I was delighted to be invited onto the blog tour for author Bev Thomas’s debut novel A Good Enough Mother.
A Good Enough Mother follows Ruth Hartland, the Director of a trauma therapy unit in London. She is well respected psychotherapist with a fantastic career, yet her personal life is in bits. Tom her seventeen year old son has been missing for two years and has had no contact with anyone, her marriage has crumbled, and she has a difficult relationship with her daughter Tom’s twin sister. When a disturbed patient is referred she is shocked by the fact that Dan looks exactly like her missing son, and things soon start to spiral out of control as her professional boundaries start to blur.
This is a story of families told from the perspective of a mother dealing with both grief and guilt about her own part in the breakdown of the family. It was a gripping tale that I found fascinating. The author was a trained clinical psychologist and that comes across in the writing. As well as learning about Dan we also find out about other patients, they are background characters but give us a great insight into how Ruth usually works to contrast with her relationship with Dan.
This isn’t necessarily an easy read as it is emotional and sad. The quality of the writing draws you in as it weaves through to its inevitable car crash which I found quite shocking. The character of Ruth is intriguing. For someone who is supposedly at the top of the tree in her career she certainly makes some annoying mistakes, yet that is partly a consequence of her emotional state.
A Good Enough Mother is part mystery and part emotional drama both of which are utterly compelling. I would highly recommend this debut novel.
Tag Archives: faber and faber
A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas – BLOG TOUR
Filed under crime fiction, Uncategorized
The Last Act by Brad Parks – an extract
Today I am excited to be able to share with you an extract from the thrilling new page-turner from the author of Say Nothing, Brad Parks.
The Last Act follows former Broadway star Tommy Jump. As his final run as Sancho Ponza draws to a close, Tommy is getting ready to give up the stage, find a steady paycheck, and settle down with his fiancée.
Cue Special Agent Danny Ruiz. An old school friend of Tommy’s, now with the FBI, Ruiz makes Tommy an offer that sounds too good to refuse. All Tommy has to do is spend six months in prison, acting as failed bank robber ’Pete Goodrich’.
Inside, he must find and befriend Mitchell Dupree, who has hidden a secret cache of documents incriminating enough to take down New Colima, one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels. If Tommy can get Dupree and reveal where the documents are hidden, the FBI will give him $300,000, more than enough to jumpstart a new life. But does he have what it takes to pull off this one final role?
Read on for an extract from this fantastic sounding novel.
Filed under Crime writing
The Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran – a review BLOG TOUR
Whilst normally I wouldn’t post twice in one day, sometimes there are just books that it is impossible to say no to, and this was one of them. The Infinite Blacktop is the first I have read by Sara Gran, although it is actually the third novel featuring Private Investigator Claire De Witt.
The book starts with a bang, literally, as Claire comes round after a car accident and realises that someone is trying to kill her. This starts off a novel that is actually three stories in one. There is the mystery in the present day of who is trying to kill Claire. We then shoot back to 1986 where Claire and her friends are teenage detectives until one of them goes missing. Then in the middle we visit 1999 where Claire is trying to get enough hours under her belt to qualify for her PI license investigating a murder in the art world.
I must confess that this took a little while for me to get into. It read at first as a bit Agatha Raisin with each title being The Case of something. (Yes I know lots of other classic detective stories also use this idea that’s just the one that sprang to my mind!) However Agatha Raisin this certainly wasn’t. Claire is moody, violent, has a penchant for drug taking and is happy to use whatever methods necessary to protect herself and solve her cases. I think I would probably have warmed to her more if I had read the previous books whereas in this I didn’t really take to her much. However the stories themselves were interesting. I especially liked the younger version of Claire and it was clever how all the parts interwove throughout.
This was an good read, despite the three timelines it was easy to keep track of and the story went along at speed. Once you get into the swing of the writing I really enjoyed it. Despite my odd reservation about some of Claire’s actions it shows what people are capable of when they are pushed. It is also fascinating to find out about Claire’s previous life and these other time lines give a great insight into why Claire is like she is.
If you like strong female lead characters who take no prisoners then you can’t go far wrong with this gritty tale of a female PI. I will definitely be starting this series from the beginning.
Sara Gran is the author of five critically acclaimed novels, including Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, Come Closer and Dope. She also writes for film and TV, including ’Southland’ and ’Chance’, and has published in The New York Times, The New Orleans Times Picayune and USA Today.
Her latest novel is available here
Visit the other blog tour stops to find out more:
Filed under crime fiction, Uncategorized
Cold Desert Sky by Rod Reynolds – extract BLOG TOUR
Today I’m delighted to be on the Blog Tour for the new novel by Rod Reynolds, Cold Desert Sky and to be able to share an extract with you.
Cold Desert Sky is set in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas in 1946. Journalist Charlie Yates and his wife Lizzie are hiding out in motels on the run from gangster Benjamin Siegel. Rather than just move away Yates is determined to stay until he has found out what happened to two missing girls. Nancy and Julie were both aspiring actresses who have been missing for days and Yates has become obsessed with finding them.
Cold Desert Sky is a very atmospheric novel, evoking a real sense of 1940’s American noir. The book tells of cities that are dark and dangerous, filled with gangsters and seedy bars. The story itself is fascinating, with twists and turns that just keep coming throwing the story backwards and forwards across the two cities. This is the third novel from Rod that features the character of Charlie Yates. Although it is the first one I’ve read it won’t be the last. To find out more read on for an extract from chapter one which follows the extract you can find at Bibliophile Bookclub’s blog: https://bibliophilebookclub.com/
Cold Desert Sky by Rod Reynolds – extract
‘Charlie?’
‘Have a seat.’
He glanced around as if looking for his real guest, then slid down the backrest, realisation dawning. ‘You a gumshoe now, or am I a mark?’
‘How’ve you been, Whitey?’
‘Better than you, what I hear.’
I sat back, a glance over his shoulder, wrong-footed by the remark. ‘And what’s that?’
‘You don’t need me to tell you. It’s on your face.’
‘Make like I’m dumb.’
‘You must be. Being in town when he’s looking for you.’
I shrugged. ‘I’m not a hard man to find.’
‘You ought to reconsider that.’
I traced a line across the table. ‘I didn’t come here to talk about Bugsy Siegel.’
‘No?’ He showed real surprise. ‘Hard to believe you got bigger troubles.’
‘How’s your luck with the horses?’
He set his cup down on the Formica. ‘Some days are better than others.’
I took my money clip out – two tens and a twenty wrapped around a wad of ones to pad the roll. ‘I’m looking for information on a couple women. Hollywood-dreamer types.’
He made a point of not looking at the cash, a stool pigeon in a fraying suit clinging to the remnants of his pride. ‘I don’t know Hollywood from dirt.’
‘They were fresh off the bus. They were living in a boarding house in Leimert Park. Nancy Hill and Julie Desjardins.’
He half-smiled. ‘Julie Desjardins from Kansas – sure. Real names?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘These are the missing dames your woman called me about?’ I nodded. ‘They’ve been gone more than a week.’
‘Were they turning tricks?’
My arms tensed.
‘What?’ he said. ‘How else would I hear anything about a couple starlets?’
I closed my eyes and flattened my free hand on the table again. The question was a fair one. ‘The names mean anything to you or not?’
‘Not. But you must’ve figured that, so my guess is you want me to ask around.’
I peeled a ten off.
He shook his head, held up two fingers. I breathed out through my nose and peeled the other one off.
To read more don’t forget to visit the other stops of the blog tour. 
Cold Desert Sky is available on amazon.
Filed under crime fiction, Uncategorized
What You Want To See by Kristen Lepionka – a review BLOG TOUR
In What You Want To See, Roxanne is a private investigator who takes on what she thinks is going to be a nice easy case. Arthur thinks his fiancée is cheating on him and wants Roxanne to follow her. Unfortunately her case starts to get more complicated when the woman she is following turns up dead. The police think that Arthur is the killer. However as Roxanne starts to investigate things get more complicated and the body count rises. Arthur’s fiancée was a lot more complicated than she at first seemed and Roxanne needs to find out exactly what she is wrapped up in.
I love a novel with a good female protagonist, and What You want to see is definitely one of those.
This is a good story that is full of twists and turns and moves along at a decent pace. There are a lot of characters within the novel. Not only Roxanne’s family and friends including ex-lovers and next door neighbours, but also those involved in the case. There were brothers and sisters, step-families, gangsters, and antiques dealers, all mixing to create a very intriguing case. Yet the real star iof this story is definitely Roxanne herself. She is clever, strong, funny and dedicated to her job. I am a huge fan of Stephanie Plum (find her in the Janet Evanovich novels) and I think in Roxanne, Stephanie has got a run for her money.
This is Kristen’s second novel and I do think that you would benefit from reading the first one. In this novel although Roxanne’s drinking and her mixed up love life are discussed, she seems a lot more sorted in this novel so despite the whisky in her coffee it might not be fully apparent without the background. However this still works as a stand-alone novel. The story was self-contained so don’t be put off if you haven’t read the first one. The quality of the writing means that the story flows smoothly but there are enough background details included so you know the gist of what happened previously. I would say however that once you have read this you will want to read more about Roxanne!
If you like your novels female led and enjoy reading good crime stories then I would definitely recommend What You Want To See by Kristen Lepionka. To find out what other bloggers thought of the novel visit the other stops on the tour. Tomorrow it is the turn of www.thrillerbooksjournal.com.
To find out more about the author ad over to from first page to last
Filed under crime fiction, Uncategorized
City Without Stars by Tim Baker – a review BLOG TOUR
A while ago I read Fever City which was a fascinating portrayal of the Kennedy era (review here) Therefore I was delighted to be asked to join the blog tour for his latest novel City Without Stars.
City Without Stars is described as an epic novel. Which I have to say would normally put me off as I find in the film world that just means overly long. However I’m glad I hadn’t seen that before I agreed to read it as this was absolutely fascinating and certainly not too long.
The novel is based in Ciudad Real, Mexico where a deadly war is erupting between rival drug cartels. Alongside this, hundreds of female sweatshop workers are being murdered, which policeman Fuentes believes is linked to the main drug lord El Santo. Activist Pilar is trying to take matters into her own hands and arranging protests at the sweatshops to try and improve conditions and make people take the killings seriously. She starts working with Fuentes and also gets involved with journalist Ventura. As they investigate further the name that keeps arising is that of the Padre Marcio, a local hero who is known for his work with orphans. No one wants to believe that he can be involved, yet there is evidence they can’t ignore.
This was an interesting read. It’s certainly not one for the feint hearted. As with Tim Baker’s previous novel, this is a story that intertwines fact and fiction to create a fascinating insight into a corrupt and dangerous society. It is a violent novel, by necessity, as the world it is depicting is cruel and harsh. Yet it is also a story of hope and good trying to overcome evil.
Mainly the story is told with chapters focussing on the main characters. Yet they are also interspersed with other personalities and scenes including some women who end up victims. However despite the many characters, it is easy to keep track of and I felt the writing flowed easily. For me, one of the strengths of the novel is the portrayal of the females within it. Despite the high number of victims, there are also some incredibly strong characters that are standing up for change throughout immensely difficult circumstances.
This is an incredibly evocative novel, that is disturbing yet captivating at the same time. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a powerful story with characters that will stay with you long after the final page.
Filed under book review
Fever City by Tim Baker – a review BLOG TOUR
This was another free book that I picked up at the festival. It hadn’t really made it onto my reading radar until I had an email from the publisher inviting me to this blog tour. The description they sent intrigued me so I dug out my copy and I am delighted to be hosting the last stop of the Fever City Blog tour.
Fever City by Tim Baker is set around three different main story lines. It starts with the kidnapping of the son of rich businessman Rex Bannister. Private Investigator Nick Alston is asked to investigate and during this investigation he meets hitman Hastings. We then meet Hastings again in 1963 heading towards Dallas. The third of the three stories is set in 2014 when the journalist son of Nick Alston is researching the conspiracy theories of the 60s and looking at the assassination of JFK. The book switches backwards and forwards between the characters and their actions.
When I was at University I studied American History and have always been interested in the whole Kennedy era so mixing in some crime and some modern day meant this book was right up my street. Interspersed alongside the kidnapping plot we get to read about numerous historical characters that are synonymous with that time. Joe Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, J Edgar Hoover, they all make an appearance as we head towards the actual assassination.
This was a thoroughly fascinating novel that kept me gripped through to the end despite the rather long length (compared to my normal reading matter) There was a lot of mixing between time frames and viewpoints which took a while to get into. However once you got into it the book flowed easily and didn’t get as confusing as can sometimes be the case.
It is certainly not a book for the fainthearted as it doesn’t portray the romantic gentle Kennedy’s often seen. This is a much more hard boiled take on them, with some very violent scenes which is to be expected as soon as you get the know the characters a bit. Corruption, violence, mobsters – all those fascinating elements of 60’s America are covered here.
This novel cleverly mixes fact with fiction and creates an interesting mix of political thriller, historical conspiracy and family drama. I would thoroughly recommend this novel for anyone with an interest in thrillers and the Kennedy assassination.
If you would like to find out more about the author then pop over to Crime thriller girl’s blog for a q and a.
Filed under book review, Uncategorized
