Untangled by Kirsty Maynor #Untangled #NavigatingChange @KirstyMaynor @matadorbooks #BookReview

 

You’re facing change. Right now. Today. And you probably don’t feel you have everything you need to get through it. In fact, if it’s change you’d love to create in your life, you may even stall and not make it a reality. And if life keeps handing you curve balls, you might feel that you don’t know where to start.

Untangled busts the myths we believe about what it takes to handle change in our life. Whether there’s change we long to create, or the tectonic plates of our life have shifted and we need to adjust, Kirsty Maynor’s inspirational and practical guide to change in our lives is here to help.

Combining personal experience with professional expertise, Kirsty’s warm and supporting style as an accredited and experienced executive coach and change strategist helps readers to unravel the knots of change, choose the threads to keep and weave a new future for themselves.

Untangled: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Changes We Choose and Change We Don't by by Kirsty Maynor was published on 23 November 2023 by Matador. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review. 

My first thoughts when opening the package that contained my copy of Untangled was delight at the beautiful presentation. The colourful cover and the high quality of the printing is just wonderful. Whilst this is a paperback book, the cover is made from a very thick, hard wearing card and both the front and back cover are gatefold.

The cover artwork is by Kindah Kalidy and is is great to see the artist mentioned on the inside cover. There's also a full index at the back, with some blank pages left for note taking. 

Kirsty Maynor has written this book by reflecting on her own experiences of change, her writing is straightforward and sensible. She doesn't make ridiculous claims and is totally aware that every reader will have their own experiences to draw on and also be aware of their own strengths. What she does so very well is to reinforce her ideas and make them appropriate to the reader's individual circumstances. 

When I read this, I had already made a major career change which fortunately, so far, has worked well for me. However, I am in no doubt at all that had I had access to this book during that change that I would have felt more confident during certain stages of the process. 

Kirsty has written a full introduction to the book, outlining her own personal journey, she also makes a promise to readers and includes information about journalling. There is a separate Untangled Journal available to buy too. 

Untangled is presented in four main parts; 1 - Untangling the Myths, 2 - Untangling Your Path, 3 - Untangling Your Way and 4 - The Untanglers.  Each of the parts have individual chapters, all detailed at the front of the book.

Whilst I did read the book from start to finish, this is also a book that you can pick and choose which parts you need at your own moment in time. It's so easy to pick up, read a few sections and then put them into practice.

Untangled is such a useful book, one that will be welcomed by many. Kirsty Maynor is both professional and personal with her advice. She encourages her readers, and will leave most of us feeling empowered and ready to embrace the change. Highly recommended. 

Navigating change has been part of Kirsty Maynor’s professional and personal life for
more than three decades. She has the studies, research, and lived experience to bust the myths we believe about what it takes to handle change and to unravel the knots of both change you choose (think moving house) and change you don’t (think redundancy and bereavement).

Kirsty founded her business, The Firefly Group, in 2011 and has supported over ten thousand leaders across private, public and government sectors to create better futures for their organisations and stakeholders. She is a Certified Co-active Coach (CPCC); accredited with the International Coaching Federation (PCC) and a certified facilitator of Dare to Lead™.

Kirsty has an MSc. in Organisational Behaviour from Birkbeck, University of London, has tutored MSc. students at the University of Edinburgh and is the first Scottish member of the elite global Transformational Leadership Council.

Kirsty works internationally and lives in Edinburgh with her cat, a collection of houseplants and a bookshelf that will need its own room soon. 

www.kirstymaynor.com

www.untangledbook.com

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Breaststrokes by Margaux Vialleron BLOG TOUR #Breaststrokes @margauxvlln @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #Win #Competition #Giveaway #Competition

 

A novel on consent told in five acts over the course of one weekend.

Cloe and Gertrude and the Jenkins-Bell sisters, Mathilde and Sarah, have never met. They are strangers who share a city.

 

It is Sunday morning. Cloe has woken-up in someone else’s home; Gertrude starts her shift in the pub kitchen, while Mathilde and Sarah are on their way to lunch.

Soon, these four women’s lives will overlap.

Saturday felt like a normal day, but on Sunday the past will catch-up with them as they realise that there never is only one side to a story.

Sharply observed and painfully relatable, Breaststrokes is a novel that seems to emerge from the haze of our current time. This story of unexpected encounters and intimacies is perfect for fans of Cleopatra and Frankenstein and Beautiful World, Where Are You.

Breaststrokes by Margaux Vialleron was published on 9 May 2024 by Simon and Schuster. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour I am delighted to have one copy to give away today. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in the blog post. UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of Breaststrokes by Margaux Vialleron

MARGAUX VIALLERON is French-born, Glasgow-based writer, who is co-host of the
SPK Book Club – a podcast, reading and culinary community. Her short stories and essays have been published in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Compound Butter.

She is the author of The Yellow Kitchen and Breaststrokes is her second novel. 

Read more from Margaux by subscribing to her substack newsletter, The Onion Papers, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @margauxvlln. 

Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan #HerNameWasRose @ClaireAllan @AvonBooksUK #BookReview

 

Her name was Rose. You watched her die. And her death has created a vacancy.

When Emily lets a stranger step out in front of her, she never imagines that split second will change her life. But after Emily watches a car plough into the young mother – killing her instantly – she finds herself unable to move on.

And then she makes a decision she can never take back.

Because Rose had everything Emily had ever dreamed of. A beautiful, loving family, a great job and a stunning home. And now Rose’s husband misses his wife, and their son needs a mother. Why couldn’t Emily fill that space?

But as Emily is about to discover, no one’s life is perfect … and not everything is as it seems.

Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan was published in paperback in June 2018 by Avon Books. 

I read this when I was on holiday in Maderia in March and totally forgot to write my review until now! 

Her Name Was Rose is Claire Allan's first psychological thriller, before this, she was well know for writing what is generally considered to be 'women's contemporary fiction'. She's written a lot more psychological thrillers since this one and I really need to catch up! 

Lead character Emily is a troubled, deeply complex character. She's managed to get through a traumatic relationship with her ex boyfriend, but the emotional scars left from her experiences have isolated her. She's vulnerable and a little paranoid. 

When she allows a stranger to go in front of her when exiting a lift onto a main road, she is horrified to witness the death of that women. Mown down by a car, Rose's life is extinguished in an instant, leaving her small son without a mother, and her dedicated husband without a wife. 

Emily is convinced that it was a case of mistaken identity and that she was the intended victim. She cannot get Rose out of her head and becomes obsessed with stories of this wonderful, kind, caring woman who had a life that she could only dream of, with a handsome husband who adored her and work mates who are devastated by her death.  Emily's obsession with Social Media and stories about Rose lead her to make the drastic decision to be just like Rose. She applies for Rose's job as a dental receptionist and gets the job. It is not long before she becomes a shoulder for Rose's husband Cian, listening to him, slowly working her way into his life. 

But, as with most things on Social Media,  Emily begins to realise that things were not quite so wonderful as people were led to believe. We've all done it, drooled over someone else's food photos, or their holiday snaps and their beautiful clothes, we've all probably painted a nicer picture of our own lives at times too. 

With hurtling twists and turns along the way, the reader follows Emily's journey as she learns more and more about the real Rose and her real life. At times I wanted to scream at Emily, to make her stop and think.  However, it is Emily's own insecurities that make her continue and there's not much that will stop her. 

This is a detailed and excellent study in human nature, and how things are often air brushed so much that we just don't know what to believe. There are some pretty despicable main characters who are drawn so very well and the plot is both intriguing and entertaining. 

I will certainly be picking up more from this author, and soon. Recommended. 

Claire Allan is a bestselling author of pyschological thrillers and, in the past, women's fiction. 

A former reporter with the Derry Journal, she published eight contemporary women's fiction novels with Poolbeg Press in Ireland before becoming a full time author, and switching genre to 'unleash her darker side'

Her first domestic noir novel, Her Name Was Rose was published by Avon/ HarperCollins in 2018 and was an instant bestseller in several countries. Claire's novels have been translated into multiple languages.

Latterly. Claire worked as a story consultant on series one of the huge successful BBC drama series 'Blue Lights' with Two Cities Productions. She has also written a number of rom-coms under the pen-name Freya Kennedy, and supported Sunday Times Bestseller Serena Terry while she was writing her Mammy Banter titles.

In 2023 Claire signed a multi-book deal with Boldwood Books to write four thrillers as Claire Allan, and three rom-coms as Freya Kennedy, securing her publishing into 2026.

Her first thriller with Boldwood - THE AFFAIR - publishes in May 2024.

Claire still lives in Derry with her family.

www.claireallan.com

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The Next Girl by Emiko Jean #TheNextGirl #EmikoJean @VikingBooksUK @RosieSafaty #BookReview

 

I guess you're probably wondering about the next girl. Because there's always another girl, right? A girl waiting to be taken. To be swept away. I'll tell you about her.

It's been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun lost her sister, and she's been searching ever since: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. Happy endings are rare in Chelsey's line of work.

Until one day, local teenager Ellie Black is found in Washington State woods. Two years after her disappearance, she's an echo of herself, but alive.

But something's not right about this girl. Where has she been, and who is she protecting?

Chelsey has to find out. For herself, for her sister, and before the next girl is taken.

The Next Girl by Emiko Jean was published on 9 May 2024 by Viking. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This is a captivating, intriguing and beautifully written thriller that kept me turning the pages very quickly. I was able to read this in almost one sitting on a train journey and it is haunting in parts, with some dark themes detailed with sensitivity. 

Elizabeth Black disappeared after a late-night party in a motel two years ago. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is called from her bed in the early hours of one morning. Elizabeth has turned up, over the past two years Chelsey has worked this case, interviewing Elizabeth's friends and family, growing close to her parents, never giving up. Not only is Chelsey a dedicated and committed detective, she also has her own personal tragedy to bear. Twenty years ago, her older sister was murdered. Following her father's footsteps into the police service seemed inevitable for Chelsey, she has always been determined that no other family should bear what hers did. Her sister's murder fractured her small family, her father is now dead, she's estranged from her mother. She's married, but her job puts a strain on her relationship with her husband. 

Elizabeth Black is obviously traumatised. She's no longer that headstrong teenager that caused her parents so much stress. She's a shadow of her former self, withdrawn, unwilling to speak about her experiences. Despite Chelsey's best efforts, Elizabeth will not open up and Chelsey sees so many red flags. She's convinced there's a huge story behind this, and when the DNA of another girl is found on the clothes that Elizabeth is wearing, Chelsey is convinced that there's more than just one missing girl. 

Interwoven into the current day investigation, the reader is told Elizabeth's story in her own words. This is such a fabulous way to add depth and tension to the plot line. We know so much more than Chelsey, but we don't know why it happened, or who was behind it. 

This is not a fast paced story by any means. The author takes care in creating her character and describing the horrors of what Elizabeth has endured. Never gratuitous, it's what we are not told, but know has happened that is most shocking, and perfectly handled by Emiko Jean. 

Whilst this is most certainly a thriller / police procedural, it is also a study in relationships. The ties that bind people who find themselves in the same situation, and how they survive this and how they protect each other. The difficulties in family relationships and how life events can impact ones later actions.

It's chilling, emotional and totally gripping. Dark and atmospheric with a conclusion that shocked me to the core and was totally unexpected. Highly recommended by me. 

Emiko Jean is a New York Times best-selling author of adult and young adult fiction.

Her books have been published in over thirty languages. 

Her work has been featured on Good Morning America as a GMA book club pick, by Reese Witherspoon as a young adult book club pick, and in publications such as: Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Cosmopolitan, Shondaland and Bustle. 

She lives in Washington with her husband and two kids.

www.emikojean.com

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Hold Back The Night by Jessica Moor BLOG TOUR #HoldBackTheNight @jessicammoor @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #BookReview

 

March 2020. Annie is alone in her house as the world shuts down, only the ghosts of her memories for company. But then she receives a phone call which plunges her deeper into the past.

1959. Annie and Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Working long, gruelling hours, they soon learn that the only way to appease their terrifying matron is to follow the rules unthinkingly. But what is happening in the hospital's hidden side wards? And at what point does following the rules turn into complicity - and betrayal?

1983. Annie is reeling from the loss of her husband and struggling to face raising her daughter alone. Following a chance encounter, she offers a sick young man a bed for the night, a good deed that soon leads to another. Before long, she finds herself entering a new life of service - her home a haven for those who are cruelly shunned. But can we ever really atone?

Hold Back The Night by Jessica Moor is published in hardback on 9 May 2024 by Manilla Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Compulsive Readers Blog Tour 

Hold Back The Night is a short novel that delivers so much, it is beautifully formed, filled with colourful and exquisitely created characters who will tear at your heart. The author deals with some of the darkest, most troublesome issues in our recent history. She does it with style and compassion, and creates so many questions to ask, with debates to be had. It is the perfect book for discussion. 

This is Annie's life story, told in three eras.  Whilst the novel begins in 2020 at the start of the Covid pandemic when Annie is in her later years, it is the earlier times that really shape the woman that Annie will be. 

In the late 1950s Annie and her friend Rita are student nurses at Fairlie Hall mental hospital. Annie always knew that she wanted to make people feel better, but her hatred of blood meant that general nursing was not for her. Fairlie with its community of patients suffering from a variety of mental disorders will suit her. However, it isn't really how she'd imagined it to be. Their Matron is a stern, cold woman and Annie and Rita soon realise that they must do exactly as they are ordered.

In the mid 1980s Annie is recently widowed. She and her teenage daughter have used the money received after her husband's industrial accident to buy a bigger house. When Annie meets Robbie and Jim on the street near a nightclub, she realises that Robbie is seriously ill. His landlady has evicted her and it seems the right thing for Annie to offer him a bed, after all, she could do with the cash, a lodger will be no trouble at all. 

Jessica Moor explores the issues around conversion therapy, carried out at Fairlie Hall in the guise as a treatment for the patient's mental illness. Homosexuality was still illegal in those days, and these treatments were both horrifying and undignified, for the patients and for Annie and Rita.  In the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, along with the illogical thinking of most medics; the hysteria created by the media; the lack of information, the wealth of misinformation, yet Annie continues to take in these pitiful men who have nowhere else to go. 

In 2020 we find the beginning of the Covid era, again the bombardment of misinformation, the terror spread by the media and the division of communities rears its ugly head. 

Annie is a complex character. She's not the stereotypical nursing sort, at times it feels as though she does things, sometimes extraordinary things, without really thinking about why. She has an innermost feeling that she must do it, she must help, but she does it in a quiet way, sometimes worrying about herself and her daughter, often not really knowing if what she is doing is right. 

The biggest beauty of this novel are the friendships created. Whilst Annie and Rita are not always close throughout the years, it is Rita's death that creates Annie's most vivid memories, and it is joyful to read. Her relationship with Jim; Robbie's partner, and Paul, Rita's widower are so strong and have formed Annie so much. 

This is a novel to savour. The issues raised add such a depth to the story and are both moving and anger inducing at the same time. Highly recommended. 

Jessica Moor studied English at Cambridge before completing a Creative Writing MA at
Manchester University. 

Moor was selected as one of the Observer's debut novelists of 2020, and her first novel, Keeper was chosen by the Sunday Times, Independent and Cosmopolitan as one of their top debuts of the year. 

Keeper was nominated for the Desmond Elliott Prize and an Edgar Award. 

Young Women is her second novel.

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The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen BLOG TOUR #TheRestaurantinPelicanCrossing @MaggieChriste33 @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

Poppy Taylor has always been content with her life in Pelican Crossing, but as she watches her youngest daughter get married, she can't help but feel that there’s something missing. Never would Poppy have predicted the dramatic transformation that occurs as she reunites with an old love and makes a choice that will reshape everything.

Cam Mitchell has always felt a strong attraction to Poppy, and when she reveals her plans to make changes in her life, Cam sees it as his chance to finally reveal his feelings. But Cam's hopes are crushed when he discovers Poppy's past love is back in the picture.

Cam becomes increasingly sceptical of the man from Poppy's past – a feeling that escalates when he uncovers his shocking plans for Pelican Crossing.

With their town now at risk, Cam and Poppy must work together to save their home and find their own happy ending. But will their feelings for each other be enough to overcome the obstacles in their way?

For fans of small-town romances and heartwarming stories of second chances, Pelican Crossing is a must-read. A captivating tale of love, loyalty, and the fight to protect what matters most.

The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen was published on 9 May 2024 by Cala Publishing. As part of this Blog Tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources I am delighted to shine a spotlight on the book for you today. 

After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing romantic women’s fiction, feel good stories of second chances.  
Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast.  

Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them.  

Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.

From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. 

Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. 

Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. 

Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!

 

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Estella's Revenge by Barbara Havelocke #EstellasRevenge @BCopperthwait @HeraBooks #BookReview

 

You know Miss Havisham.

The world's most famous jilted bride.

This is her daughter’s story.

Raised in the darkness of Satis House where the clocks never tick, the beautiful Estella is bred to hate men and to keep her heart cold as the grave.

She knows she doesn’t feel things quite like other people do but is this just the result of her strange upbringing?

As she watches the brutal treatment of women around her, hatred hardens into a core of vengeance and when she finds herself married to the abusive Drummle, she is forced to make a deadly choice:

Should she embrace the darkness within her and exact her revenge?

A stunningly original, gripping Gothic read, perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Madeline Miller and Jessie Burton.

Estella's Revenge by Barbara Havelocke was published in hardback on 9 May 2024 by Canelo/Hera. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

A total change of genre for this author, who many will know as Barbara Copperthwaite. So totally different to her usual psychological thrillers, so new name, new genre, and wow, it's fabulous! 

I will be the first to admit that the classics such as Dickens don't really rock my boat. I found them such a struggle when I was in school, always desperate to get back to my Jackie Collins,  Shirley Conran and other forbidden fruits. However, Great Expectations was one of my studied books at O Level (yes, I am that old!), and it's not a story that many will forget.

Estella's Revenge is a re-telling of Great Expectations, told by the tragic Miss Haversham's adopted daughter and I loved every word of it.  Estella played a small part in the original story, but here she take centre stage throughout and Havelocke has created a magical character. An isolated child, living among the dust and cobwebs of Satis House with a mother who has mourned her lost love for as long as Estella has been living there. With only the vermin as friends, Estella is groomed by her mother to learn that men can never be trusted, that she must never give her heart to a man and must always treat them as unkindly as possible. 

It's a dual time line story (which I love), we hear from Estella as a child as she comes up against family members who would like to see the back of her, and we also hear from her as a grown woman; married but totally let down by her husband, she's beginning to realise that her mother often spoke the truth, despite her hysteria and drama. 

This is a wonderful book. From the dark, dusty room of Satis House, to the streets of Paris, it is so vibrant and rich. The descriptive prose is so imaginative, the characters are a joy to discover and the compelling and intriguing plot line just keeps the reader hanging on for more. 

Don't worry if you've not read Great Expectations, or if you don't remember the story. Don't worry if you are not really a fan of the classics, because this novel stands firmly on its own. It is so refreshing to read a story set in those times that see things from a woman's point of view, there's a definite feminist slant to the telling and for me, that adds so much depth and so much more to think about. 

Highly recommended by me, get a copy and immerse yourself into Estella's world, you may not always like her, or the things that she does, but I can assure you, you will love her story. 

Barbara is an international bestselling author, whose psychological thrillers have topped Amazon and Kobo.

Her writing career started in journalism, interviewing the real victims of crime - and the perpetrators. The realistic, complex characters who populate her fiction reflect this deep understanding.

When not writing, Barbara is found walking her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy, or taking photos of wildlife.

www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

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Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen t. Megan E Turney #ThirtyDaysofDarkness @JennyLundMadsen @OrendaBooks BLOG TOUR #BookReview

 

Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer’s block, Hannah has the feeling that she’s doing something wrong.

 When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to Húsafjöður – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration.

But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman’s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…

 Atmospheric, dramatic and full of nerve-jangling twists and turns, Thirty Days of Darkness is a darkly funny, unsettling debut Nordic Noir thriller that marks the start of a breath-taking new series.

Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen is published in paperback by Orenda Books today; 9 May 2024. It is translated by Megan E Turney

I read and reviewed this one for hardback publication and am delighted to share that review to mark paperback publication day for this Blog Tour 

A snobbish Danish literary author is challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days, travelling to a small village in Iceland for inspiration, and then a body appears … an atmospheric, darkly funny, twisty debut thriller, first in an addictive new series.

Thirty Days of Darkness is a thrilling crime novel, it’s also packed with humour and lightness. The perfect combination that produces an extremely satisfying read. 

Hannah Krause-Bendix is a literary author from Denmark. Her novels are critically acclaimed, but sell very little copies. Hannah is a snob, she considers crime fiction, and the authors that write it to be beneath her. 

Her nemesis is a best-selling crime fiction author. Adored by his fans, his books sell millions of copies. When Hannah claims that she could write a crime novel in thirty days, her agent sends her to a small Icelandic town to do just that. 

Whilst the town of Húsafjöður is certainly small, and very isolated, it doesn’t stay quiet for very long. The body of a local fisherman’s son is pulled from the water, and Hannah becomes caught up in what she believes is a murder. Not only does this give her great material for the novel that she really doesn’t want to write, but it also exposes her to some dangerous and potentially deadly situations. 

Hannah is an amazing character, fuelled by alcohol, cigarettes and a very sharp tongue, there are laugh out loud moments woven between the bleakness of the the Icelandic setting and the progressive dangers of the murder case. 

The suspense builds throughout the novel as Hannah discovers more hidden secrets, building to a reveal that is both unexpected and utterly brilliant. 

So dark, so atmospheric, so funny and so very tense. This is the perfect balance of murder, mayhem and humour. 

**Winner of the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel**

**Shortlisted for the Glass Key Award**

‘An original and thoroughly enjoyable treat’ Guardian

‘Dark and sharp … A lot of fun’ Val McDermid

‘Witty, dark, meta, ingenious and hugely compelling. I LOVED the Icelandic setting and satirical observations’ Will Dean

 ‘Hilariously scathing. Satirises genre fiction while creating a first-class example of it, full of suspects, red herrings and twists … wit and originality make it a joy to read’ Mark Sanderson, The Times CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the
international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. 

She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award. 

She lives in Denmark with her young family.

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