Sweaty and Pals by Mac Black #Review #ChildrensBook

Anyone who likes Mac Black’s “Please call me Derek” (and the rest in the series covering his grown-up adventures) will enjoy introducing younger friends and family to his new series, “Sweaty and Pals”. Derek hated his nickname and now we find out how he came by it. Filled with stories about Derek’s exploits with his gang in the eighties, with quirky illustrations (by Mac Black), the stories build on Derek’s ability to find disasters and get himself into one mess after another.

Sweaty’s tales are about little kids enjoying life, before smartphones and computer games came along. Of course, it is just possible – if you are older than five – that you did all these things yourself…

Mac has embraced writing for younger readers with the same quirky clean humour that permeates his YA series. From Sweaty’s first day at school, we meet some of the wonderful characters who pepper the adult books, subtly dealing with issues around prejudice, being different, living with the elderly, losing parents – but in a gentle, no-nonsense way that exposes the social discrimination  and values that we took for granted, in those days, but we would not accept, today. This makes these stories a perfect springboard for class discussions about daily life for children thirty years ago compared with now

My thanks to the author, Mac Black who sent my copy for review.  Sweaty and Pals was published in paperback on 5 July 2017.

I don't read a great deal of children's fiction and rarely feature it here on Random Things, but was tempted by the description and colourful colour of Sweaty and Pals. The fact that it is set in the 1980s also appealed to me.

Mac Black has already published a series of books for young adults about Derek Toozlethwaite (what an awesome name!), and Sweaty and Pals is the prequel to the series; aimed at children aged around eight to eleven years old.

Derek's nickname in the series is Sweaty and Mac Black decided to explain to his readers how that nickname came about. In Sweaty and Pals the reader learns all about Derek and his pals; Wee Spotty, Wally, Tomtom, Jacko and Curly, and how each of them came about their nicknames.

Sweaty and Pals is a fun and interesting read. Young readers will love this as each chapter is a story in itself, and it's really easy to pick up, read a couple of chapters and then set aside until the next day. The 1980s setting will be familiar to older readers, and intriguing to those aged under ten. This book is about boys having fun, using their imagination and not relying on electronic gadgets, or checking their phones every few minutes. There's no live streaming of mischief here, or photographs of everything that happened, this is good old-fashioned fun and games.

The writing is engaging and the characters are recognisable, and lovable. Mac Black himself has illustrated the book beautifully with colour pictures that bring the story to life.

Recommended for kids, and big kids alike!

Mac Black has had fun performing daft roles in amateur theatre and has written and presented silly poetry - he enjoys writing quirky fiction in the hope of gaining wry smiles. 

Mac's principle hero, Derek is never alone when it comes to looking for misfortune - there are always others in the stories to help him find it! 
Following the successful publication of his five-volume young adult Derek series enjoying Sweaty's exploits as a young man, Mac has now turned back thirty years to the eighties and has started a series for younger readers, exploring Sweaty's childhood.

Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman @ReedFColman @noexitpress #Giveaway

All is quiet in Paradise, except for a spate of innocuous vandalism. Good thing, too, because Jesse Stone is preoccupied with the women in his life, both past and present. As his ex-wife, Jenn, is about to marry a Dallas real-estate tycoon, Jesse isn't too sure his relationship with former FBI agent Diana Evans is built to last. But those concerns get put on the back burner when a major Boston crime boss is brutally murdered. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Jesse suspects it's the work of Mr. Peepers, a psychotic assassin who has caused trouble for Jesse in the past.

Peepers has long promised revenge against the Mob, Jesse, and Suit for their roles in foiling one of his hits - and against Jenn as well. And though Jesse and Jenn have long parted ways, Jesse still feels responsible for her safety. Jesse and Diana head to Dallas for the wedding and, along with the tycoon's security team, try to stop Peepers before the bill comes due. With Peepers toying with the authorities as to when and where he'll strike, Jesse is up against the wall. Still, there's a debt to pay and blood to be spilled to satisfy it. But whose blood, and just how much?

Robert B Parker's Debt To Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman is published by No Exit Press on 21 September 2017.

Robert Parker, considered by many to have been the dean of American crime fiction, was the author of seventy books, including the series featuring Chief Jesse Stone.

After Parker’s death in 2010, Reed Farrel Coleman was chosen to keep this immensely popular series alive.

To celebrate the publication of Debt To Pay, I'm delighted to offer one person the chance to win all nine of the Jesse Stone ebooks, courtesy of the publisher, No Exit Press.

Entry is simple: just leave a comment at the end of this blog post

Competition open for seven days and will close at midnight on Friday 22 September

GOOD LUCK

Please visit the other stops on the Blog Tour

Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman is the author of novels, including the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.

He is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.

A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed Farrel Coleman is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family in Suffolk County on Long Island.

Race To The Kill by Helen Cadbury @AllisonandBusby #RacetotheKill #BlogTour

It is the middle of a long night shift for PC Sean Denton and his partner PC Gavin Wentworth when they are approached by a dishevelled-looking woman desperate that they follow her. 

She leads them to the old Chasebridge High School where they find the dead body of a Syrian refugee. 

The investigation which points to the neighbouring greyhound stadium finds Denton caught up in a world of immigration, drugs and sexual abuse, and one in which his private life becomes increasingly entwined.

Genre: Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780749022464
Rights: World English
Pub. Date: 21st September 2017
Publisher: Allison and Busby






Race To The Kill by Helen Cadbury is published by Allison and Busby on 21 September 2017 and is the third in the Sean Denton series.

I am honoured to begin the Blog Tour for Race To The Kill here on Random Things.

The world of crime fiction was shocked and saddened to learn of Helen Cadbury's death in June of this year. Helen was one of  the most popular and friendliest authors around, she always had a big welcoming smile, she supported other authors, and bloggers with great advice and funny stories.

It was an honour to count Helen as one of my friends and although we didn't meet up in person very often, we had many online conversations. I miss her smile, her wit and her wisdom.

It's my pleasure to welcome crime author Nick Quantrill here to Random Things today; he's written a piece about Helen, and their friendship.

My friend Helen…

The first time I met Helen was in a tent at a small arts festival on the outskirts of Leeds. In some respects it was standard procedure, quickly bonding and finding some common ground before going on stage as part of a panel of writers. But as the sun started to set, we realised there was no lighting available, so Helen set about politely demanding audience members with bicycle lights handed them over so we could continue. I knew at that point I was going to like her. With our homes in Hull and York being such a short distance apart, and both of us writing very Northern crime novels, it was maybe inevitable that we’d team up for more events.

And so it proved. We shared numerous events in our own cities and further afield and would regularly meet on the road at various festivals. It would always end up with food and drink and talk of family, friends and the latest goings on in the crime writing world. I’m fortunate to have so many good memories, but when I started to arrange a launch party for my latest novel in Hull, it was natural it would be Helen who chaired the night. Generous to a fault, she not only gave up her time to do it, but recognising it was a special night for me, would only accept a drink in exchange for her time. It’s testament to her skill as an interviewer that she also sold out of books on the night, the audience eating out of her hand. I also learned that Helen’s sons knew the York band, Bull, who I’d asked to play a set to open the night. Missing their transport connection, Helen simply threw them and their mountain of equipment into the back of her small car and headed for home.

At that point, Helen was nearing the end of her first treatment cycle and we’d continue to meet in various places and talk about 2017; her hopes for future work, what events we could do together, the ways she could help with Hull Noir, a festival I’m working on, and our children – hers at university, mine just starting school - and everything else in between. The news earlier this year that the cancer had returned was just devastating, the further news it was terminal hard to make any sense of. Yet I was fortunate. Helen lined me up as a replacement for her writer in residence gig at ‘Mystery on the Rails’, a National Railway Museum exhibition in York, so we managed to meet up between treatments. The last time we did that was in Helen’s back garden, a fortnight before she died. We both knew what was coming, but sitting in the sun for a couple of hours talking about everything and nothing and putting the world to rights, was a privilege and something to be thankful for.

One thing we spoke about excitedly was the launch of the “Big City Read” programme, which centres on her first Sean Denton novel, “To Catch a Rabbit”. Helen being Helen, it wasn’t just about her moment in the spotlight, more that she knew how much readers would enjoy hearing from the line-up which includes so many of her friends. Reading “Race to the Kill”, the third Sean Denton novel, is going to be tough knowing there won’t be anymore, the forthcoming poetry collection tougher still. Regardless of genre, though, Helen’s work is packed full of heart and hope and that’s what I intend to remember and celebrate as I read them.

Nick Quantrill - September 2017

My thanks to Nick for sharing his memories of Helen, please do follow the Blog Tour over the next couple of weeks 

Nick Quantrill was born and raised in Hull, an isolated industrial city in East Yorkshire. His latest crime novel, The Dead Can't Talk is published in May 2016 by Caffeine Nights. The Joe Geraghty trilogy, Broken Dreams (2010), The Late Greats (2012), and The Crooked Beat (2013) are also published by Caffeine Nights. His standalone novella, Bang Bang You're Dead (2012) is published by Byker Books.

A prolific short story writer, Nick's work has appeared in Volumes Eight, Nine and Ten of The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime alongside the genre's most respected names. In 2011, Nick became the first person to hold the role of Writer in Residence at Hull Kingston Rovers, contributing sports-based fiction to the match day programme and assisting with the club's literacy programme. His first story for children is included in the Toad Tales anthology published by Wrecking Ball.

When not writing fiction, Nick pens reviews and essays for a variety of football and music websites. He lives in Hull with his wife, daughter and the constant fear that Hull City will let him down.

Find out more about Nick and his work at www.nickquantrill.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @NickQuantrill

Helen Cadbury, Martin and myself - Harrogate Crime Festival July 2016

Helen Cadbury was a York based writer whose debut novel, To Catch a Rabbit, was joint winner of the Northern Crime Award. 

Helen was born in the Midlands and brought up in Birmingham and Oldham, Lancashire. 

Helen died in June 2017.

99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter @LibbyCPT @AvonBooksUK #99RedBalloons

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?

When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.

99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter was published in paperback by Avon Books on 24 August 2017 and is the author's debut novel.

My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review and invited me to take part in this blog tour.


I'd heard lots of things about 99 Red Balloons and met the author at a book event way back in January, her enthusiasm for her story was infectious and I've been really keen to read it ever since.

It's a brave author, and publisher, who writes and publishes yet another psychological thriller at the moment. I've heard whisperings about how people are tired of them, and want something else. I have to disagree; if an author has a great story to tell, and can write it well, then I say, bring it on.

99 Red Balloons certainly deserved to be published; it's excellently written with a tight, tense plot and some amazing characterisation. I was hooked from the opening paragraph and at times was turning the pages like a woman possessed!

I was convinced that I'd worked it out by page twenty, I even told my friend, who was also reading it, that I'd done that. I was proved completely wrong! This author is a master at surprise and twisty turns and I like that. I want to be out-witted, I don't want predictable or unexpected and Elisabeth Carpenter delivered gasp creating moments, time after time.

99 Red Balloons is the story of two missing girls. One now and one many years ago, seemingly unrelated, but similar in the way that they disappeared and as the story progresses, the reader gets an inkling that there is far more to the present day case than first imagined.

The author's strength lies in her creation of wonderfully realistic characters whose emotions and feelings are expertly portrayed. The effect on a family when a child disappears is convincingly portrayed and each character is vital to the plot. There's no padding or superfluous bit players here, each conversation and each scene makes up a piece of this intricate and tightly woven puzzle.

99 Red Balloons is an impressive debut. The writing is assured and intense. I'm really excited by this author's work and can't wait to read more from her. Highly recommended.

Elisabeth Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2008. 

Elisabeth was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment. She currently works as a book keeper.

Find out more at www.elisabethcarpenter.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @LibbyCPT 

The Break by Marian Keyes @MarianKeyes @MichaelJBooks @PenguinUKBooks @FMcMAssociates

Amy's husband Hugh has run away to 'find himself'. But will he ever come back?

'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.'
'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'

If only.

Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.

He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in South East Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.

Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . .

However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge.

For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? Will Amy be the same woman?

Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then so is she . . .

The Break is a story about the choices we make and how those choices help to make us. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.

The Break by Marian Keyes was published in hardback by Michael Joseph / Penguin on 7 September 2017 - my thanks to the publisher and FMcM who provided my copy for review.


Oh. My. Goodness.    Where should I start?  What should I say?  The Break is one of my most anticipated books of the year. I've been a fan of Marian Keyes for over twenty years, I've followed her through all of her novels, through her ups and her downs, watched her vlogs, subscribed to her mailing list .... all of those. She's one of those people who are just so naturally funny whilst talking about quite mundane and everyday things, she makes me smile.  She also brings a lump to my throat at times; whether it's through her fiction, or when reading about her own life - she's a complete and utter genius with words. A pleasure to read.

The Break is a huge novel; over 550 pages in the hardback edition - it's hefty, but for God's sake, don't let that put you off .... if you really find it a bit heavy, please buy the ebook - don't miss out because this novel is just too good to skip.

Lead character Amy is a fabulous feisty woman in her mid forties. Married to Hugh with two daughters and one niece who lives with them. Their extended family is vast, and eccentric and eclectic. There's a teenage beauty vlogger, a Poor Bastard who never speaks. There is Pop who doesn't recognise anyone and LOCMOF, or Granny who is finding a whole new world full of glitter and lipstick and the internet, and is, quite possibly, one of the most wonderful characters ever created.

A large, diverse family, full of exquisitely created characters who each have a role to play, there is no padding here, none at all. They all fit, every single one.

As the title indicates, and the book blurb tells; The Break is the story of Amy and Hugh's mid-marriage break. It's Hugh's break really as Amy had no idea it was coming and spends much of the first few chapters like a rabbit in the headlights. Hugh does go off though, with a rucksack, to the other side of the world and Amy is left with her online shopping habit, her vintage clothes and the mounting problems and issues facing her and her family.

I couldn't help but picture Amy as Marian. I heard her voice, I saw her face - the voice is so wonderfully done and the humour at times is essentially Keyes. This author's ability to portray that wonderful Irish sense of fun and turn of phrase is perfectly executed throughout the novel; I laughed til I was sore at times.

However, The Break is not all fun and laughter. Marian Keyes cleverly includes many serious and relevant issues within her story, both social and personal. Her clever interpretation of the grieving process and the impact of this on a family is so perfectly put together, and as the story progresses the reader learns more about both Amy and Hugh's background. Their losses and their struggles over the years and how they've come to cope with them, and how they've affected their relationship.
The author also looks at the issue of abortion in Ireland and how the state still dictates what a woman can and can't do with her own body. Delicately and sympathetically handled, yet brutal and honest; there are issues within this beautiful story that will anger and shock the reader.

Marian Keyes' writing is honest, funny, and always moving. Her ability to create such depth alongside laugh-out-loud comedy is incredible. She surely is one of the finest authors of our time.
The Break comes highly recommended by me, one of my favourite books of the year, probably the decade.  Bravo!

Marian Keyes' international bestselling novels include Rachel's Holiday, Last Chance Saloon, Sushi for Beginners, Angels, The Other Side of the Story, Anybody Out There, This Charming Man and The Woman Who Stole My Life. 

Three collections of her journalism, Under the Duvet, Further Under the Duvet and Making It Up as I Go Along, are also available from Penguin. 

Marian lives in Dublin with her husband.

Find out more about Marian Keyes at her website www.mariankeyes.com
Follow her on Instagram
Find her on Twitter @MarianKeyes

#CoverReveal ~ The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton @KJHAuthor @headlinepg @Bookish_Becky @Wildfirebks

I'm really excited to be part of Wildfire / Headline's #CoverReveal for one of their biggest titles of 2018. 

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

Wildfire / Headline     Hardback     8 March 2018

Just take a moment or two to examine this amazing cover!  This book sounds fabulous .... I can't wait!

If this has whetted your appetite - scroll down for a link to an exclusive extract from the book

Karen Hamilton's THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND is a frightening depiction of unbridled obsession, where love and pure hatred grapple on a knife edge. The perfect new psychological thriller for fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.

Juliette loves Nate.
She will follow him anywhere. She's even become a flight
attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.
The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing.
Because Juliette has a plan to win him back.

She is the perfect girlfriend.
And she'll make sure no one stops her from
getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it's worth all the pain...

Sounds good eh?   Click on this link for an exclusive extract taken from The Perfect Girlfriend

Trust Me by Angela Clarke @TheAngelaClarke @AvonBooksUK #SocialMediaMurders #TrustMe

YOU SAW IT HAPPEN. DIDN’T YOU?

What do you do if you witness a crime…but no-one believes you?

When Kate sees a horrific attack streamed live on her laptop, she calls the police in a state of shock. But when they arrive, the video has disappeared – and she can’t prove anything. Desperate to be believed, Kate tries to find out who the girl in the video could be – and who attacked her.

Freddie and Nas are working on a missing persons case, but the trail has gone cold. When Kate contacts them, they are the only ones to listen and they start to wonder – are the two cases connected?

Dark, gripping, and flawlessly paced, Trust Me is the brilliant third novel in the hugely popular social media murderer series.

Trust Me by Angela Clarke was published in paperback by Avon Books on 15 June 2017 and is the third in the Social Media Murder series.  I read and reviewed the first two of the series here on Random Things: Follow Me (December 2015) and Watch Me (January 2017)

My thanks to the publisher; Avon Books who sent my copy for review.


Trust Me thrusts the reader back into the lives of Detective Nas Cudmore and her childhood friend, and now colleague Freddie Venton. Two people. who are so very closely linked, by their work and through their shared history, yet are so very different in character.

Whilst this book is the third in the Social Media Murders series, it does work very well as a standalone novel, although I'd urge readers to go back and read the first two in series to gain more insight into the past history that has shaped this partnership.

Kate is the head teacher of a school in one of the toughest parts of London. Aged fifty-five, she's turned the school around. She's respected, but she has her own demons. When Kate stumbles upon a live-streamed video on the internet she can hardly believe that it is real. It is real, very real. Kate has witnessed the rape and murder of a young girl, live online and seemingly filmed by a very young man.

The local police don't believe her. The video has been deleted, the young PC notices the empty glass and questions Kate about her drinking. It's clear that she's not going to be taken seriously. She remembers seeing Nas and Freddie on the TV news, after they'd worked together on an infamous case. She contacts them.

Nas and Freddie are working on the 'Spice Road'; a place in the darkest bowels of the internet, a place where drugs are dealt and huge sums of money change hand. A place for criminals and violence and death.

Trust Me follows Nas and Freddie as they become more and more determined to find out just what Kate saw online. Angela Clarke has once again produced a finely tuned, fast paced and totally up-to-date crime thriller. She hooks the reader in and doesn't let go, twisting and turning on a breathless journey that explores the darkest depths of humanity whilst building her characters with ease and flair.

This is not just a crime story, it's also a clever look at the intense relationships built up within the police force and how these can affect judgement and trust. Nas and Freddie and their complicated relationship adds great depth to this series.

Trust Me is chilling, atmospheric and gripping. The Social Media Murder series is one of my favourites, and Angela Clarke continues to prove that she's a writer to watch.

Angela Clarke is an author, columnist and playwright. Her debut crime novel Follow Me (Avon) is out now. Follow Me is the first in the Social Media Murders Series.

Her memoir Confessions of a Fashionista (Ebury) is an Amazon Fashion Chart bestseller. Her debut play The Legacy received rave reviews after it's first run at The Hope Theatre in June 2015. Angela's journalist contributions include: The Guardian, The Independent Magazine, The Daily Mail, and Cosmopolitan. Now magazine described her as a 'glitzy outsider'. Angela read English and European Literature at Essex University, and Advances in Scriptwriting at RADA. In 2015 Angela was awarded the Young Stationers' Prize for achievement and promise in writing and publishing.

She is almost always late or lost, or both. 

Find out more at: http://angelaclarke.co.uk
Find her Author page on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @TheAngelaClarke