April 29, 2024 · 1:55 pm

The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher – a review BLOG TOUR

The Night In Question tells the story of Octogenarian Florrie who is residing in a luxury care home after losing a leg. She thinks that the remainder of her life is going to be pretty quiet. Then one summer’s evening tragedy strikes. Florrie suspects foul play rather than accidental damage with her only clue a magenta envelope. She soon strikes up a partnership with a fellow resident and is determined to find out the truth, whilst looking back at the extraordinary life she has led.

The Night in Question was a superb book that gripped me from the start and didn’t let go. The overarching crime investigation story was interesting and well played out, but the real draw for me was the central character of Florrie. Throughout the story she reminisces about her life from her childhood through to her eighties with a secret hidden beneath the surface that is gradually revealed. She has had an amazing life, with ups and downs and describes it all with a real sense of place and purpose.

Whilst I loved Florrie, the others in her story were a mixed bag as of course they are going to be. Men and friends she’d loved and lost, some who treated her well, some who didn’t, all brought their own elements to her story. One group I really enjoyed were all the residents in the care home. They were a great mix of comedy and drama as a random bunch of people put together via circumstances all of whom have stories to tell and lives they’ve lived. 

The writing was exquisite and one of those books where I wanted to re-read sentences to fully take them in. I felt this was a really inspiring story that was uplifting yet also made you think. As cliche as it is to say, time really does pass by very quickly. The story makes you realise how fleeting life can be and how you should grasp opportunities whenever you can. No matter what your age there can still be adventures to be had, and friendships to make.

This was a truly remarkable book that I highly recommend and is one of the best books I’ve read for a while. Find out what others on the blog tour thought:

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April 5, 2024 · 5:10 pm

Dark Rooms by Lynda La Plante – a review BLOG TOUR

My latest read was the next instalment of the Tennison series, Dark Rooms.

In Dark Rooms Jane Tennison is leading a murder investigation after the body of a young girl is found chained to a wall in an old air raid shelter in a derelict house.  Whilst initially the focus is on identifying the young victim there is another shock to come. As forensics start to investigate, they soon make a further grisly discovery, the body of a baby had been hidden in a wall. Jane takes over the cold case with her investigation focussing on the wealthy family that previously owned the house, the heiress now residing in a care home and her sister living in Australia. As Jane starts to delve deeper into the family, she discovers a dark secret, and puts herself in grave danger.

I am really enjoying this series and Dark Rooms was no exception.

This story again sees Jane using her skills to crack a cold case, this time one that literally has repercussions around the world. The crime was both disturbing and intriguing. It was interesting and shows the skill of the author in that I thought it was relatively obvious from the start what the outcome might be, however the twists and turns continued to lead me down dead ends and deliver shock after shock.

I have to be honest and say there are times when Jane is starting to get on my nerves a bit. Whilst I appreciate that she clearly has to stand up for herself and struggles to gain the respect she deserves, there are also times when I think she doesn’t help herself. She certainly isn’t a team player and often ignores colleagues not always for the best. Her taste in men is always dubious, although I hope this time she might have finally made a good choice. However as a reader we are often given sneaky peaks into characters backgrounds and actions that make us think it might not all be plain sailing.

As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews I’m always intrigued by the ‘historical’ setting of these novels and this was no exception. How she is treated by some of her male superiors is disgraceful and I don’t imagine we’ve heard the last of it.

I am thoroughly enjoying my journey with Jane and I am looking forward to the next instalment.  

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March 16, 2024 · 5:00 pm

The Benefit of Hindsight by Susan Hill – a review BLOG TOUR

Whilst of course I had heard of author Susan Hill I don’t think I had read any of her Simon Serrailler series so when i was invited onto the blog tour I was interested to give one a go.

In The Benefit of Hindsight Serrailler is back to work after a violent incident that led to him losing his arm. He soon has to hit the ground running though as a wealthy couple are the victims of a planned robbery after being targeted by a couple who have supposedly broken down. When there is a second robbery across town with a similar MO it puts into question if Serrailler has returned to work too early. In the meantime his sister has got a job as a doctor in the town but her skills are soon put to the test with a disturbing young mother as well as trying to help her brother recover.

This was an interesting story although it did seem a little disjointed at times with a lot of characters to get your head around and I felt it ended a bit abruptly rather than tying everything up neatly. Although of course not all stories do get a tidy ending. The crimes were all individual stories which weaved their way through the novel and at no point did I guess how things were going to go.

I liked the style of writing in this. It was short and sharp with viewpoints changing and giving us an insight into what the varying characters were thinking. I quite enjoyed this fast paced style of writing contrasting with a story that was slower in pace. 

This was the first one of the series that I had read although it was actually book 10 of the series so I realise there is a lot of back story on the characters that I was missing which would have given a better understanding of their lives.

However saying that I still enjoyed it overall as a standalone and would definitely start the series at the beginning. 

Find out what others on the blog tour thought.

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March 16, 2024 · 6:59 am

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner – a review BLOG TOUR

I’m not the most prolific blogger or have the biggest following therefore I am always incredibly grateful to be offered the chance to read and review books, even more so when they are the latest from one of my favourite authors. So I was incredibly excited to be invited onto the blog tour for the latest by Lisa Gardner Still See You Everywhere.

Still See You Everywhere sees the return of people finder Frankie Elkin. She is invited to death row to meet notorious serial killer the Beautiful Butcher, who wants her to find her missing sister Lia. The Butcher believes Lia has been kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and reclusive millionaire MacManus. So Frankie heads out to a remote paradise island to see what she can find. It’s not long before paradise starts to look less appealing as deadly creatures of all types appear.

Still See You Everywhere was an absolutely rip roaring adventure that I loved. The story is all set on one remote island accessible only by boat or plane and only when the weather is good. That gave this book an element of a locked room mystery where everyone is a suspect but at the same time anyone can appear which I really enjoyed.

I like the character of Frankie Elkin, she has got a great attitude and a steely determination when it comes to finding those she searches for. She has her demons as all good protagonists do but she is also strong enough to carry on. It was nice to see a bit of a softer side to her this time. Still See You Everywhere is the third in the series and although the story is completely standalone the character makes more sense if you have read previous stories. The actual story is good and the island itself came to life through the descriptions, including the rather large crabs.

This was an excellent bit of escapism that I thoroughly enjoyed, and would recommend.

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