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.

X @JennyLundMadsen

The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Pérez #TheManyLiesofVeronicaHawkins @kkperezbooks @LittleBrownUK #BookReview #Giveaway #Win #Prize #Competition

 

When Martina Torres arrives in the glamorous and vibrant metropolis of Hong Kong, newly married to her high school sweetheart, the world seems to be her oyster. But looks can be deceiving. Adrift in a foreign city, with no job and no friends, Martina chafes in her new role as Expat Wife.

Her luck changes when she meets Veronica Hawkins. Beautiful, sophisticated, and very, very rich, Veronica is the epitome of Old Hong Kong - the last surviving member of a British mercantile dynasty that built the city during its colonial heyday. Martina can hardly believe her fortune when she's taken under Veronica's wing and into her confidence, with Veronica helping her to find a new apartment, a new career, and most importantly, a new self.

Veronica transforms Martina's life and then, shockingly, she dies. She disappears over the side of a yacht during a party attended by Hong Kong's most influential people - yet somehow there are no witnesses.

Was it murder? Suicide? A terrible accident? What really happened to Veronica Hawkins?

Somebody knows but nobody's telling.

The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Pérez was published by Constable on 2 May 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

I also have one hardback copy to give away. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK! 

The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins reminded me of the huge blockbuster novels that I read years ago. It is full of glamour and intrigue, beautiful people doing awful things. Hypocrisy, double dealing and ballgowns. Wealth and power go hand in hand with dreadful deeds, it's an intriguing story that kept my interest.

I especially loved the setting. Hong Kong is a place steeped in history, and the more recent events that we've all seen unfold are excellently portrayed. The ex-pat community thrive and Pérez cleverly explores the themes of identity and belonging whilst also producing a tense mystery at its core. 

Martina Torres was always an outlier. Not quite white enough down to her Argentinian background, she felt lesser than the other girls at her school in New York. It was always her mother's dearest wish that Martina should be 'someone', and her marriage to wealthy Spencer has opened so many doors. Arriving in Hong Kong where Spencer has a new job, Martina is classed as a dependent spouse. A trained journalist, she'd rather work and be her own woman, and when she gets the opportunity to interview Veronica Hawkins, her life changes. 

Veronica is Martina's ultimate woman. Old money, lots of it and very powerful, she takes Martina under her wing and it's not long before Martina is her very own woman, with no need for her husband who is struggling to fit in himself. 

The novel is cleverly structured, appearing to be Martina's memoir and told her in voice. The reader is aware from the very beginning that Veronica is dead, drowned off a yacht at a fancy party and Martina is grieving, lost without her best friend and struggling to come to terms with what could really have happened. Was it an accident, suicide, or was Veronica murdered? 

The second half of the novel finds Martina making her own way in the world, a couple of years after Veronica's death. Martina is now wealthy in her own right, heading up the charitable foundation that Veronica created before her death. However, there are still questions that she wants to answer and her determination to find out the truth will put her in danger. It will also reveal that nobody in Hong Kong are really who they appear to be.

An entertaining read with a mix of characters who the reader will either love or hate, in a setting that is exotic and dangerous, mixed with the crazy history of this unique place. Recommended. 

One hardback copy of The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins by Kristina Perez

Kristina Pérez is the author of the YA fantasy SWEET BLACK WAVES trilogy
(Macmillan), a Tristan and Isolde retelling.

She holds a PhD in Medieval Literature from the University of Cambridge and is also the author of the academic monograph, THE MYTH OF MORGAN LA FEY (Palgrave Macmillan).

In addition, writing as K.K. Pérez, she is the author of THE TESLA LEGACY (Tor Teen).

Her first book for adults, THE MANY LIES OF VERONICA HAWKINS is published by Little, Brown in 2024.

She currently resides in London where she is the Managing Director of Pérez Literary & Entertainment.

www.kristinaperez.com

X @kkperezbooks

Instagram @kkperezbooks

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard #TheOtherValley #ScottAlexanderHoward @AtlanticBooks #BookReview

 

For fans of Emily St John Mandel and Kazuo Ishiguro, an exhilarating literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighboured by its own past and future, and a young girl who faces an impossible choice...

A literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and future

Sixteen-year-old Odile is an awkward, quiet girl vying for a coveted seat on the Conseil. If she earns the position, she’ll decide who may cross her town’s heavily guarded borders. On the other side, it’s the same valley, the same town--except to the east, the town is twenty years ahead in time. To the west, it’s twenty years behind. The towns repeat in an endless sequence across the wilderness.

When Odile recognizes two visitors she wasn’t supposed to see, she realizes that the parents of her friend Edme have been escorted across the border from the future, on a mourning tour, to view their son while he’s still alive in Odile’s present. Edme––who is brilliant, funny, and the only person to truly see Odile––is about to die. Sworn to secrecy in order to preserve the timeline, Odile now becomes the Conseil’s top candidate, yet she finds herself drawing closer to the doomed boy, imperiling her entire future.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard was published in hardback on 18 April 2024 by Atlantic Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I adore speculative fiction, I think, if pushed, I'd say it was my favourite genre and this debut from the incredibly talented Scott Alexander Howard is so brilliantly done. It is like nothing I've read before, a mix of beautiful lyrical literary prose with a unique premise that creates questions for the reader. 

Before I go further, I have to let you know that there are no speech marks in this book. I didn't actually notice this when reading, it was only when I went back to find a quote that I realised. I know that some people really dislike a lack of speech marks, that is why I mention it, but honestly, for me, it made no difference at all. 

Sixteen year old Odile Ozanne is the lead character and narrator of this novel. It is her mother's dearest wish that Odile becomes an apprentice in the Conseil, most people who know her think that this is her destiny, that she's the perfect candidate. 

The Conseil is a committe of trained people who give permission for residents to travel to the two neighbouring valleys.  There are three identical communities, in three valleys. Odile's community is in the middle valley. The valley to the east is twenty years in the future, and to the west it is twenty years in the past. It's a forbidden, dangerous journey to travel to another valley, and applications must be made to the Conseil. Applicants must have genuine reasons to travel, and the Conseil must be sure that they will do nothing whilst there to interfere with what has happened, or may happen. 

Odile glances a couple of visitors to her valley. They are easily identifiable as people from the other valley, escorted by guards and wearing masks. Residents are told not to look, but it's too late for Odile. She recognises them, and also then realises that her dear friend Edme is going to die. Odile knows that she can do nothing to stop this, but what a painful place to be in. 

The second part of the book finds an older Odile. She's not in the place that I as a reader expected, although I think it's the place that she feels that she deserves. The contrast between the early Odile and the more mature one is startling, even her surroundings seem darker and more cruel. The people she meets are fickle and unreliable, and yet, she is still so strong willed despite her fragility. 

This is a difficult book to review as the plot is so complex, yet absolutely finely and delicately structured. It is full of moral questions, it is a love story but is not romantic. The reader is shown so many dilemmas, so many questions to answer, so many ways that the story could move forward. There are times that it is so heart-felt and so poignant that it brought a lump to my throat. 

Just phenomenal, unique and quite stunning. Highly recommended

Scott Alexander Howard has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto, where he wrote an award-winning dissertation on literary emotions and the passage of time. 

His articles have appeared in journals such as Philosophical Quarterly and Analysis. 

Upon completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, he decided to pursue fiction. 

He now lives in Vancouver.

Silver Wish Farm by K T Dady BLOG TOUR #SilverWishFarm @kt_dady @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

Silver Wish Farm: After Rhett left Heath on their wedding day, things were never the same for them, but because they have a daughter, they’ve always tried their best to keep the peace. 

But then life changes for Heath, and he suddenly wants answers about their past and the future he believes he should have had, but will Rhett tell him the real reason she left him all those years ago?

Silver Wish Farm by K T Dady was published on 1 May 2024. I am delighted to join the Blog Tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources today, to shine a spotlight on this book

Welcome to Pepper Bay, where you’ll find love, drama, and a happily ever after.

Snuggle down with this cosy, feel-good, comfort read that whisks you away to a beautiful bay on the Isle of Wight – Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Alison Sherlock, Rachael Lucas, and Holly Martin.

The Pepper Bay books are standalone stories, best read in order, that intertwine with recurring characters.

Author Bio 

Hello, I’m K.T. Dady. 

I’m the bestselling author of the Pepper Bay series. 

I’m also a chocolate lover, mum to a grown-up daughter, and a huge fan of a HEA. 

I was born and raised in the East End of London, and I’ve been happily writing stories since I was a little girl. 

When I’m not writing, I’m reading, baking cakes, or pottering around in my little garden in Essex, trying not to kill the flowers.

https://ktdady.com 

https://www.instagram.com/kt_dady 

https://twitter.com/kt_dady 

https://www.facebook.com/ktdady

Profile K by Helen Fields #ProfileK @Helen_Fields @AvonBooksUK @laurasherlock21 #BookReview

 

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he is capable of so much worse.

Profile K will kill again – and, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her…

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a psychopath that will keep you riveted until the very last page.

Profile K by Helen Fields was published on 25 April 2024 by Avon. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Warning! Do not do what I did when starting this book. I said to myself that I'd just read the first chapter before I went to sleep. Oh my goodness, that first chapter!  Helen Fields does not ease her readers in gently at all. It is a first chapter that I will never forget and it took me ages to get to sleep that night! So dark, so compelling, and yes, very violent.  However, it is so intriguing, so tantalising and the perfect opening to what has just raced into my top books of the year so far. 

Midnight Jones works for Necto Corporation; an international company with offices in the US and in London. Necto is very well known, and is held up as the future for biotechnology, specialising in the human brain. The employees are paid very well, but their working conditions are strict and they should never work outside of the guidelines that management reiterate on an almost daily basis. Midnight works as a data analyst, examining the profiles of people who have undergone various tests. These tests mark the applicant's suitability for various things; it could be a job, or entrance to a university. 

The latest data that Midnight has worked on seems very odd. She's getting the result of Profile K, but has no idea what that means. When she finds out that K is for Killer, and was never meant to be an authorised profile name, she is very disturbed. More disturbing is the reaction of her managers, they tell her to destroy everything, leave it with them, don't worry about it. They will fix it. 

Midnight is not the sort of woman to let things go. She's had so much responsibility thrust upon her in her short life. She is sole carer for her twin sister Dawn who was brain damaged at birth. Their parents have taken off, travelling the world, leaving Midnight to juggle money, caring responsibilities and loving her sister. 

Despite the fact that she needs the enormous Necto salary, and that Dawn has always been her first priority, Midnight cannot let the Profile K case go. She realises that this person, whoever they are, will kill, and soon. She is proved correct when a local woman is found brutally murdered, and then another on ... Midnight thinks that K is watching her, and she will be next.

Not only is this a fabulously thrilling psychological drama, it is also a study in human nature. The reader is also aware of the killer; known as 'the applicant', and their innermost thoughts. Although we don't know the identity of this person, we know from the narrative that they are incredibly damaged and have been for many years. It is absolutely chilling at times, it's also very graphic, very violent and doesn't hold back with the shocks. 

The close examination of Midnight's relationships, with her sister and with her friends is wonderfully done and the very frightening, almost Orwellian nature of the Necto Organisation and its employees is something to really think about. I doubt many of us really know anything about how companies use biotech to analyse people, and how they can manipulate their tests and their data to create exactly what they are looking for. It is thought provoking stuff that can also be quite anger inducing. 

Profile K is unique, it's very very clever and so very powerful. It is one of the finest psychological thrillers that I've read for many years. The characters, the setting, the premise, all of them combine to deliver a truly astonishing read. Highly recommended. 

Helen Fields studied law at the University of East Anglia, then went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London. 

After completing her pupillage, she joined chambers in Middle Temple where she practised criminal and family law for thirteen years. 

After her second child was born, Helen left the Bar.

Together with her husband David, she runs a film production company. 

Helen and her husband now live in Los Angeles with their three children and two dogs.

www.helenfields.com

X @Helen_Fields

Instagram @helenfields_author

Murder Under The Midnight Sun by Stella Blómkvist BLOG TOUR #MurderUnderTheMidnightSun #StellaBlomkvist t. @graskeggur @CorylusB #BookReview

 

What does a woman do when her husband's charged with the frenzied killing of her father and her best friend? 

She calls in Stella Blómkvist to investigate - however unwelcome the truth could turn out to be. 

Smart, ruthless and with a flexible moral code all of her own, razor-tongued lawyer Stella Blómkvist is also dealing with a desperate deathbed request to track down a young woman who vanished a decade ago. 

It looks like a dead end, but she agrees to pick up the stone-cold trail - and she never gives up, even if the police did a long time ago. 

Then there's the mystery behind the arm that emerges from an ice cap, with a mysterious ruby ring on one frozen finger? 

How does this connect to another unexplained disappearance, and why were the police at the time so keen to write it off as a tragic accident? 

Brutal present-day crimes have their roots in the past that some people would prefer to stay forgotten. 

As Stella pieces together the fragments, is she getting too close to the truth and making herself a target for ruthless men determined to conceal secret sins?

Murder Under The Midnight Sun by Stella Blómkvist is published by Corylus Books on 3 May 2024 and is translated by Quentin Bates. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this blog tour. 

I read and reviewed Murder At The Residence;  the first of the Stella Blómkvist series that Corylus published last year and really enjoyed it. I was so pleased to find that there are more and eagerly dived into this second book. 

Just like the first book, this is short novel of just over 200 pages. However the author manages to include so much into it. It's a fast paced thriller, filled with mystery and unexpected turns and led by the wonder that is Reykjavik lawyer Stella.  Blómkvist is both the author and the lead character in this series which is told in the first person in her unique, often funny voice. 

For a very small country, Iceland certainly has its share of crimes; murder, strange unsolved disappearances and a lot of political corruption and intrigue. Stella comes across all of these in this novel. She is asked to look into the disappearance of young British woman who was travelling by motorbike through Iceland nine years ago. Julia MacKenzie went missing, neither her body or her motorbike were ever found. The police investigation came to nothing. Her mother is dying from terminal cancer and it is her last wish to find out what happened to her daughter and Stella takes on the case. 

She also becomes involved in helping her reporter friend who is being threatened with legal action regarding claims he's made on his blog. Whilst at first, this appears to be pretty straightforward, this case takes a sinister turn and Stella is soon investigating murder. 

Add the fact that Stella stumbled upon a frozen severed arm, with a distinctive ring on one of the fingers after having an accident on an ice cap and there's certainly plenty to keep the reader entertained, and to keep Stella busy. 

Stella is a one-of-a-kind character, she likes a drink or two, she's a master of the art of seduction, with few worries about her conquest's status. If she fancies them, then they are fair game! She's also a devoted and loving mother to her small daughter, and she carries so much baggage connected to her own parents. It's a heady mix and makes Stella a totally fascinating character for sure. 

Expertly translated from Icelandic by Quentin Bates, this is another gripping chapter in the Stella Blómkvist series. The true identity of the author has never been revealed and I'm beginning to think that it may be a male author, although I'm happy to be proved wrong if we ever find out. 

Quirky, unusual and packed with thrills in a excellently described setting. Highly recommended. 

Stella Blómkvist has been a bestselling series in Iceland since the first book appeared in
the 1990s and has attracted an international audience since the TV series starring Heiða Reed aired. 

The books have been published under a pseudonym that still hasn’t been cracked. The question of Stella Blómkvist’s identity is one that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…

Quentin Bates has personal and professional roots in Iceland that go very deep. 

He is an author of series of nine crime novels and novellas featuring the Reykjavik detective Gunnhildur (Gunna) Gísladóttir. 

In addition to his own fiction, he has translated many works of Iceland’s coolest writers into English, including books by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Guðlaugur Arason, Einar Kárason, Óskar Guðmundsson, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Jónína Leosdottir and Ragnar Jónasson. 

Quentin was instrumental in launching Iceland Noir in 2013, the crime fiction festival in Reykjavik.

https://corylusbooks.com/ 

Twitter: @CorylusB @graskeggur 

https://www.facebook.com/CorylusBooks

https://www.facebook.com/graskeggur 

https://www.facebook.com/stella.blomkvist 

Maggie In The Middle by Debbie Viggiano BLOG TOUR #MaggieInTheMiddle @DebbieViggiano @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

When Maggie King turned sixty, she thought her life complete.

Now she’s sixty-one, and everything has gone horribly wrong.

Husband Greg has abruptly upped and left leaving Maggie bewildered. But there’s no time to question his departure because her ancient parents are all-consuming.

Once fondly referred to as the Golden Oldies, they’re now the BOBs – Bad-Tempered Old Buggers.

Sister Freya is never available to help, and Maggie is rapidly reaching the end of her tether.

She wants her life – and husband – back.

Instead, she’s trapped in what has been coined the Sandwich Generation – supporting both children and parents – except this particular sarnie is in danger of falling apart.

Maggie needs to learn that when life is like a club sandwich, it needs the best ingredients – and that includes lashings of love and some knee-trembling romance!

Maggie In The Middle by Debbie Viggiano was published on 1 May 2024 by Unicorn Publishing. As part of this Rachel's Random Resources Blog Tour I am delighted to shine a spotlight on the book for you today. 

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she
cares to remember, a legal secretary. 

She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. 

Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy... apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. 

 

TWITTER:   @DebbieViggiano

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/debbie.viggiano.5/ 

INSTAGRAM: @debbieviggiano

Greener by Gráinne Murphy #Greener @GraMurphy @Legend_Times_ #BookReview #IrishLiterature

 

As teenagers, Helen, Annie and Laura were inseparable, bonding over family, boys, and their dreams for the future. But when school ended, so did their friendship.

Twenty-five years later, a snowstorm forces the three women to spend time together, leaving them wondering if they can reconcile the gap between who they are and who they used to be.

GREENER is an exploration of the changing dynamics of adult friendships and asks whether old friends can ever let us become new people.

Greener by Gráinne Murphy was published on 18 April 2024 by Legend Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I have become such a fan of this author, I read and reviewed Where The Edge Is in 2020, and Winter People in 2022. Those were two very special books and Greener is another one. The writing is sublime, the characters are carefully and beautifully crafted and the sense of place is just magnificent. Reading Greener is like dropping in on old friends, even though you've never met them before.

Greener is the literary equivalent of visiting a fine portrait gallery. The author has created vibrant, realistic and utterly believable character, and as she reveals a little more about them, be it their background, or their innermost thoughts, it's like looking at a painting and discovering those little extras that you didn't spot when you first looked. 

The story is set during the pandemic, but it is not about the pandemic. The restrictions on travelling have prevented Helen from travelling home to Ireland to visit her father who has suffered a stroke. However, she's arrived now and although she's very grateful that her old friend Annie has taken such care of her father in her absence, she struggles to come to terms with their relationship. Annie moved in during the pandemic, to make things easier for them both and Helen now feels as though this house, where she grew up is no longer really her home.

Helen, Annie and Laura were childhood friends. So very close back in the day, sharing new experiences and secrets. Each of them had their own difficulties. Helen, the daughter of a famous soap opera star and a delicate mother often felt surplus, although she wanted for nothing materially, she would have liked more attention. Annie and Laura were both brought up by single mothers, but this seemed to be the only real thing that they had in common. Like most of us, they grew up, got on with their lives and lost touch. Now as bad weather sets in and they find themselves having to spend time together, they rediscover each other, carefully and with trepidation. All of them quite anxious, not sure of where they stand. 

This is a character led story that examines relationships between parent and daughter and also the complexities of female friendships. There's no doubt that women make more of relationships than men, that they have longer memories, that they often have distorted views of things done and words uttered, often many years ago. Murphy has such skill in unpicking these relationships, she can convey to the reader the tiniest nuance, the most explosive memories, and it is utterly beautiful and compelling. There are poignant, heart breaking moments, there are discoveries that make the reader understand why the adult woman is who she is today. There are regrets and there is love. 

Another captivating novel from this hugely talented writer. I love it and highly recommend it. 

Gráinne grew up and currently resides in rural West Cork, working as a self-employed
language editor specialising in human rights and environmental issues. 

Some of Gráinne’s earlier novels were shortlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award 2019, the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2019, the Luke Bitmead Bursary 2016 and the Virginia Prize for Fiction 2014. 

In short fiction, her story Further West placed third in the Zoetrope All-Story Contest 2018, and was long-listed for the Sunday Times Audible short story award in 2021. 

Gráinne’s last novel, Winter People, was published by Legend Press in 2022.

www.grainnemurphy.ie

X @GraMurphy

Instagram @gramurphywriter