #HerShallowGrave

if only I could read faster

Yay, another book by the fabulous DK Hood who takes us back to Black Rock Falls, a place that I will never tire of virtually visiting although I’m not sure that I want to visit in real life given the crime there. But I do love these books and so I was delighted to be able to read this one and be part of the blog tour, thank you to Noelle and Bookouture for having me on the tour.

My Review:

I love this series, it is still going strong with addictive storylines and great characters. I love how the characters have grown over the series and I can’t wait to see where they are going to go next.

There aren’t many book series that I keep reading, many kind of lose their steam a little and can feel as though the author is writing them for the wrong reasons. This is not one of those series.

How DK Hood keeps coming up with the storylines I don’t know, the twisted way that people are murdered are so original and I love reading how the characters deal with, and solve, the latest crime spree.

Her Shallow Grave is another great read in the series, I love catching up with the characters and it all feels really real, I can see the settings and the people in my mind which is the sign of a great book.

If you haven’t read any of this series before then you are really missing out. They can be read out as standalone books but it is always better to start at the beginning and let the characters develop as you read.

Roll on the next book, I can’t wait to see how the next crime wave in Black Rock Falls turns out.

Blurb:

She runs her trembling fingers over the dark, damp walls surrounding her. Above her head, she hears heavy footsteps. She knows she has nowhere to hide and as the door to the cellar is flung open, she finally sees his face.

It’s winter in Black Rock Falls and, as tourists flock to the small town to take in the snowy mountain peaks, one visitor makes a sickening discovery. The frozen body of a young woman hangs from a tree on the outskirts of town. Detective Jenna Alton is called in to investigate.

Jenna’s stomach turns as she surveys the ice-cold remains, and she’s soon alerted to similar burial sites nearby. With no missing persons reported, Jenna and her deputy, David Kane, fear Black Rock Falls is being used as a dumping ground for bodies.

As the body count mounts up, Jenna is more determined than ever to find the person responsible. But as she tries to catch the killer out, he outsmarts her once again and Jenna begins to wonder if he knows her next move. Could he be closer to her than she thinks?

When the investigation takes Jenna to a homeless shelter right in the heart of the community, she fears for the life of a woman who hasn’t been seen for a few days. It’s clear the killer is beginning to escalate, so Jenna ramps up the investigation and puts herself in unthinkable danger. Can she catch the murderer off guard, or does he already know she’s on her way? Has Jenna finally met a killer she can’t catch?

If you like Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot, you will love this thrilling new book from bestselling crime author D.K. Hood.

**Each Kane and Alton book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone**

About The Author:

I’ve always had a wicked sense of humour and was the kid who told the ghost stories around the campfire. I am lucky to have family all over the world and have spent many vacations in places from Paris France to Montana USA and Australia. I use the wonderful memories from these visits to enhance my stories.
My interest in the development of forensic science to solve crime goes back many years. I enjoy writing crime, mystery and thrillers. With many stories, waiting for me to write I’ll look forward to sharing many spine-tingling stories with you.

D.K. Hood is an active member of International Thriller Writers.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: www.dkhood.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dkhoodauthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DKHood_Author

Her Shallow Grave by DK Hood is out now and is available from Amazon UK, Apple, Kobo and Google.

5*, blog tours, book review, series

#BookReview #BlogTour Killing Mind by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @bookouture #KillingMind #BooksOnTour @ifonlyread

if only I could read faster

While life is very unusual and uncertain at the moment in lockdown but there is one thing that we can be sure of, a damn good read from Angela Marsons. I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for Killing Mind and I was delighted to be asked by Bookouture to be part of it. I received a copy of Killing Mind but I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

It is hard to believe that Killing Mind is the twelfth book in the Kim Stone series. Over the years I have read many other series but I don’t think that there has been one that I have still been enjoying at book twelve. Kim Stone has staying power and keeps readers enjoying and desperately waiting for more.

One thing that I love is that Angela Marsons picks topics for her books that she is interested in herself, that interest and the subsequent research that the author clearly does means that the books feel fresh and interesting and, frankly, a joy to read.

I still love the characters and how they have developed, every books sees them face challenges and more forward in their story.

If you haven’t read any of Angela Marsons’ books then you are in for a treat, I do think that every book can be read as a standalone, but you will be missing out on an amazing journey and some cracking reads so I really would start from the beginning.

There really is something special about Angela Marsons and her writing, I love visiting Kim Stone and her team as they solve crimes, it really does feel like I am visiting friends and although I am always disappointed when the visit is over, I know that it won’t be too long before the next visit, and that one will be just as good as all the visits before.

Roll on book thirteen…

Blurb:

It had seemed so simple. Get in, get the information, get out. But now they were getting inside her mind and she didn’t know how to stop them…

When Detective Kim Stone is called to the home of Samantha Brown, she finds the young woman lying in bed with her throat cut and a knife in her hand. With no sign of forced entry or struggle, Kim rules her death a tragic suicide.

But a visit to Samantha’s parents rings alarm bells for Kim – there’s something they’re not telling her. And, when she spots a clue in a photograph, Kim realises she’s made a huge mistake. Samantha didn’t take her own life, she was murdered.

Then a young man’s body is found in a local lake with his throat cut and Kim makes a link between the victim and Samantha. They both spent time at Unity Farm, a retreat for people seeking an alternative way of life.

Beneath the retreat’s cosy façade, Kim and her team uncover a sinister community preying on the emotionally vulnerable.

Sending one of her own undercover into Unity Farm is high risk but it’s Kim’s only hope if she is to catch a killer – someone Kim is convinced the victims knew and trusted.

With Bryant distracted by the emergence of a harrowing case close to his heart, and an undercover officer in way over her head, Kim’s neck is on the line like never before. Can she protect those closest to her before another life is taken?

An unbelievably gripping crime thriller from multi-million copy bestseller Angela Marsons that will have you hooked on the Detective Kim Stone series.

About The Author:

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 3 million in 3 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone. 
http://angelamarsons-books.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AngelaMarsonsAuthor/ https://twitter.com/WriteAngie

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/2SXw61I Apple Books: https://apple.co/2WMR6cK Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WPhm67 Google Play: https://bit.ly/3bpFNMH

5*, blog tours, book review, series

#BlogTour #BookReview Dead Wrong by Noelle Holton. @nholten40 @OneMoreChapter_ @BOTBSPublicity #DeadWrong @harpercollinsuk

if only I could read faster

Today it is my stop on the blog tour for Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten. Dead Wrong is the second book in a thrilling series, you can read my review of the first book, Dead Inside, here but I do believe that this book can be read as a standalone.

I received a copy of Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten from the publisher, I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

I really enjoyed the first book in the Maggie Jameson series, Dead Inside, by Noelle Holten so I was really keen to read Dead Wrong. What surprised me was that Dead Wrong is even better than the first book, the writing is so assured and confident and there are plenty of twists and turns and goodness, the cliffhanger…

It was nice to touch base with some of the characters again, although one of my favourite characters from the first book barely featured in Dead Wrong but I am hopeful that they will have more of a role in future books.

The storyline is suitably gruesome, with plenty of unexpected twists. I could really see the difference between the authors’ debut novel and this one, you can see how the writing has matured and grown in confidence. I’m really blown away by the difference and I cannot wait to see what the author will give us next. Noelle Holten is definitely an author to watch.

Blurb:

The serial killer is behind bars. But the murders are just beginning…

DC Maggie Jamieson’s past comes back to haunt her in this dark and gripping serial killer thriller.

Three missing women running out of time…
 
They were abducted years ago. Notorious serial killer Bill Raven admitted to killing them and was sentenced to life.

The case was closed – at least DC Maggie Jamieson thought it was…
 
But now one of them has been found, dismembered and dumped in a bin bag in town.

Forensics reveal that she died just two days ago, when Raven was behind bars, so Maggie has a second killer to find.
 
Because even if the other missing women are still alive, one thing’s for certain: they don’t have long left to live…

About The Author:

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and was a regular reviewer on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. Noelle worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. 
Dead Inside is her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson. 

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:
Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/
Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/
Instagram: @crimebookjunkie 
Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk
Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB

Dear Wrong by Noelle Holton is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

5*, blog tours, book review

#BlogTour #BookReview A Dog’s Hope by Casey Wilson. @CaseyWilsonAuth @bookouture #ADogsHope #DogsLove #BooksOnTour

if only I could read faster

Ok, so things have been far quieter than usual here on If only I could read faster and I’m sad about that. I have totally lost my reading mojo, it has never happened to me before and I am not impressed that it has happened now but A Dog’s Hope by Casey Wilson is the first book that I have actually finished in 2020. And it is March! I’ve tried and put down more than a few books in that time but this is a book that I finished. It’s strange because it is a genre that I don’t normally read and perhaps that is a sign that maybe I need to change my reading habits a bit. Who knows but I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for this lovely book, thank you to Bookouture for having me on the tour. I received a copy of A Dog’s Hope from the publisher but I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

I’m not really sure where to start with this review. I normally read thrillers which are full of twists and generally shows the bad side of people. This book is not like that.

Toby is a resentful teenager who is not happy that his mother is moving him from a big city to a small town after separating from his bully of a father. Toby is convinced that life in such a small place can only be boring but he is quickly proved wrong when he is asked to try out for the school baseball team and a golden retriever, who he names Buddy, appears matted and dirty when Toby is walking home from school .

Unusually, the book is written from the point of view of Toby and Buddy, and in the present and the past with different chapters featuring on pov. I don’t think that I have read another book that has chapters with an animals thoughts and feelings, it was a bit strange but also rather lovely, although I am sure that dogs don’t really think like Buddy. Sure, they are perceptive but can they really get a feeling of what is about to happen, or that something is happening to their owner when they are apart?

I don’t know, I’d love to know what my dogs think of me and I’d love to think that they love me in the same way that Buddy loved Toby. If you don’t like dogs or understand the connection that a person can have with their dog then perhaps this book isn’t for you, although maybe it will help you to understand. If you love dogs then you will probably love this book, although you may want tissues handy.

The story is beautifully told, the author has done a great job of putting into words how a dog can help a human. I have had dogs for most of my adult life and without them I am not sure where I would be now, their love and loyalty has carried me through many difficult times. I’m sure that this helped me to connect with the relationship between Toby and Buddy and it has really made me think about my dogs over the years and the relationships that we had.

A beautiful book that is easy to read, makes you think and fills your heart with love. I’m now off to go and give my dog a cuddle.

Blurb:

There are some things in life that only a dog can teach you.

A poignant, heart-wrenching, but ultimately uplifting novel about the unbreakable bond between a boy and his dog. Perfect for fans of A Dog’s Purpose, The Art of Racing in the Rain and Marley and Me.

In the farming town of Riverside in Washington, Toby Fuller is feeling more alone than ever. Nothing Toby did was ever good enough for his father, but he never expected his father to leave, to abandon him and his mother forever. He loses hope, until a scruffy golden retriever called Buddy follows him home from school.

Though he’s struggling to walk, Buddy matches Toby step for step, never taking his eyes off him, as if Toby is all he needs in the world. And from that day on Buddy never leaves Toby’s side.

Buddy shows Toby a loyalty that he has never known. But then disaster strikes and Toby’s life is changed forever. Will Buddy be able to give Toby the strength he needs to carry on?

A tale of how unconditional love can bound into your life when you least expect it, giving you hope in the darkest of times.

About the Author:

Casey Wilson is the author of A Dog’s Hope, published with Bookouture.

Born and raised in the United States in Nevada, she is the owner of a gorgeous golden retriever, who may or may not have inspired the dogs in her novels.

Author Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaseyWilsonAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaseyWilsonAuth

A Dog’s Hope by Casey Wilson is out now and is available from:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B083XYXMLKSocial

Apple: https://apple.co/2u41lyH

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2FYLp3f 

Google: http://bit.ly/2RweWa6

5*, book review

#BookReview Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. @Rosamundlupton #ThreeHoursNovel @VikingBooksUK

if only I could read faster
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton.

I have to confess that I really wanted to read Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton and not like it, which is not how I normally feel when starting a book. The reason is that the first book that I wrote (but as yet haven’t done much with) was about a school shooting in the UK and I was not impressed that there was another book about a school shooting by a successful author. I found that this book is totally different to mine, but also that it is an absolutely amazing book.

I received a copy of the book from the publishers via Netgalley, I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

I read Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton in, well I’d like to say three hours but that would be impossible for me, but definitely, three days which is fast for me. From the very first page, this book sucked me in and took me on a rollercoaster of a ride which lasted until the very last page.

I was totally hooked and desperately wanted to get to the end but at the same time, I really didn’t want the book to be over. I loved the diverse characters, how the situation brought out the good in many and how the school itself and the weather became characters of their own.

Three Hours is a book that I thought about a lot since finishing it, it has stayed with me and I have actually considered reading it again which I never, ever do as there are just too many books that I want to read to spend time reading one twice, but I think that I will be reading it again soon.

This book really was amazing, It may just be February but I am confident that this book will be in my top 2020 books.

Blurb:

Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.

It is a morning’s lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods.

It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.

It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.

In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. Told from the point of view of the people at the heart of it, from the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.

About The Author:

Rosamund Lupton’s new book, ‘Three Hours’ is published on 9th January 2020.

Her debut novel, ‘Sister’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime, a Sunday Times and New York Times best seller and the fastest selling debut in WHSmiths’history. Her next two books ‘Afterwards’ and ‘The Quality of Silence’ were also Sunday Times best sellers. Her novels have been translated into over thirty languages.

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.