Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville #BloodLikeMine @stuartneville @simonschusterUK #BookReview

 

What would you do if one night your whole life changed?

If everything you thought you knew was suddenly turned on its head?

If you had to take your child and keep moving.

Away from the questions, away from the prying eyes, away from everyone you knew.

Because it’s your job to make sure that your daughter can survive.

Even if it means becoming someone you never thought you'd be.

And you know that whatever you do, wherever you go, people will be looking for you both.

Because wherever you go, bodies are left behind.

But you have no choice.

Because you’d do anything to protect your child.

Even if she’s a monster . . .

Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville is published on 15 August 2024 by Simon & Schuster. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Back in February 2022 I read and reviewed Stuart Neville's The House of Ashes. In that review I mentioned that those who prefer cosy crime, with little to emotionally challenge them would probably struggle with the book. I will say that again about Blood Like Mine. This is a tense, often horrifying road-trip novel that dishes up crime, horror, a touch of supernatural and a whole lot of nightmares. 

I loved it! I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it and have wanted to talk to everyone about it.

Rebecca and her daughter Monica, known as Moonflower are on the run. They are travelling in an old, battered van, with little money or food. Desperate and aware of the dangers of being found, Rebecca will do anything to ensure that her daughter is kept safe. Some of the things that this loving mother finds herself having to do are so alien to her, and to the reader, yet the overwhelming depiction of a mother's love for her daughter ensures that the story rings so true. 

Meanwhile FBI Agent Marc Donner is the man who is most determined to catch these women. Despite the views of his peers and his bosses, he is convinced that Rebecca is responsible for a string of murders that have taken place over the past two year. The victims are always male, the majority of them have a history of being violent and abusive, and they've all died in horrific circumstances. Donner's quest has taken him to the verge of ruin; his job is on the line, his marriage is dead, his children never see him. The only real relationship that he has is with the bottle, and even his work partner is beginning to tire of his relentless quest to find these women. 

This is most certainly a crime novel, with heinous and bloody deaths, it is also a supernatural horror story, with Moonflower's current state being explained cleverly through letters written to her from her mother over many years. 

It is Rebecca's own story that drives this plot, it is the touching depiction of the way that her life changed as a young woman, and the unquestioning love that she has for Moonflower. It is her total willingness to sacrifice her entire life to ensure that Moonflower survives, that total undisputed love of the mother for a child. 

There's an increasing desperation that grows throughout the story, as both Rebecca and Donner become almost unhinged in their individual goals. Both of them begin to take risks, both of them realising that however this ends, it will not be how they wanted it to. 

This is an ambitious, sweeping, character driven story that utterly consumed me. It's really quite magnificent. Highly recommended 

Stuart Neville's debut novel, The Twelve (published in the USA as The Ghosts of Belfast), won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was picked as one of the top crime novels of 2009 by both the New York Times and the LA Times. 

He has since published ten more critically acclaimed books, two of which were under the pen name Haylen Beck, and a collection of short stories. 

He has been shortlisted for several awards, including the MWA Edgar Award for Best Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, the Barry, Macavity, and Dilys awards, and the Irish Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year.

www.stuartneville.com

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A Girl's Guide To Winning The War by Annie Lyons BLOG TOUR #AGirlsGuideToWinningTheWar @1AnnieLyons @headlinepg @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

1940. Whip-smart librarian Peggy Sparks is determined to make sure that her brother Joe returns from the frontline to their London home, which they share with their beloved mother and grandmother. So when she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime job at the heart of the war effort, Peggy jumps at the prospect of making a real contribution to her country.

But when she finds herself working under the fanciful socialite Lady Marigold Cecily, Peggy discovers that those around her are more keen on dancing at the Café de Paris than on ending the war. Writing accounts of her daily life is the only thing keeping Peggy's hopes alive. But when she finds her inner-most thoughts accidentally published by the Ministry of Information, Peggy realises she needs Marigold's help to save her job, and to bring her brother home . . .

From the author of The Air Raid Book Club comes a powerful tale of unexpected friendship, community and two remarkable women who change the course of the war. Full of heart, emotion and drama, it is the perfect uplifting story for fans of Kate Thompson and Natasha Lester.

A Girl's Guide To Winning The War by Annie Lyons was published on 25 July 2024 by Headline. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour. 

This is an absolutely glorious book that I devoured in just a couple of sittings. If you are a fan of historical fiction with fascinating insight into the world of the Government during the war, featuring some incredibly strong female characters, and showcasing a love of books, then this really is for you. 

Peggy Sparks lives in London with four generations of her family in one house. She works as a librarian and is currently taking part in the Mass Observation Project, where she writes about her daily life during the war. Her twin brother Joe is away overseas fighting, he is much missed, but their regular letters, always signed off by Joe with 'we will meet again', keep her spirits up. 

When Peggy's writing is noticed by those in high places, she is offered a job at The Ministry of Information as a proofreader. Although hesitant at first, Peggy takes the job and this is when her life changes so much. 

The contrast between Peggy's life, her home and her family and most of the other employees at the Ministry is beautifully created. We see how those with money and power deal with war time restrictions, compared to those people with a low income who live in poor housing. When Peggy meets colleague Lady Marigold Cecily for the first time, she is not impressed. Marigold appears flippant and entitled, always late, always out for lunch and appearing to have no real idea of how the war is affecting most people. 

As Peggy becomes more comfortable in her role, she really finds her voice. Her talent for writing is utilised by the Ministry, even if she isn't credited as the actual author. She and Marigold become closer, in fact, Marigold becomes a dear friend to her and her family, they help each other out, using their own experiences to solve problems. 

It is war time though and there are many tragedies and lots of heartbreak along the way for Peggy, her family and the team at the Ministry. There are men who often stand in the way of progression, there are men who stand up for the women, and their is one special person who becomes very important to Peggy. 

This is a wonderful book, dealing with friendships and resilience with the overarching theme of books and the absolute power of words. Packed with characters who are colourful and perfectly created, I loved every page of it. Highly recommended.

After a career in bookselling and publishing, Annie Lyons became an author. 

When not working on her novels, she teaches creative writing. 

She lives in south-east London with her husband and two children and black labrador, Nelson.

www.annielyons.com

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Heart, Be At Peace by Donal Ryan #HeartBeAtPeace #DonalRyan @DoubledayUK #BookReview

 

Some things can send a heart spinning; others will crack it in two...

In a small town in rural Ireland, the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future. The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the marks of its history, new stories are unfolding.

But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town, and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch…

Told in twenty-one voices, Heart, be at Peace is a heartfelt, lyrical novel that can be read independently, or as a companion to Donal Ryan’s multi-award-winning novel, The Spinning Heart, voted ‘The Irish Book of the Decade’.

Heart, Be At Peace by Donal Ryan is published in hardback on 8 August 2024 by Doubleday. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

It is a very fine, and talented author that can tell the story of a whole town, its history, its present and the hope for its future in just under 200 pages, and in twenty-one different voices. Donal Ryan achieves this. His writing is an absolute joy, his setting is vivid described and the characters are just incredible.

Each and every one of these twenty-one characters is unique, with a different voice, a different style of narrative, with differing views and sometimes completely contrasting thoughts about the same circumstances. 

This is not a linear novel, the reader is hurled back and forwards, from person to person, from era to era, yet the incredible interweaving of each voice works so very well. We may learn something quite vague in one chapter, we may wonder how or why one particular incident is relevant to the story, and then, we hear about that happening again, from a different character and everything just falls into place. 

It is basically the story of a small Irish town and the people who live there. The town is changing, and although there have been tragedies and hard times in the past, it is the dark shadows of a fresh menace that is the focus of this story. 

The story is full of compassion, it is often brutal, sometimes coarse, there are scenes that will make the reader laugh out loud and there are those that tear a small piece away from your heart. This is a raw and totally human look at people, and community and relationships. 

An epic novel, yet a slim volume. This is one of the most beguiling stories, with some of the sharpest, most lyrical writing that I've read in many a year. Highly recommended. 

Donal Ryan is an award-winning author from Nenagh, County Tipperary, whose work has been published in over twenty languages to major critical acclaim. 

The Spinning Heart won the Guardian First Book Award, the EU Prize for Literature (Ireland), and Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards; it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was voted 'Irish Book of the Decade'. 

His fourth novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2018, and won the Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature. 

His novel, Strange Flowers, was voted Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, and was a number one bestseller, as was his most recent novel The Queen of Dirt Island, which was also shortlisted for Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. 

Donal lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. 

He lives with his wife Anne Marie and their two children just outside Limerick City.

Pursued By Death by Gunnar Staalesen BLOG TOUR #PursuedByDeath t. Don Bartlett #GunnarStaalesen @OrendaBooks #BookExtract

 

When Varg Veum reads the newspaper headline ’Young Man Missing’, he realises he’s seen the youth just a few days earlier – at a crossroads in the countryside, with his two friends. It turns out that the three were on their way to a demonstration against a commercial fish-farming facility in the tiny village of Solvik, north of Bergen.

 Varg heads to Solvik, initially out of curiosity, but when he chances upon a dead body in the sea, he’s pulled into a dark and complex web of secrets, feuds and jealousies.

 Is the body he’s found connected to the death of a journalist who was digging into the fish farm's operations two years earlier? And does either incident have something to do with the competition between the two powerful families that dominate Solvik’s salmon-farming industry? 

 Or are the deaths the actions of the ‘Village Beast’ – the brutal small-town justice meted out by rural communities in this part of the world. 

 Shocking, timely and full of breathtaking twists and turns, Pursued by Death reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world's greatest crime writers.

Pursued by Death by Gunnar Staalesen is published by Orenda Books on 29 August 2024 and is translated by Don Bartlett.

As part of this Blog Tour, I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from Pursued by Death by Gunnar Staalesen (translated by Don Bartlett) 

‘What the hell shall we do?’ Aga asked.

I sent him an anxious look. ‘Just report what we’ve seen. I’m

seriously worried – the van could well have been there for close

on two weeks now. We’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope

there’s no one inside.’

Aga leaned over the edge and peered down into the sea.

‘Looks to me as if the driver’s door is open. What do you think?’

I leaned over as well. ‘It’s definitely not jammed shut anyway,

from what I can see.’

‘What number should we ring? 112?’

‘I’ll do it. I know the officer on this case.’

No sooner said than done. The operator on 112 noted down

where we were, who I was and promised to pass on the message

to Signe Moland or one of her colleagues. It wasn’t long before

I had her on the phone.

‘Varg? Have I understood correctly? You’ve found the vehicle

Kleiva was driving when he went missing?’

‘Yes. But it’s in the sea – and most likely has been ever since

he disappeared, I’m afraid.’

‘OK, can you see if there’s anyone inside?’

‘Impossible to see from this angle, and jumping into the water

to check isn’t exactly tempting.’

‘No, we’ll sort that out. I’ll contact the Masfjorden chief of

police, but I’m sure a few of us from Bergen will come, too. Will

you be there?’

‘I’m in no great rush, so if you need me to stick around …

’

‘We’ll have to talk to you anyway. Are you alone?’

‘No, there’s someone with me. A guy who has a cabin here.

We discovered the camper van together.’

‘Good. Stay there until we arrive.’

I glanced at Aga. ‘Looks like we’ll have to stay here a while.’

He nodded by way of response, and I confirmed to Signe

Moland that we would be here, both of us.

After I had rung off, there was something of a strange atmosphere. It was as though the camper van below was drawing us

down, and we both automatically took a few steps back along

the pier. Neither of us said anything for a while. It was a bit like

Edvard Aga and I had both applied for the same job and now we

had met each other in the waiting room before our interviews.

In the end, he gestured towards the fjord. ‘Was … Jonas

Kleiva driving the van?’

‘It’s registered in his name, at least. He’s been missing for

almost two weeks, since they were here for the demonstration.’

He looked at me, downcast, then he nodded vaguely, almost

imperceptibly. ‘Hm.’

One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in
1947. 

He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. 

He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. 

Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour). 

Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. 

He lives with his wife in Bergen.

The Trap by Ava Glass BLOG TOUR #TheTrap @AvaGlassBooks @PenguinUKBooks #QueenOfSpyFiction #BookReview

 

How far would you go to catch a killer?

This is the question UK agent Emma Makepeace must ask herself when she is sent to Edinburgh for the upcoming global G7 Summit.

The Russians are in town and Emma and her team know a high-profile assassination is being planned.

But who is their target?

There is only one way to find out. Emma must set a trap using herself as bait.

As the most powerful leaders in the world arrive and the city becomes gridlocked, Emma knows the clock is ticking.

The Trap by Ava Glass was published in paperback on 1 August 2024 by Penguin. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour. 

I really loved the last book in this series: The Traitor, I read and reviewed it last year. Spy thrillers have never really been my thing, but Ava Glass has certainly changed my mind with her wonderfully created female spy character Emma Makepeace. 

Fast paced with so much action, and a real insight into the secretive goings on in unknown Government departments, I read this in one day, hardly looking up throughout. 

Emma works for a top secret Government department that even most Government ministers know nothing about. Their remit is to keep an eye on Russia, to be aware of all movements, to do their best to prevent a terror attack. 

The G7 are due to meet in Edinburgh, security around the city is so tight. So many important world leaders gathering in one place, with their associated teams and their knowledge is a really tough thing to control. Most streets in the city are cordoned off, residents are finding it difficult to find their way around. Police presence is huge. 

Emma's team are alerted that a well-known, very influential and extremely dangerous Russian; Vladimir Balakan, is about to land in a private plane at the airport. This is a major red alert and Emma is soon in the centre of the action. There seems to be a link between this man and a Russian guy; Nick, who has lived in Scotland for many years.  Nick appears to be squeaky clean, with no links to any organised groups in Russia. It becomes Emma's job to infiltrate his life, to find out more. 

Packed with action and populated by characters who are incredibly well developed, this is another winner from talented Ava Glass. I was hooked from the start, cheering Emma on, cringing at some of the things that she was expected to go through and totally blow away by the level of detail involved. 

I love that the author introduced another strong female lead in Mackenzie, or Mack; a Scottish police officer, initially assigned to make sure that Emma is able to get around the city, but who soon becomes an integral and essential part of the plot. I really hope that we get to meet her again in future books. 

Totally entertaining, this is a fascinating mix of spy thriller and political intrigue. Highly recommended. 

Ava Glass is the author of the espionage series Alias Emma. 

A former civil servant and journalist, she once worked closely with spies, and that experience fuels her writing. 

Ava is the pseudonym for an international bestselling author who has written more than ten crime novels under another name. 

Her books have been bestsellers in multiple countries, and have been published in more than twenty languages. 

Alias Emma is currently being developed for television by The Ink Factory. 

Join Ava’s bookclub and win free books on her website: www.AvaGlass.co.uk, or follow her on social media: @AvaGlassBooks

Junction of Earth & Sky by Susan Buttonwieser BLOG TOUR #JunctionofEarthandSky @Tr4cyF3nt0n @bonnierbooks_uk #BookSpotlight

 

Coming of age in 1940s England, Alice's life is thrown into chaos under the shadow of the war. Forced to let go of her hopes and dreams, she finds herself uprooted to America and a life she never could have imagined.

Decades later, it is the 1990s and Alice's granddaughter Marnie is living out of a worn-out Chevy Nova, running heroin and cocaine along the New England coastline. Yet she carries with her memories of a nurtured childhood in hardscrabble Rhode Island, where all the disappointments of her young parents were eclipsed by her grandmother's love.

Spanning six decades and two continents, from the shores of WWII England to the underside of 1990s America, Junction of Earth and Sky unfolds - in multiple timelines - the enduring bond of grandmother and granddaughter, plagued by the past but determined to find their place in the world against all the odds.

Junction of Earth and Sky by Susan Buttonwieser was published on 1 August 2024 by Manilla Press. As part of this Blog Tour organised by Compulsive Readers, I am delighted to shine a spotlight on the book today. 

Praise for Junction of Earth & Sky 

This is a book of remarkable insight and empathy. The novel's kaleidoscopic view of one family over six generations drew me right into the characters' lives and wouldn't let me go. I will be thinking about the special bond between Alice and Marnie for a long time -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

Written in precise and vivid prose, Junction of Earth and Sky combines the emotional breadth of an epic with the attention to specific, everyday detail of a short story collection. A moving and hopeful novel about intergenerational trauma and the struggle to break the chain -- Imogen Crimp, author of A Very Nice Girl

Through masterfully woven multiple timelines and vividly drawn characters, Junction of Earth and Sky reveals three generations of women overcoming loss, domestic violence, and addiction, ultimately surviving thanks to an abiding love between grandmother and granddaughter -- Virginia Pye

A book to savour. This is a love story between a granddaughter and a grandmother, both of whom we get to know as children, as adults, in their worst times and in their best. These characters will stay with me for a long time -- Caroline Corcoran

Heartbreaking. A painstaking portrayal of how trauma is carried down through generations. A real read-in-one sitting story with characters to care about and history to contemplate. I loved it. -- Ericka Waller

Susan Buttenwieser is the author of Junction of Earth and Sky, her debut novel published by Manilla Press, in 2024 and the short story collection, We Were Lucky with the Rain (Four Way Books, 2020). 

Her writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, been anthologized and appeared in numerous literary publications as well as online news magazines including Women’s Media Center, Rewire News Group and LGBTQ Nation. 

She has been awarded fiction fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and has taught creative writing in middle schools in the Bronx and Queens, with creative aging programs, in New York City homeless shelters,public libraries, and juvenile detention facilities, as well as in  a women's maximum-security.

www.susanbuttenwieser.com

Instagram @susanbuttenwieser

Prey by Vanda Symon BLOG TOUR #Giveaway #Prey @vandasymon @OrendaBooks #SamShephard #Win #Prize #Competition

 

On her first day back from maternity leave, Detective Sam Shephard is thrown straight into a cold-case investigation – the unsolved murder of a highly respected Anglican Priest in Dunedin.

 The case has been a thorn in the side of the Police hierarchy, and for her boss it’s personal.

 With all the witness testimony painting a picture of a dedicated church and family man, what possible motive could there have been for his murder?

 But when Sam starts digging deeper into the case, it becomes apparent someone wants the sins of the past to remain hidden. And when a new potential witness to the crime is found brutally murdered, there is pressure from all quarters to solve the case before anyone else falls prey.

 But is it already too late…?

Prey by Vanda Symon is published by Orenda Books on 29 August 2024 and is the latest in the Sam Shephard mystery series. 
I read this one a few months ago and truly believe it is the best of the series so far. My review will be published in The Mature Times, September edition and I will share it then. 

As part of this Blog Tour, I am delighted to have one copy of Prey to give away. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in the blog post. UK entries only please

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of Prey by Vanda Symon

Vanda Symon lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. 

As well as being a crime writer, she has a PhD in science communication and is a researcher at the Centre for Pacific Health at the University of Otago. 

Overkill was shortlisted for the 2019 CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award and she is a three-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel for her critically acclaimed Sam Shephard series. 

Vanda produces and hosts 'Write On', a monthly radio show focusing on the world of books at Otago Access Radio. 

When she isn’t working or writing, Vanda can be found in the garden, or on the business end of a fencing foil.

www.vandasymon.com

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Instagram @vandasymon