The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir @evaaegisdottir BLOG TOUR @OrendaBooks #IcelandicNoir #TheCreakOnTheStairs @GoldsboroBooks

 

When a body of a woman is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes, it soon becomes clear that she's no stranger to the area.

Chief Investigating Officer Elma, who has returned to Akranes following a failed relationship, and her collegues Sævar and Hörður, commence an uneasy investigation, which uncovers a shocking secret in the dead woman's past that continues to reverberate in the present day

But as Elma and her team make a series of discoveries, they bring to light a host of long-hidden crimes that shake the entire community. Sifting through the rubble of the townspeople's shattered memories, they have to dodge increasingly serious threats, and find justice before it's too late.

The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir was published in paperback by Orenda Books on 1 October 2020, and was translated by Victoria Cribb. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this blog tour.

I have a real passion for Nordic Noir and it's been an absolute joy to read this first book in a new series from an author new to me. I read this one over a couple of days whilst in sunny Corfu and was engrossed from the beginning as the author hooks her reader with a dark and intriguing prologue. That beginning sets us up for what is one of the most cleverly constructed and at times, harrowing thrillers that I've read for many years.

Chief Investigation Officer Elma is our lead player in this story and she's a complex and superbly created character, with real depth. Elma has recently returned to the small Icelandic town of Akranes after her long-term relationship broke down. She's been working in Reykjavik, and expects small and sleepy Akranes to be far quieter with less crime. When the body of a woman is found at the lighthouse on the edge of the town, it soon becomes clear that Akranes is harbouring a murderer and as Elma digs deeper into the past of Elisabet; the murdered woman, she will discover that her home town has been hiding secrets for many years. 

This author tells her story over two time lines. We are privy to the current investigation, whilst also learning about Elisabet and her lonely and deprived childhood. There are parts of Elisabet's story that are so difficult to read about, as her mother sinks further and further into the ravages of mental health issues, alcoholism and neglect, and young Elisabet has to do her best to protect herself from those who see her as nothing but a play thing. This is stark, no-holds barred narrative that is unsettling, yet beautifully and sensitively composed. 

Ægisdóttir has created, in Arkanes, a small community that really comes alive. Every crash of a wave from the nearby shoreline, every unkempt pavement and every resident is carefully constructed, creating a place that feels overbearing, closed and full of mystery. The residents know more than they are willing to show and as Elma uncovers those dark and dangerous secrets, the sense of danger increases.

The Creak on the Stairs is a stunning debut from an author who is undoubtedly extremely talented. I am eager to read more about Elma, to watch her character develop and immerse myself in more from Arkanes. Wonderfully translated to English by Victoria Cribb, if you are fan of Nordic Noir, then you are in for such a treat. If you haven't yet discovered the joys of crime fiction from this part of the world, then this one is a great place to start. You will be hooked, I promise! 

***Winner of the Storytel Award for Best Crime Novel 2020***
***Winner of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Novel***
***Shortlisted for the Amazon Publishing Readers Award for Best Independent Voice***
***Shortlisted for the Amazon Publishing Readers Award for Best Debut Novel***

'Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's accomplished first novel is not only a full-fat mystery, but also a chilling demonstration of how monsters are made' The Times

'Fans of Nordic Noir will love this moving debut from Icelander Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's. It's subtle, nuanced, with a sympathetic central character and the possibilities of great stories to come' Ann Cleeves

'An exciting and harrowing tale from one of Iceland's rising stars' Ragnar Jónasson

Eva Bjoerg AEgisdottir has wanted to write books since she was 15 years old, having won a short story contest in Iceland. 

She worked as a stewardess to make ends meet while she wrote her first novel, The Creak on the Stairs. 

The book went on to win the Blackbird Award, a crime-writing prize hosted by Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Ragnar Jonasson, and became an Icelandic bestseller.

Twitter @evaaegisdottir

The Golden Rule by Amanda Craig @AmandaPCraig #TheGoldenRule @LittleBrownUK #BookReview

 

When Hannah is invited into the First-Class carriage of the London to Penzance train by Jinni, she walks into a spider's web. Now a poor young single mother, Hannah once escaped Cornwall to go to university. But once she married Jake and had his child, her dreams were crushed into bitter disillusion. Her husband has left her for Eve, rich and childless, and Hannah has been surviving by becoming a cleaner in London. Jinni is equally angry and bitter, and in the course of their journey the two women agree to murder each other's husbands. After all, they are strangers on a train - who could possibly connect them?

But when Hannah goes to Jinni's husband's home the next night, she finds Stan, a huge, hairy, ugly drunk who has his own problems - not least the care of a half-ruined house and garden. He claims Jinni is a very different person to the one who has persuaded Hannah to commit a terrible crime. Who is telling the truth - and who is the real victim?

The Golden Rule by Amanda Craig was published in hardback on 2 July 2020, by Little Brown. The paperback is released in May next year. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

I read The Golden Rule whilst on my recent break in Corfu, over a couple of sunny days, sitting by the sea. I found it to be an absolutely perfect blend of mystery and domestic drama, incorporating some very relevant and current social affair issues. This author is very skilled. Her storytelling is sublime.

Two women meet on a train and agree to murder each other's husband. A nod to Strangers on a Train for sure, but fresher and more up to date, with two character who are artfully and cleverly created. 

Hannah is travelling to Cornwall to see her dying mother, probably for the final time. The cost of the train ticket has wiped her out financially, and she's left her small daughter at home. Jinni is travelling First Class and when she beckons Hannah to join her, they share wine and also their innermost thoughts about their lives, and their marriages.

So very far apart socially, Jinni and Hannah find that they have much in common. Namely, their estranged husbands, and the conversation turns to how much easier it would be if they were widows. By the end of Hannah's journey, she's agreed to murder Jinni's husband, and Jinni will do the same for her.

In Cornwall, Hannah faces up to reality. Back in her mother's almost squalid bungalow, she finds herself thrust back into a life of disadvantage; always overshadowed by the rich folk who live in the nicer, prettier Cornish towns. However, her family rally around, and what whilst money may be lacking, love and care is in abundance. 

Hannah does feel a little beholden to the elegant, rich Jinni though and tracks down her husband in his desolate, isolated house. The man she finds there is nothing like the one that Jinni described to her, and after a difficult and teetering beginning, Hannah and Stan strike up a strange relationship.

I found this story astonishing in its complexity and structure. What could be a totally over the top premise turns into a wonderfully rich and detailed story of a woman's life. This author is not shy in putting across her political views within her writing, and whilst I agree with her opinions, I realise that many readers could object to what could be classed as preaching. For me though, this added much more to the story; the characters and the sense of division in rural Cornwall.

There are clever and multiple twists within the tale that I didn't anticipate and which delighted me when I realised. 

This is a vividly imagined, dramatic and intriguing novel, and one that I recommend highly.

Amanda Craig is a British novelist, short-story writer and critic who has been compared to Dickens,Trollope, Balzac and Evelyn Waugh. As a literary chronicler of contemporary life she has called a "state of the nation novelist" by Prospect magazine and the Sunday Times, and her interconnected novels often feature strong plots with murder, romance and social satire.

In her twenties she became a journalist for newspapers such as The Sunday Times, the Observer, the Daily Telegraph and the Independent, winning both the Young Journalist of the Year and the Catherine Pakenham Award. She was the children's critic for the Independent on Sunday and The Times for over a decade. She still covers children's books for the New Statesman, and literary fiction for the Observer, and regularly reviews for Radio 4 Saturday Review, but is mostly a full-time novelist.

Her novels include A Private Place, A Vicious Circle, In a Dark Wood, Love in Idleness, Hearts and Minds (long-listed for the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction), The Other Side of You (a novella for Galaxy Quick Reads) and The Lie Of the Land, a BBC Radio 4 Book At Bedtime. It is currently being developed for TV serialisation. Her new novel, The Golden Rule, was published by Little,Brown in June 2020.

Each novel can be read separately, but is part of an interconnected contemporary cast of characters, in which minor protagonists become major. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

See www.amandacraig.com for further news.

Twitter @AmandaPCraig

Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo @ToffTalks #Giveaway @MillsAndBoon #Win #Competition #MeetMeInLondon

 

What do you do when your fake engagement starts to feel too real…

Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea, and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.

Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her. A girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion. Something to keep his mother from interfering while he focuses on the business.

When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting, as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…

Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo was published on 15 October 2020 by Mills & Boons.

I am delighted to have THREE COPIES of this book to giveaway today, thanks to Mills & Boons. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget at the end of this blog post. UK ENTRIES ONLY

GOOD LUCK! 

‘Uplifting, romantic and festive – the perfect book to curl up with. I couldn’t put it down’ Rosie Nixon, Editor-in-Chief, HELLO! magazine

‘Fresh, fun and full of romance! I loved it!’Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain

‘A classic romance with the added bonus of a festive feel. I loved the passion, the romantic tension, and the way the characters leapt of the page. An ideal Christmas escape.’ Laura Jane Williams, Bestselling author of Our Stop

‘A perfect escapist, heart-warming read!  I was hooked from the first line!’ Katie Ginger, author of Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay

'Unwrap and enjoy this Christmassy treat of a read' Mandy Baggot, bestselling author of My Greek Island Summer

‘Warm, funny and engaging, a five-star Christmas treat!’ Karen Clarke, author of The Little French Café series

Three copies of Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo

Georgia ‘Toff’ Toffolo captured the nation’s hearts when shewas crowned Queen of the Jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, after starring in the E4 series Made in Chelsea and becoming a firm favourite with the viewers. She has also recently appeared on Celebrity Hunted, The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C and Channel 5’s My Famous Babysitter. Georgia now regularly features on ITV’s This Morning

Twitter @ToffTalks

Instgram @georgiatoffolo

Soldier Boy by Cassandra Parkin BLOG TOUR @cassandrajaneuk @Legend_Times_ #SoldierBoy #BookReview

Under the shadow of trauma, Liam has been discharged from the army. As night terrors torment him and he struggles to keep his anger intact, he finds himself in his car, his daughter Alannah asleep in the back, while his wife Emma has gone AWOL. With no idea where to go for shelter, his only goal is to hold onto his daughter at all costs. But Alannah is on a journey of her own.

As the consequences of Alannah’s choices unfold, nothing will ever be the same again.

Soldier Boy is gripping story about secrets, fear, longing, lies and the power of being true to yourself, even when the price is higher than you could have imagined 

Soldier Boy by Cassandra Parkin was published on 1 October 2020 by Legend Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review, as part of this Blog Tour 

I have been reading Cassandra Parkin's work since she published her first novel, The Beach Hut in 2015, and she's become a favourite of mine.  

Every single time I read a book by this incredibly unique author, I am taken by surprise. Her writing flows so beautifully and she centres her stories around realistic people. The plot of Soldier Boy is relevant, totally up to date and so very moving. Here is a story that will resonate with many, will make others think about their views and will, without a doubt, touch the hardest of hearts.

This is essentially a road-trip novel. A small family made up of father Liam, mum Emma and daughter Alannah. All three of them have a journey ahead of them, not just a physical journey, but an emotional and life-changing one that will re-shape their family unit, and their personalities.

The novel is beautifully and cleverly structured, as Parkin links her chapters by the end word in one, and the beginning word of another, thus making the story flow so well and capturing the imagination of the reader. 

The detail within the story is so precise and well layered. The author touches on subjects that are often shied away from. Liam's PTSD and his increasing symptoms, Emma's feelings about her marriage now that Liam is no longer in the Army, and therefore at home all day, and Alannah's revelations; to herself as she discovers who she really is, and to her family, and their reaction to this. Parkin writes with empathy and real sensitivity, however, this is not sugar-coated in any way. The reader is not prepared for the events, and may not like how this pans out, but the reality is there .... life is tough, and literature should portray that.

This is an extraordinary portrait of a family, spanning generations as the reader learns about Liam's early life with his own parents, alongside his own child's coming of age too.

Complex, but so graceful. Soldier Boy is a wonderful story, told by a gifted and talented author and one I would highly recommend, especially if you are a fan of authors such as Maggie O Farrell, Louise Beech and Carol Lovekin.

Cassandra Parkin grew up in Hull, and now lives in East Yorkshire. Her short story collection, New World Fairy Tales (Salt Publishing, 2011), won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.
The Summer We All Ran Away (Legend Press, 2013) was Cassandra's debut novel and nominated for the Amazon Rising Stars 2014.

Legend Press have also published The Beach Hut (2015), Lily's House (2016) and The Winter's Child (2017. Cassandra's fifth novel is due to be published in 2018.

Visit Cassandra  on Twitter @cassandrajaneuk

Instagram @cassandraparkinwrites

Endless Skies by Jane Cable BLOG TOUR @JaneCable @rararesources #EndlessSkies #Lincolnshire #AuthorInterview

 

As archaeologist Rachel excavates a World War Two airfield, could a love story from the past hold a lesson for her as well?

After yet another disastrous love affair Rachel has been forced to leave her long-term position for a temporary role as an Archaeology Lecturer at Lincoln University. Rachel has sworn off men and is determined to spend her time away clearing her head and sorting her life out. But when one of her students begins flirting with her, it seems she could be about to make the same mistakes again...

She distracts herself by taking on some freelance work for local property developer, Jonathan Daubney. He introduces her to an old Second World War RAF base. And from her very first visit something about it gives Rachel chills…

As Rachel makes new friends and delves into local history, she is also forced to confront her own troubled past. Could a wartime love story have any bearing on her own situation? Could this time be different?

Purchase Link  - http://getbook.at/EndlessSkies

Endless Skies will be 99p until 23rd October. 

Endless Skies by Jane Cable was published in paperback on 26 July 2020 by Sapere Books. I'm delighted to welcome the author here to Random Things today, as part of the Blog Tour organised by Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources. She's talking to me about the setting for Endless Skies; Lincolnshire - my home county.

Interview with author Jane Cable

Endless Skies is set in Lincolnshire, my home county. What made you decide to do that?

It really did start with the endless skies. My husband Jim and I were staying in the village of Winteringham, and as it was a gorgeous summer day we went for a walk along the Humber and across the fields. The sense of space was incredible – unlike anything we’d ever seen – it quite took our breath away. There was a magic to that landscape, with its cornfields cut with dykes and ditches, and I just knew I had to set a book there.

Was the link to Lincolnshire’s World War Two airfields an obvious one for you?

Not at all. For the first several drafts World War Two didn’t feature at all. The narrator and protagonist, Rachel, is an archaeologist, and at first she was working on Roman remains at the end of Ermine Street, haunted by voices and owls, but the book just wasn’t working.

Jim and I returned to Winteringham at about the time Sapere Books acquired Another You, which looks back to World War Two for its inspiration. I knew they wanted to take a second book as well and although they would both be standalone novels I wanted them to work as a pair. A visit to Hemswell Antique Centres was the key; I was actually looking for a towel rail for our guest room, but once I realised the centres were the former barrack blocks of an RAF base, something clicked. I stood at the bottom of a staircase and I could almost hear the airmen’s footsteps running up and down.

Unlike Another You, with its basis in a real event, there was nothing to pin the historical aspect of Endless Skies on so I had to make something up. That said, the Polish squadrons based there were real enough, as were their disastrous losses in the early summer of 1942.

You’ve been to Lincolnshire so many times now, what are your top recommendations for other visitors?

That is tough, because we’ve barely scratched the surface still. Certainly the city of Lincoln. It’s hard to grasp quite how precipitous the aptly named Steep Hill is, but it’s worth the climb to reach the cathedral with its famous imp, and the castle where there’s a copy of the Magna Carta. Lincoln has a fabulous museum too, but the one in Scunthorpe is worth a visit as well – it’s one of the very best local ones we’ve visited. 

On our last trip to Lincolnshire we were able to go to the heritage centre at RAF Scampton. You need to apply in advance for security clearance as it’s still an active base. We thought it would all be about the famous 617 Dambusters Squadron, but there was so much more there, bringing the history of the base, including the Red Arrows, right up to date. I have to say it was a special experience to stand in Guy Gibson’s office though, and see the actual document authorising the mission.

I’m booked to speak at the Boston Literary Festival next September so we’re looking forward to returning and have pencilled in a trip to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at Coningsby.

About Jane Cable

I write romance with a twist, that extra something to keep readers guessing right to the end. While my books are character driven my inspiration is always a British setting; so far a village in Yorkshire (The Cheesemaker’s House), a Hampshire wood (The Faerie Tree), gorgeous Studland Bay in Dorset (Another You) and rural Lincolnshire (Endless Skies).

I was born and raised in Cardiff but spent most of my adult life living near Chichester before my husband and I upped sticks and moved to Cornwall three years ago. 

I published my first two novels independently and have now been signed by Sapere Books. I am an active member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and contributing editor to Frost online magazine.

Twitter: @JaneCable

Facebook: Jane Cable, Author 

Website: www.janecable.com 

A Cut Like Wound by Anita Nair BLOG TOUR @anitanairauthor @bitterlemonpress @RandomTTours #Win #Giveaway #Competition

 

It's the first day of Ramadan in heat-soaked Bangalore. A young man begins to dress: makeup, a sari, and expensive pearl earrings. Before the mirror he is transformed into Bhuvana. She is a hijra, a transgender seeking love in the bazaars of the city.

What Bhuvana wants, she nearly gets: a passing man is attracted to this elusive young woman—but someone points out that Bhuvana is no woman. For that, the interloper's throat is cut. A case for Inspector Borei Gowda, going to seed, and at odds with those around him including his wife, his colleagues, even the informers he must deal with. More corpses and Urmila, Gowda's ex-flame, are added to this spicy concoction of a mystery novel.

Most intriguing is the grim world of Bhuvana. Her hijra fantasies, emotions, and hopes are etched in a way that is chilling yet oddly touching. Some mysteries remain till almost the end, for instance Bhuvana's connection with the wealthy, corrupt Corporator Ravikumar, who lives in a mansion as grand as the Mysore Palace and controls whole districts of Bangalore.

A Cut Like Wound by Anita Nair was published by Bitter Lemon Press in May 2014. As part of the #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I am delighted to have one copy to give away today.

Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget at the end of this post.  UK Entries Only Please.

GOOD LUCK! 

Praise for Anita Nair

"This is not just a story of another smart cop on the trail of another serial killer. It is more an exploration of the mind of a killer, that tempts the reader to sympathize." --India Today

"Nair writes big, brave descriptions of one brutal murder after the next, relentlessly describing each death even as sub-inspector Santosh loses his breakfast over them. At the crux of every great mystery novel is that penny-drop moment where the revelation leaves you cold with shock. In Cut Like Wound, the penny hits you on your head like a golf ball." --Time Out

"'Once I've created a character, I step into their shoes',says Nair who admits to an element of wish fulfillment with Gowda. 'Here's a character who can do all the things I can't. He rides a Bullet motorcycle and can get p*** drunk - all those things that one part of me won't allow me to do.' A confirmed detective fiction junkie, you hope the author hurries up with the next installment. It's torture to wait two years for any man; it's even worse if he's as interesting as Inspector Borei Gowda." --Hindustan Times

'I loved this book and was constantly gripped. Anita Nair's writing in some moments has photographic qualities, in others the precision of surgeon's scalpel; and always the great inner warmth of the human heart. Truly astounding writing.' --Peter James

'Nair is a feminist and highly regarded Indian novelist, this is... as startling a debut crime novel as you are likely to read this year... This is a troubling novel about men and sexual identity, ending with a shattering and unexpected revelation.' -
--The Sunday Times

One copy of A Cut Like Wound by Anita Nair

Anita Nair lives in Bangalore and is a prize winning, internationally acclaimed author, playwright,, lecturer and literary personality.
Her novel Ladies Coupe, first published in the US ten years ago by St. Martin's Griffin, is a feminist classic which has been published in thirty languages all over the world.
The Daily Telegraph called it 'one of the most important feminist novels to come out of South India'. The movie adaptation of her previous book, Lessons in Forgetting, has just won the Indian national award for the best feature film in English language, and an Indian language film based on this new book is already being discussed.
Anita Nair has never shied away from the darker underside of life but Cut Like Wound is a new departure for her into noir and literary crime. St Martin's Press has recently published her latest novel, The Lilac House, in the US.

www.anitanair.net
Twitter @anitanairauthor
Instagram @anitanairauthor

A Bowl of Cherries by FE Birch BLOG TOUR @EffieMerryl #ABowlOfCherries @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

There’s nothing cosy about this crime.Succulent and rich stories of the dark and unknown that might terrify, horrify, or deliciously delight.Thirty-two previously published and prize winning tales that contain themes of death, destruction, abuse and emotion, each one a veritable stride into a unique and different world. From the psychologically disturbed, the raging mad, the vulnerability of victims, and desperately needy, there’s not much that isn’t covered in the dark genre for those that like their stories to be troubling, distressing and quirky. NOT for the faint of heart, this comes with a triple X warning!"

A delightfully dark rollercoaster, dipping into a selection of slickly written shorts." -- Robert Scragg, author of All That is Buried

"A patchwork quilt of daring fever dreams, stitched together with effortless, bewitching prose. Highly recommended." -- Rob Parker, author Far from the Tree

A Bowl of Cherries by FE Birch was published in July this year. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review for this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour.

When you receive a book from an author and the note inside says 'I hope you like stories that are dark!", you know that you are in for a treat! A Bowl of Cherries is a collection of thirty-two short stories that are most certainly a real treat, but be aware, you do have to enjoy 'dark', you do have to prepare yourself for the unexpected. There are no holds barred here, this author shows her skill so very well in each and every one of these stories. Some are just a couple of pages long, some are longer, but each one is so very different and I was totally invested in every one of them.

It's rare that I enjoy a complete collection of short stories as much as I've enjoyed these. More often than not, there will be a few stories in an anthology that just don't do it for me. I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading every single one of these. I really believe that it's harder to create a gripping and realistic story in the short form than it is to create a full-length novel. Being able to make the reader connect with the characters in such a short time is an enviable task, but FE Birch manages it beautifully.

These stories go from the downright dirty and dangerously explicit to the heart-reading and tear-jerking. There's murder and lust, confessions and revenge a plenty here; something to suit every mood.

A Bowl of Cherries is the perfect book to pick up, dip into, entertain yourself and enjoy .... albeit in a dark and fairly intense way. 

Effie Merryl is an ex-cop who spends her time between the North East of England and Central Scotland.

She won the first Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect in 2012 with the manuscript that will hopefully become her debut crime novel.
She is the pseudonymous author of a 'faction' book of memoirs published by Harper Collins in 2013. She has had over 150 short stories published online and in print, many of which have been placed in competitions (2004 - present).
Her short story collection, Bowl of Cherries, contains some of her best prize winners, and is released on Amazon Kindle under the name F.E. Birch.

Twitter @EffieMerryl