The House of Dust and Shadows by Tabitha Potts VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR #BookExtract #TheHouseofDustandShadows @tabithapotts @randomthingstours

 

We are but dust and shadows is the motto on the sundial in the garden at Blackthorn Manor. The past haunts the family living there.

When Robert Landimor, a famous painter, dies suddenly, he leaves his estate, including Blackthorn Manor, to his housekeeper, Mary, disinheriting his three daughters, Lucia, Izzy, and Sara in the process. No one understands why.

Sara attempts to find answers, but only uncovers buried secrets about their father and his family instead.

Then, the body of a woman is discovered in the lake on the Manor's grounds, leaving Sara and her sisters to face terrible danger.

Ghosts and the past may not be the only things haunting their family.

The House of Dust and Shadows by Tabitha Potts was published on 19 June by Rowan Prose Publishing. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from The House of Dust and Shadows by Tabitha Potts

Chapter 1

Blackthorn Manor, August 2016

 

High summer had arrived at Blackthorn Manor. It was parched and hot, as the poisoned planet writhed uncomfortably under its stuffy carbon blanket. You wouldn’t know, looking at the house, that things had changed much since the last century. You wouldn’t necessarily sense the pesticides leaching out of the soil and into the water, or the lack of birdsong compared to a hundred years ago or mourn those creatures that have ceased to exist on the earth because of human greed. Innocent and wild, green, and gold, the garden looked like Eden. Roses still in bloom arched their throats up to the sun, wood pigeons strutted across the lawn, a lone bumble bee floated around the flower beds. Not many people came here, the property was still under lock and key. But there are ways to invade even secret, hidden places, and those in the know had started to explore. Teenage couples had broken into the gate house and left condoms and beer bottles there, and dog walkers and poachers explored the woods with impunity, ignoring the No Trespassing signs.  

Now there were four young people, laden down with various items, struggling across the lawn. They’d come from Thornby to film in front of the house and utilize the faded glamour of their location to the full. Their lead actress, Lara, was a friend who was studying drama while they were studying film, but her expressive features and luminous skin made her a natural in front of the camera. Everyone was in high spirits although they were hot from the drive and the struggle over the fence and through the woods, where it was a difficult journey through the trees, including the stubborn blackthorns that had given the Manor its name.  

Ethan, who was directing the shoot, carried the heavy cool box full of snacks and drinks, Alex had the suitcase full of props and clothes, Maryam their makeup artist, another friend from college had her own large silver case full of foundation, powders and sparkling glitter and Lara carried Ethan’s camera and kit. Ethan made it as far as the terrace where he put the box down in a shady spot next to the wall. He wiped sweat from his face. The heat was so intense, it was quite fierce. 

“Let’s stop here.” 

“I’m so hot,” moaned Lara, piling her things next to the cool box and collapsing dramatically on the lawn. 

“Isn’t this place amazing? I can’t believe we just have it all to ourselves.” 

Ethan took a few photos on his phone to share online, admiring the way Lara’s limbs were elegantly arranged on the parched grass. He went over the planned shoot in his head. They had some props with them—fake flowers and a vase, a folding table and tablecloth—and he wanted to have Lara pose on the terrace. But their surroundings prompted other ideas as well. 

“Let’s do the terrace scenes first, and then maybe we should try something by the lake and that little boat house. That could look really good.”

“What should I wear?” asked Lara. 

Ethan thought for a while. He wanted Lara to wear something gauzy and floaty, something that summoned up the beautiful and wealthy at play. Ethan wasn’t one of them, he was from a council estate in Thornby, but he was one of those people whose certainty inspired others around them. “The white dress. I want her to look bleached out.” 

Maryam got to work on Lara with her little brushes and pads. Lara waited patiently, perched now on the terrace wall. 

“It looks so sad in there, don’t you think, Maz?”

“I can’t believe they just leave it sitting there empty like this. It’s so wasteful,” said Maryam, tapping gray powder onto Lara’s eyelids. 

“You can see marks where they’ve taken away paintings and everything, it looks very neglected. Imagine what a great place it would be to have a party.”

“Yeah, you could really go wild. There’s no one around for miles.” 

“That looks great.” Alex was admiring Lara’s make up. “I’ve set up the table and the other props.” 

Lara had to run across the terrace. They did several takes of this scene.

 They were using actual film, so every shot had to be right. She was very conscious of Alex’s eyes on her. Classically handsome, Alex was quiet, and she found him hard to read. As a result, she couldn’t resist trying to attract his attention, something she wasn’t used to having to do. 

Ethan discovered the old sundial on the terrace with its inscription Pulvis et Umbra Sumus and decided to add it to the story.

“What’s that even mean?” Maz asked. 

“Sumus is ‘we are’ and I think Umbra is shadows. I’m not sure about Pulvis, maybe dust? ‘We are dust and shadows.’” 

“You understand it? You’re posh.’”

“Not posh, just did Latin GCSE.” Alex flushed. He hated being called posh because he’d got a scholarship to the local private school. 

Ethan asked Lara to read it. The shadow of the gnomon indicated it was one o’clock in the afternoon. 

They did several takes before Ethan was satisfied, and the heat increased. The air felt as though it was vibrating around them. 

“I want to stop,” begged Lara. 

Tabitha recently received an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize and in 2025 was longlisted for the Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize. Several of her stories have been published in print anthologies.

She completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck and has a First in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. In her spare time, she runs Story Radio Podcast, a literary podcast. She lives in London with her family and Tamaskan dog Flin.

Stop Dead by Katrín Júlíusdóttir #VirtualBookTour #StopDead @KatrinJul t. Larissa Kyzer @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #IcelandMysteries

 

Thousands of runners

One killer

Icelandic detective-in-training Sigurdís is studying criminal psychology in the USA, but her plans are thrown into disarray when she discovers that her boss and mentor, Garðar, has been put on leave from Reykjavík CID as a result of his investigation into Sigurdís's father's death.

Returning to Iceland to deal with the fallout, Sigurdís finds herself pulled into a disturbing case: controversial TV personality Olga Einarsdóttir has been stabbed to death during the Reykjavík Marathon. Struggling to locate a runner wearing bib number 1407, who was seen near the murdered woman during the race, the police soon discover that several masked runners were wearing the same number.

As the mystery deepens, Sigurdís and her fellow detective Unnar soon learn exactly how unpopular Olga was – not just with the interviewees she humiliated on live TV, but with her own son, her business partner, a widower who insists that she had a hand in his wife's death, and her ex-husband, who died in suspicious circumstances thirty years ago…

As her exploration into Olga's past becomes ever darker and more harrowing, Sigurdís must also face the truth about her own father, while searching for an attacker who will go to any lengths to cover up their crimes…

Stop Dead by Katrín Júlíusdóttir was published on 21 May 2026, it is the second in the Iceland Mysteries series and is translated by Larissa Kyzer. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Virtual Book Tour 

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Sweet, the first in this series, but I can honestly say that Stop Dead is even better.

Katrín Júlíusdóttir has once again delivered a compelling blend of police procedural, psychological suspense and deeply personal drama, she has created a novel that is both gripping and emotional. From its fabulous opening; the murder of a controversial television personality during the Reykjavík Marathon, the story immediately captures the reader's attention and never lets go.

Detective-in-training Sigurdís returns to Iceland from the United States after learning that the investigation into her father's death has been dropped. While she finds herself dealing with the fallout from that decision, she is quickly drawn into a complex murder investigation that becomes increasingly intricate as it unfolds. The victim, Olga Einarsdóttir, leaves behind a trail of damaged relationships, hidden resentments and long-buried secrets, giving the investigation numerous trails to explore.

I love the characterisation in this series. Sigurdís is developing into a fascinating protagonist. Her personal struggles and determination add real depth to the story, while the dynamics between the members of the CID team bring warmth and a realistic feel to the narrative. The author excels at weaving the personal and professional elements together so seamlessly that they really enhance each other. 

The Icelandic setting is fabulously depicted throughout the story. The atmosphere is often dark and unsettling, and is perfectly suited to the twists and turns of the investigation, while the marathon backdrop is an original setting for the mystery. 

Special mention must also go to translator Larissa Kyzer. Her translation flows beautifully, preserving both the tension and emotion of the story and the narrative feels completely natural in English.

Intelligent, immersive and expertly plotted, Stop Dead is a superb second instalment in what is now one of my favourite Nordic Noir series. Existing fans will be delighted to be reunited with Sigurdís, while newcomers have a terrific series waiting to be discovered. I cannot wait to see where Katrín Júlíusdóttir takes these characters next.

Highly recommended.

Katrín Júlíusdóttir has a political background and was a member of the Icelandic
parliament from 2003 until 2016. 

Before she was elected to parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector. 

She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, was a store clerk and also worked the night shift at a pizza restaurant. 

She studied anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University. 

Katrin's debut novel, Dead Sweet, was published in English in 2023, and longlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. 

She is married to critically acclaimed author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. 

They have four boys and live in Garðabær.

Love's Labour by Stephen Grosz #VirtualBookTour #LovesLabour @stephengrosz @vintagebooks @randomthingstours #BookReview

 

Change the way you think about love.

When it comes to relationships, why do we find things so difficult? Drawing on more than forty years of candid and surprising conversations with his patients, psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz shows us how we can be better at love.

In the intimate space of the consulting room, we meet the woman who can’t post her wedding invitations but then, decades later, can’t decide whether to get divorced; the ex-nun whose unconscious fear of pregnancy drove her into the convent; and the friendship group that explodes when an adulterous affair begins. Compelling, revealing and full of wisdom, Love’s Labour shows us that only when we see ourselves and our world clearly are we truly ready to love one another.

Love's Labour by Stephen Grosz was published in paperback on 28 May 2026 by Vintage. Thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour. 

Stephen Grosz’s Love’s Labour is a well writing and fascinating exploration of the complexities of human relationships. The author uses his more than forty years of psychoanalytic practice, and it feels as though the reader has been invited into his consulting room.

Through a series of  case studies, the author examines why relationships can be so difficult to navigate. These vary and include a woman unable to send her wedding invitations, an ex-nun confronting unconscious fears, or friendships fractured by betrayal, each of the stories highlights the hidden emotional forces that shape our decisions. 

The writing is elegant, and full of compassion. The author depicts his patients with humanity, never reducing them to diagnoses or simple explanations. Instead, he demonstrates how self-awareness develops gradually, often through the careful examination of memories, emotions, and recurring behaviours. Reading about how these connections start to emerge in each person is fascinating and often moving.

The book explores themes of attachment, loss, sexuality, family dynamics, and the search for intimacy with such insight. 

At its heart, the book suggests that genuine love requires honesty; both with ourselves and with others. The author's stories linger long after the final page. Wise, compassionate, and deeply perceptive, Love’s Labour offers a fresh perspective on why we love as we do and how greater self-understanding can transform our relationships. Recommended 

Stephen Grosz is a practicing psychoanalyst - he has worked with patients for more than
forty years. 

Born in America, he was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Oxford University, and now lives in London. 

His Number One Sunday Times bestseller, The Examined Life,has been translated into more than thirty languages.

The Wrong Son by Neil Griffiths #VirtualBookTour #thewrongson @neil_mac_griff @weatherglassbooks @randomthingstours #memoir #bookreview

 

The Wrong Son is a memoir of emotional precision — a searching, unsparing account of what it means to come into being in the absence of love. In 1963, a young husband loses his pregnant wife and eighteen-month-old son in a car accident. Six months later, he meets a woman who abandons her own husband and child for him — a man who seems to her everything she has ever wanted.

Within two years, a boy is born into this family of grief and guilt, into a house already filled with ghosts, where neither parent can see him clearly through what each has lost.

His mother demands perfection. His father, meanwhile, decides early on that this child exists only because the first one died — and cannot forgive him for it. Moulded by his mother, rejected by his father, he is given no space in which to become himself.

Throughout his life, no matter how much he tries to invent himself, he is driven by the fear that nothing real exists underneath. Fifty years on, after his parents’ deaths, that fear begins to unmoor him.

He turns to the work of psychoanalysts who were pioneers of early childhood psychology around the time he was born.

Drawing on the insights of D.W. Winnicott and Jacques Lacan, The Wrong Son traces a life shaped not only by loss and violence, but by psychic damage that may never fully be shaken off.

With forensic clarity and unexpected humour, The Wrong Son is a quietly devastating work: deeply human, psychologically attuned, and unafraid to stay with what cannot be resolved.

The Wrong Son : A Memoir by Neil Griffiths was published on 29 May 2026 by Weatherglass Books. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

Neil Griffiths’ The Wrong Son is a beautifully written memoir that quietly works its way under your skin and stays there long after you've turned the final page.

This memoir tells the story of a man born into a family that had lots of tragedy. Before Neil arrived, his father had lost his first wife and young son in a devastating car accident. His mother  had left her own husband and child to begin a new life. What followed was a childhood shaped by grief, expectation and emotional absence, leaving Neil feeling as though he was not really part of this family. 

The honesty of the writing is stunning.  The author doesn't set out to blame anyone of to look for sympathy. He examines his life with such clarity, trying to understand how the experiences of his earliest years shaped the person he became. Whilst there is pain, there is also insight, reflection and thankfully, some humour. 

The sections exploring the work of psychoanalysts such as Winnicott and Lacan could easily have felt heavy and dull,  yet they are woven naturally into the narrative. Rather than interrupting the story, they help the reader to understand his search for understanding and identity. His reflections on childhood, family dynamics and the darkness caused by unresolved grief are fascinating and often so moving.

Neil Griffiths realises the complexity of his parents and sees their own wounds and limitations while remaining honest about the impact they had on him. 

Although some passages are difficult to read because of the emotional neglect and rejection he experienced, this is really not a bleak book. There is such resilience, and a determination to make sense of a life that has often felt fragmented.

Thoughtful, intelligent and deeply human, The Wrong Son is a memoir that really makes you ponder. It left me thinking about how families shape us, how childhood experiences linger, and how difficult, but important, it can be to face the truths we would rather avoid. Highly recommended. 

Neil Griffiths is a novelist, publisher and founder of the literary prize, The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses, now the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize. 

His first novel, Betrayal in Naples was winner of the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, Saving Caravaggio was short-listed for the Costa Best Novel Award 2007, his last novel is the critically acclaimed As a God Might Be.

Under the Blazing Sun by Jenny Lund Madsen @jennylundmadsen @orendabooks t. @paulrussellgarrett #undertheblazingsun #nordicnoir #murderbythebook

 

Hannah is miserable. Her love life is in ruins, her contract demands a sequel to her bestselling crime debut – and she's out of ideas. After a mortifying TV interview, her agent ships her off to a sun-drenched Sicilian villa with a simple order: finish the book. No distractions. No excuses.

But inspiration doesn't strike – murder does.

When a night out ends in murder, Hannah finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation … again. The police want her out of the way, and the only person who seems to believe her is a young but charming Italian police officer. That is, until she doesn't.

Soon Hannah is chasing suspects, fleeing crime scenes, and doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming the next victim. She came to write a crime novel. Now she's trapped inside one.

Dark, sly and deliciously atmospheric, Under the Blazing Sun is the second novel in the award-winning series featuring accidental sleuth and disgruntled literary author Hannah, whose pursuit of plot twists keeps turning dangerously real.

Under the Blazing Sun by Jenny Lund Madsen - translated by Paul Russell Garrett was published on 21 May 2026 by Orenda Books and is the second of the Murder By The Book series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Virtual Book Tour 

I read and reviewed the first book in this series; Thirty Days of Darkness in June 2023

I loved that book and have been eager to return to see what crazy things our protagonist, Hannah has been up to. 

The novel reunites us with the wonderfully cantankerous Hannah Krause-Bendix, a crime writer who has once again been dispatched by her long-suffering editor to focus on writing a bestseller. This time, however, Sicily's sunshine, excellent wine and tempting cuisine prove far more appealing than sitting in front of a laptop.

When Hannah finds herself caught up in the brutal death of Greta Tauson, a wealthy Swedish woman who had only recently welcomed her into her home, she quickly becomes a person of interest. Unwilling to leave the investigation to the police, and even less willing to remain under suspicion,  Hannah launches her own inquiry, dragging readers along on a thoroughly entertaining and often outrageous adventure.

What makes this series such a delight is Hannah herself. She's blunt, judgemental, stubborn and frequently exasperating, and I absolutely bloody adore her! She is so sharp and funny about the people that she comes across!  I also found her endless determination to avoid actually writing her book quite relatable, procrastination is my middle name! 

The return of fellow crime writer and egomaniac Jørn Jensen was a great touch and adds another layer of comedy. Their friendship/rivalry is one of my highlights of the novel, with their funny yet strangle tender exchanges that made me smile. 

Yes, you'll need to suspend disbelief at times. There are improbable twists, dramatic confrontations and enough coincidences to make even Hannah raise an eyebrow. But the author cleverly acknowledges the absurdity, playfully poking fun at crime fiction tropes while also embracing them wholeheartedly. The result is a fast-paced  mystery that never takes itself too seriously.

Warm, witty and hugely entertaining, Under the Blazing Sun is a clever crime novel that reminds us that reality can be far stranger and far more fun than fiction. Highly recommended. 

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed screenwriters, known for
international hits such as Rita and Follow the Money, as well as for her advocacy for better representation of sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. 

She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater).

Her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness―the first in an addictive new series―won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the prestigious Glass Key Award. 

She lives in Denmark with her young family.

 

The Fracture by Morgan Cry #thefracture @gojabrown @severnhouseimprint @randomthingstours #bookreview

 

Ex-police constable and now taxi driver Blake Glover thought retiring to his hometown of Fraserburgh would be calm – until, while attending a local funeral service, he notices something disturbing: did the sturdy expensive coffin split as it was lowered into the grave? How could this be possible? Is there a cruel scheme taking place?

As if this wasn’t enough, one of Blake’s customers from the night before has gone missing and Blake is the last person to have seen him alive.

To make matters even worse, Blake is contacted by his old colleague-turned-nemesis, Mitch Campbell – now imprisoned in Glasgow’s HMP Barlinnie. Mitch is threatening to frame Blake unless he agrees to a dangerous request.

Torn between helping friends, confronting a past enemy and uncovering dark deeds, Blake is dragged into a toxic world of small-town tragedy and big-city drama. As he tries to untangle the truth, he underestimates just how deadly things will become . . .

An intricately plotted, twisty and clever Tartan noir thriller by Scottish crime writer Morgan Cry – perfect for fans of IAN RANKIN, VAL McDERMID, DENISE MINA and WILLIAM McILVANNEY.

The Fracture by Morgan Cry was published in paperback on 21 May 2026 by Severn House. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours virtual book tour 

Morgan Cry returns with The Fracture, the second book in the Blake Glover series, and what a cracking read it is. Although this is book two, it works perfectly well as a standalone novel as the author gives readers everything they need while still rewarding those already familiar with Blake’s troubled past.

Poor Blake really does have a talent for stumbling into chaos. What begins with a strange moment at a funeral soon spirals into missing persons, old enemies, dangerous secrets and more trouble than any retired ex-police constable deserves. Add in a former colleague making threats from behind bars and you’ve got a story that has you constantly turning the pages for more.

The plotting here is wonderfully clever, with several threads weaving together seamlessly. Just when I thought I had worked things out, the author nudged the story in another direction entirely. The Scottish setting is absolutely perfectly depicted too. Fraserburgh and Glasgow feel vivid, gritty and completely authentic.

Blake himself is such a compelling character. Flawed, stubborn and often exasperating, but impossible not to root for. He tries so hard to do the right thing, even when life seems determined to trip him up.

Dark, twisty and packed with atmosphere, The Fracture is a hugely entertaining slice of Tartan noir. I really hope that the author continues the series as I already can’t wait to see what trouble finds Blake next.

Gordon Brown (aka Morgan Cry) has twelve crime and thriller books published to date,
along with a novella and a number of short stories. 

Gordon is a founding director of Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival and also runs a strategic planning consultancy. He lives in Scotland and is married with two children.

In a former life Gordon delivered pizzas in Toronto, sold non-alcoholic beer in the Middle East, launched a creativity training business, floated a high tech company on the London Stock Exchange, compered the main stage at a two-day music festival and was once booed by 49,000 people while on the pitch at a major football Cup Final.

The Death Row Club by V A Vazquz #TheDeathRowClub @vavazquezwrites @simonschusteruk #BookReview #SerialKillers #CrimeFiction

 

SOME THINGS RUN IN THE BLOOD…

A darkly twisted debut thriller for fans of Riley Sager and Jessica Knoll. At an annual retreat for the adult children of serial killers, paranoia turns deadly when one of the guests is murdered.

Nicola Fischer’s father has just been convicted of killing five women - including her best friend. Shunned by her town and obsessed with the true-crime host who exposed him, Nicola jumps at the chance to join the Death Row Club: a secretive weekend getaway for people exactly like her.

But when an unexpected guest arrives at their remote wilderness retreat, tensions flare. By morning, one of them is dead.

And everyone is asking the same question:

If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…which one of them is a killer?

The Death Row Club by V A Vazquez is published on 18 June 2026 by Simon & Schuster. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I read this one whilst I was on holiday in Portugal last month and found it totally entertaining. The idea behind The Death Row Club is really creepy; a retreat for the adult children of serial killers sounds like the sort of thing that could go very very wrong before the welcome drinks are even poured!

Thankfully for us readers, the author takes this brilliantly dark premise and turns it into an addictive, twist-filled thriller that had me eagerly turning the pages to find out more. 

Nicola Fischer is a fascinating central character. Her life has imploded after her father’s conviction for multiple murders, and her emotional fallout feels very real. The author skilfully looks at how Nicola deals with  her inherited guilt and the how the public judge her. Despite this, it is always entertaining and the tension tightens, with some really unsettling moments that made me have a little glance over my shoulder .... just in case!  

The remote wilderness setting is excellent and so  claustrophobic; it's isolated, atmospheric and packed with people who all have secrets of their own. Honestly, if someone invited me to a secluded retreat filled with traumatised strangers connected to serial killers, I’d fake a migraine and stay home with a family-sized bag of crisps. Nicola, however, is braver than I am.

The dual narrative works beautifully, adding depth and momentum without ever slowing the pace. And while I’m saying absolutely nothing about the twists, I will say this: this author really does know exactly how to keep readers guessing.

Dark, clever and hugely entertaining, this is a superb debut that deserves a place on every thriller lover’s shelf.

V. A. Vazquez was born and raised in Buffalo, NY where she currently teaches English. 

She received her B. A. in English from Barnard College and used to live in Scotland in a town inhabited by more sheep than people.