Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson #SameTimeNextWeek @millyjohnson @simonschusterUK @TeamBATC #BookReview @ed_pr

 

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.

 Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

 Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

 Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

 Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week? 

 Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

 Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…

Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson is published on 27 February 2025 by Simon & Schuster. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I am a huge fan of Milly Johnson, it's hard to believe that her first novel: The Yorkshire Pudding Club was published in 2007 - almost twenty years ago!  Over those years, Milly has been good enough to produce a book a year for those of us who need a fix, with a couple of novellas thrown in here and there. 

I think what Milly Johnson does especially well is to look at life challenges that women face. We are all growing older and with that, we find ourselves faced with different situations. Whether it is dealing with elderly parents; mopping up after children that are making their own mistakes; realising that our relationships may not be exactly what we always thought, all with the damn menopause on top! We live in a changing and different world to that of our own mothers, and I find it an absolute joy to be able to speak openly about the menopause, and peri menopause and post menopause.  Our mothers had to keep quiet, to suffer in silence, not realising that they were not alone. 

In Same Time Next Week we are introduced to a varied group of women of different ages with different histories and circumstances, but they are all women and they all have their own issues to deal with. Amanda is thinking about early retirement, she enjoys her job and is currently working on how her employer can ensure that women are cared for properly in the workplace. Amanda's elderly mother lives near by and needs a lot of care. Sadly, it is Amanda's step-brother Bradley that gets the praise and thanks from their mother whilst she quietly continues to ensure the old woman is fed and cared for.

It is Amanda's idea to hold a regular 'friends group' meeting, at Ray's Diner in Spring Hill. She's not sure if people will come but she knows that extending the arm of friendship cannot hurt. 

Despite the disappointment of the first meeting, the group becomes very popular and it is not long before the regulars find true friendship. Sharing their innermost secrets, helping each other, giving advice and sharing the amazing cookies supplied by Ray. 

So, I could details all of the issues faced by the group, but I'm not going to. Milly does that really well, with insight and touches of her fabulous Northern humour. Her writing is wise and inspirational and also realistic and true. This is another absolute classic from one of the best authors we have in the UK. 

You will love these characters, you will cheer them on. You will boo their enemies and you will truly wish that you too had a friendship group that met every week at Ray's Diner. 

Wonderful. Highly recommended 

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. 

A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. 

Milly's writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. 

Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. 

Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances. 

She writes stories about ordinary women and the extraordinary things that happen in their ordinary lives.

www.millyjohnson.co.uk

X @millyjohnson

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Ask Not by Maureen Callahan #AskNot @DM_Maureen_ @mudlarkbooks @HarperNonFic @Kara_Ella #TheKennedys #BookReview

 

From New York Times bestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposé of the real Kennedy Curse―the family's generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem―and the women who have paid the price for our obsession with Camelot.

For decades, the Kennedy name has been synonymous with wealth, power, and―above all else―integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the Kennedy men's legacy of physical and psychological abuse of women, part of a tradition of toxic masculinity that spans generations and has ruined untold lives. Through scandal after scandal, the family and their defenders have managed to keep this shameful story out of the spotlight. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys' hidden history of abuse and exploitation, laying bare their rampant misogyny and restoring women to the center of the dynasty's story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Mary Richardson, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren't nearly as well known – but rightfully should be.

Drawing on years of fierce reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled American family, showing how the Kennedy myth and their raw political power has enabled the clan's many predators while also silencing generations of traumatized women and girls. At long last, Callahan also redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys' orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves―and giving voice to the countless others who could not do the same.

Ask Not - The Kennedys and the Women they Destroyed by Maureen Callahan was published by Mudlark / Harper NonFiction on 4 July 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I grew up in the 1970s. The Kennedy family were probably at the height of their fame around that time. My Mum; a sensible Irish Catholic woman who didn't stand for fools easily adored the Kennedys and I was brought up listening to the glamour and high fashion filled tales of their lives. We lived in England but spent every summer in County Donegal, Ireland. Every house that I visited had three pictures on the wall ; the Sacred Heart, the Pope and JFK.  John F Kennedy had a saint-like status in Catholic Ireland, and it was many many years before I learnt the real truth about him and his family. 

If 'Ask Not' was a novel, a work of fiction, I can imagine readers being really critical. There could be cries about how one family could not be as toxic as the Kennedys. We would ask if the author was adding sensation to sell her story. However, sadly, this is not fiction. This is an anger inducing book filled with facts, carefully researched by the author and powerfully written down.

For too long, it has been the men of the Kennedy family who have taken centre stage, and at the moment we are subjected to so many pictures of RFK Jr since he teamed up with Trump and is now in charge of health care in the most powerful nation on earth.  Maureen Callahan has put the women who married them, loved them, had relationships with them and also suffered the most at their hands, at the heart of his book. We learn about women whose names have been forgotten over the years, whose own stories were not felt as important as those of the powerful corrupt Kennedy men. 

Compelling, searing and very timely. This is a grim, sordid read that will induce anger and rage in any decent reader. 

Maureen Callahan is an award-winning investigative journalist and the author of the New York Times bestseller American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century. 

Her writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Spin, the New York Post (where she was a longtime columnist), and the Daily Mail, where she currently has a column. 

She lives in New York.

X @DM_Maureen_

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha BLOG TOUR #TheInheritance #TrishaSakhlecha @centurybooksuk @Tr4cyF3nt0n #BookReview

 

On a private island off the west coast of Scotland, the Agarwals gather for a much-awaited family reunion.

Raj, the patriarch and business tycoon, who has six weeks to decide how to split his petrochemicals empire between his three children.

Shalini, the fragile mother, who longs to see her family healed.

Myra, the eldest daughter and golden child, who, unbeknownst to the family, is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Aseem, the son and supposed heir, who must choose between his wife and his family.

Aisha, the fun-loving youngest daughter, who is tired of being treated like a child.

And Zoe, the outsider whose #Instaperfect life is built on a foundation of lies.

Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha was published by Century on 13 February 2025. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour organised by Compulsive Readers. 

The Inheritance is Trisha Sakhlecha's third novel. I have to admit that I haven't come across her books before and was intrigued when I opened the parcel from the publisher containing this one. When Tracy from Compulsive Reads announced the blog tour, I knew that I had to sign up.

I am really pleased that I did. I have been totally gripped by this novel and am certainly going to look out for the author's previous two novels.

There does seem to have been a glut of 'isolated island' thriller stories recently, I guess it's the perfect setting for a crime novel, and an island set off the coast of Scotland that is totally private really adds to the atmosphere of this one. 

This is not just a straightforward crime thriller, although the reader is perfectly aware that there's a murder, right from the beginning. It is also a clever examination of a close-knit family. The Agarwal family are of Indian heritage; they are wealthy, with fortunes made in the petro industry, and just like most families, they have their issues. Myra is the eldest, she owns the island and is hosting her family for this reunion. Despite appearing to be a clever business woman, owner of what will probably become the holiday place of the rich and famous, Myra is hiding a lot. A broken relationship and deep grief along with the desperation of knowing that she could be bankrupt in weeks. 

Aseem, the son and heir of the family, and his influencer wife Zoe. Zoe is not of Indian heritage and whilst she has been part of the family now for quite a few years, she always feels like an outsider. Her life is one big grid - full of 'likes' and ' follows'. 

Aisha is the baby of the family. Indulged and usually allowed to get away with anything. She's shocked everyone by bringing along a guest to the family party. Trouble seems to follow Aisha around. 

It's a fairly complex plot in places, as the tension mounts and the reader becomes aware of the underlying menace between some characters and the threat of exposure of long hidden secrets. 

A novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with characters who will raise many questions. It's dark and twisty with an ending to shock the reader. 

Trisha Sakhlecha grew up in New Delhi and now shuttles between Berlin and London. 

She is a diplomat, currently posted as Director, The Tagore Centre at the Embassy of India, Berlin. 

In the past, Trisha has worked in the fashion industry as a business consultant, designer and trend forecaster. 

She is the author of Your Truth or Mine? and Can You See Me Now? 

The Inheritance is her third novel.

Learn more about Trisha on trishasakhlecha.com or on Instagram @trishasakhlecha

(Don't) Call Mum by Matt Wesolowski #DontCallMum @ConcreteKraken @wildhuntbooks #NorthernWeirdProject #BookReview

 

PART OF THE NORTHERN WEIRD PROJECT

HE ALWAYS COMES FOR YOU...

Leo is just trying to catch his train back home to the village of Malacstone in North East England. But there's disorder at the station, and when a loud young man heading for London boards the train accidentally, a usually easy journey descends into darkness and chaos. The train soon breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and as night falls, something...or someone steps out of the distance. Is it a man or something far more sinister?

When one of the passengers goes missing, Leo fears that a folkloric tale whispered to him in childhood might be the culprit.

(Don't) Call Mum blends Matt Wesolowski's trademark voice of mystery, folklore and humour in this heart-racing tale.

(Don't) Call Mum by Matt Wesolowski is published by Wild Hunt Books on 8 May 2025 and is part of the Northern Weird Project. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Matt Wesolowski is best known for his very successful Six Stories series published by Orenda Books and currently being adapted for television. The Six Stories novels are a mix of crime, horror and folklore and (Don't) Tell Mum can most certainly be considered the same genre

With just 111 pages, this novella can easily be read in one sitting. In fact, it's probably best read that way as the reader is instantly pulled into this spine chilling, gripping story, with a small cast of characters who are cleverly created, if fairly flawed. 

Those of us who live in the North and are familiar with the terrible rail service up here will find much in Wesolowski's tale that is familiar to them. Whilst I do not live quite as far North as the setting of the novel, I am familiar with the old, old trains. The dubious smells, and stains. The empty, desolate station platforms. The tendency for the trains to just stop, with no indication of why. It's certainly an adventure. 

The author has taken this setting and created a masterful, tense and uneasy story with atmosphere and mystery that really is perfectly done. 

This is basically the story of Leo's journey home from University. He's looking forward to seeing his Mum and sharing a Chinese takeaway. He and fellow passenger Jodie have only just met, but feel as though they have much in common. Neither of them can abide the loud, obnoxious students that gathered at the station, bragging and telling stories.

Angus is another passenger and is is surely the most horrific travelling companion. Southern, loud, abrasive; Angus loves the sound of his own voice, although that voice really does grate on Leo and Jodie.  When it becomes clear that Angus is on the wrong train, Leo is happy to let him know. Angry and more than a little embarrassed, Angus gets off at the next station. That station is Underwood, not a place that Leo would choose to spend any time in. 

This is such an atmospheric story. As Leo and Jodie discuss folk lore tales that they've heard and grown up with, the darkness outside of the train window creeps in and all of the passengers begin to see things that they cannot explain. You can almost feel the creaks and groans of the train carriage, the slap of the branches on the side of the train, the dread that takes over the passengers. 

I finished this novella and thought 'what on earth??'. There's so much to unpick in this one but there is no doubt that it is written beautifully.

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. 

He is a former English teacher for young people in the PRU and care systems.

Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. 

His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick.

Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. 

Changeling, the third book in the series, was published in 2019 and was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. 

His fourth book, Beast, won the Amazon Publishing Readers' Independent Voice Book of the Year award in 2020 and was followed by Deity and then Demon in 2022. 

The Six Stories series is currently being adapted for television. 

Matt currently works as a tutor for Faber Academy. 

He lives in Newcastle with his partner and son, several tanks of rescued goldfish, a snake and a cat and an axolotl.

X @ConcreteKraken

Instagram @mattjwesolowski

Facebook @MattWesolowski

Throughout 2025, Wild Hunt Books will publish six fantastic pocket-sized novellas from authors based in the North of England and who are also engaging with the North as setting, subject and character.

The novellas incorporate eerie and uncanny incidents including a strange occurrence on a train, a young boy’s disappearance in a village, a grieving couple renovating a haunted house, a group of mysterious strangers by the beach, a sinister wellness retreat and the unearthed danger beneath an ancient peat bog.

Editor Ariell Cacciola said of the project, ‘Im so excited about this project. The novellas will transport readers into the strange and dangerous corners of the North, and it will be impossible not to read each book in one sitting.’

The Northern Weird Project

https://www.wildhuntbooks.co.uk/the-northern-weird-project

Hope Street by Mike Gayle #HopeStreet @mikegayle @HodderBooks @AlainnaGeorgiou #BookReview

 

The greatest adventure is coming back home.

Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby and she's very used to being given the stories that no one else wants. So, when her editor tells her that the city's Cossington Park development is being held up by a solitary resident on Hope Street who is refusing to leave, she knows she is going to be the one sent to find out more. And that's how she meets Connor.

Twenty-something Connor is the sole resident of Hope Street and he is not at all what Lila is expecting. And he has a very clear reason not to move: he is waiting for his mum to come home.

The uplifting and heartfelt new novel from the author of A Song of Me and You.

Hope Street by Mike Gayle was published on 6 February 2025 by Hodder & Stoughton. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

So, I have just made myself feel even older than usual by looking back to find out when I first read Mike Gayle's books. It was in 1998, when he published his debut novel; My Legendary Girlfriend. Almost thirty years ago!  Where did that time disappear to?  I hope Mike and his publishers will be doing something special in a few years time to mark the 30th anniversary of his books. 

Over the years, I have really enjoyed Mike Gayle's books. I have noticed a very subtle change in his writing and his story lines. Earlier books concentrated on the often hilarious love life of the usually male lead character. I loved those books, but we grow and we age and whilst I do believe that love and romance keep the world turning, I am happy that this author has begun to address more social issues in his novels, and that the majority of his characters are not quite as young as they were! 

Connor lives on Hope Street. He's the only person left living on the street. Connor cannot leave, despite the best efforts of the council who have plans to develop the area. Three years ago, Connor's Mum went out and didn't return. Nobody has heard from her since. Connor knows that she will come home one day, so he can't leave their house. How would she know where he was?

Connor works in the DIY Depot, he's been there since he left school. Alan is his closest work friend and despite their age difference, they really do get along. Outside of work, Connor only really sees Marcus. Marcus is the son of his Mum's best friend Bev. He visits Connor every week, keeps an eye on him and makes sure he's OK

Lila is a reporter at the local newspaper. He long-term boyfriend is in London, and Lila is considering trying to get a job down there. This long distance relationship is not easy.  Lila is given Connor's story, she's to go to Hope Street and interview him about his refusal to leave.  However, when they meet, Lila is far more interested in Connor's missing mother and makes a promise to him. She's going to find his Mum. 

What follows is a beautifully written novel that I was really sad to finish. It's heart felt and poignant and touches on some really emotional and serious current issues that can affect all of us.  The powerful bureaucracy of local councils; the excessively complicated and almost inhumane way that ordinary people are dealt with is both saddening and anger inducing. 

Connor's experiences with people who want to take advantage of his vulnerabilities, and who are prepared to sacrifice him to obtain what they want are heart breaking to read at times. Connor's unwavering trust and belief in people is put to the test so much and every reader will hiss and boo at those who do him wrong. 

There's also Gayle's trademark touches of romance and true friendship within this story and it is these that I really enjoy so much. In the darkest of times, this author can make his readers feel a little hopeful. It is written from the heart and really unforgettable.  Highly recommended by me. 

MIKE GAYLE was born and raised in Birmingham. After graduating from Salford
University with a degree in Sociology, he moved to London to pursue a career in journalism and worked as a features editor and agony uncle. He has written for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan.

Mike became a full-time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by the Independent as 'full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations', and by The Times as 'a funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic'. Since then he has written eighteen novels, including The Man I Think I Know, selected as a World Book Night title, and Half A World Away, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages. In 2021, Mike was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.

He lives in Birmingham with his wife, kids and greyhound.

You can find him online at mikegayle.co.uk and on Twitter @mikegayle.

Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson #IntoThinAir #OrjanKarlsson @OrendaBooks t. @ioagiles #NordicNoir #BookReview #TranslatedFiction

 

Chief Investigator of Nordland Police, Jakob Weber is drawn into a complex case when a teenaged girl goes missing in Northern Norway, and a second woman disappears from a remote island in similar circumstances … FIRST in a compelling, dark new Nordic Noir series.

In Norway’s frozen north, it’s not just secrets that are buried…

 When nineteen-year-old Iselin Hanssen disappears during a run in a popular hiking area in Bodø, Northern Norway, suspicion quickly falls on her boyfriend. For investigator Jakob Weber, the case seems clear-cut, almost unexceptional, even though there is some suggestion that Iselin lived parts of her life beneath the radar of both family and friends.

 But events take a dramatic turn when another woman disappears in similar circumstances – this time on the island of Røst, miles off the Norwegian coast, in the wild ocean.

 Rumours that a killer is on the loose begin to spread, terrifying the local population and leading to wild conspiracies. But then Jakob discovers that this isn’t the first time that young women have vanished without a trace in the region, and it becomes clear that someone is hiding something … and another murderous spree may have just begun…

 For fans of Joe Pickett, Ragnar Jonasson and Jorn Lier Horst

Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson was published by Orenda Books on 16 January 2025 and is translated by Ian Giles. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

I do love a new series, I am especially fond of translated crime fiction, and anything set in Norway also ticks my boxes, so Into Thin Air is just my thing. 

Lead character; Jakob Weber is Chief Investigator of Norland Police. He's an interesting character, carefully created by the author and has many personal issues of his own. However, these do not affect his ability to do his job.   When Iselin Hanssen goes missing, after going for a run in the area, Jakob considers the case to be fairly straightforward. Iselin had a on/off boyfriend, whose interviews sound a little suspcious. However, when another woman disappears, from a different area, but under very similar circumstances, Jakob realises that there may be more to this case. 

Jakob's professional partner is Noora Yun Sande; newly transferred from Kripos is Oslo and just like Jakob, she has burdens of her own to carry. The reader is unaware of just why Noora transferred from Kripos, but it is clear that she's suffered a trauma and the current case being investigated is having an effect on her too. 

Karlsson writes incredibly well, he's written a lot of crime fiction in his home land, but this is the first of his books that I've read. His ability to re-create the often bleak Norwegian landscape is excellent. His characters are flawed, yet fit perfectly into the story. At times, the narrative is tough and violent and the crimes against women are described fully.

This is a great start to a new series. It is very dark, yet also totally gripping, with great characters and a setting that adds such a lot to the plot.

Ørjan N. Karlsson grew up in Bodø. 

A sociologist by trade, he received officer training in the army and has taken part in overseas missions. 

He has worked in the Defence Ministry and is now a departmental manager in the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection. 

He has written a large number of thrillers, sci-fi novels and crime novels for adults.

Instagram  @orjan_nk

www. orjankarlsson.com

Ian Giles has a PhD in Scandinavian literature from the University of Edinburgh. Past translations include novels by crime and thriller luminaries such as Arne Dahl, Carin Gerhardsen, Michael Katz Krefeld, David Lagercrantz, Camilla Läckberg and Gustaf Skördeman. His translation of Andreas Norman’s Into a Raging Blaze was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger. 

www.gilestranslation.com

X @ioagiles

The Betrayal of Thomas True by A J West #TheBetrayalofThomasTrue @AJWestAuthor @OrendaBooks #BookReview

 

The only sin is betrayal…

 It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London's hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.

 Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly's stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.

 Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?

 Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…

The Betrayal of Thomas True by A J West was published in hardback on 4 July 2024 by Orenda Books. The paperback will be released in July this year.  My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I read this book at the beginning of December. Since then, I've spent time in hospital and am still recovering slowly from illness. I didn't write my review at the time, so am doing my best to put this together now. I hope I do the book justice. 

Marketed as a 'historical thriller', this novel covers so many genre. It most certainly is a wonderfully researched historical story, with a mystery that runs throughout it. It is also a love story, a tale that explores love that is forbidden by law but becomes so strong that rules and laws have to be ignored. 

This novel explores a part of London that I knew nothing about prior to starting the book. It is clear that the author feels passionately about the subject and his immaculate and detailed research into the city, it's occupants, the design and the way of life adds so much to the narrative. 

I have never really considered the history of the gay movement in England. Of course I know that homosexuality is no longer a crime, and there does seem to be a more open and tolerant atmosphere around the issues. However, we all know that nothing is perfect and there are comparisons to be made with issues in the novel, and things that are happening in our world today. 

Thomas True has left the brutality of his life with his religious family and arrived in the frantic streets of London in the year 1715. Thomas knows that the life that he really wants is seen as sinful by his father. He will stay with his relatives and make his own way in the big city. 

It is not long before Thomas finds himself involved in the Molly movement. Mollies are homosexual men who, when not leading their 'normal' lives, dress in women's clothes, call themselves names more associated with females and visit the Molly houses. This is Thomas' dream, and despite his innocence at times, he knows that he has found his crowd. 

Gabriel Griffin is the guard Mother Clapp's Molly House, he's known there as Lottie. Gabriel is a large, very masculine man who is grieving the death of his wife and children. However, Gabriel knows that he truly is a Molly, and Thomas intrigues him. Before long, they have a close, if difficult relationship. 

However, there is 'a Rat' amongst the Mollies. There is a traitor who is exposing the men, reporting them to the authorities. Mollies who are caught, are executed by the state, no questions asked. Gabriel and Thomas make it their mission to track down the Rat, to ensure the safety of their friends, to protect those who are left. 

This is a highly descriptive novel that will delight lovers of historical fiction. The sights, sounds, smells, streets of London are brought alive by this author's clever use of words. The reader is taken on a journey through streets that seem familiar, yet are very different to the London of today. 

A brave, and ambitious story that deals with a part of history that seems to have been hidden away before now. Colourful characters and a captivating mystery too. 

A.J. West grew up reading books to escape his shyness at school and discovered an early talent for writing fiction which led to an award-winning career as a BBC television newsreader and reporter. 

He has also written for national newspapers and magazines and has appeared on television programmes including BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, This Morning and the legendary reality television show, Big Brother, where he became an instant household name... though the specific household has yet to be identified. 

Today, A.J. lives in South London with his husband, Nicholas Robinson.

X @AJWestAuthor

IG @ajwestauthor