#Review by Lou of The Space Between Us By Doug Johnstone @doug_ johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #MeetSandy #SF #HopePunk

The Space Between
By Doug Johnstone

The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone (author of the much-loved series – The Skelfs) featured recently on BBC Between The Covers, presented By Sara Cox and I am delighted to be part of the blog tour with the blurb and review, thanks to Orenda Books and Random T. Tours. Today, I have the pleasure of closing the blog tour with a review.

Blurb

Lennox is a troubled teenager with no family.

Ava is eight months pregnant and fleeing her abusive husband.

Heather is a grieving mother and cancer sufferer. They don’t know each other, but when a meteor streaks over Edinburgh, all three suffer instant, catastrophic strokes …

…only to wake up the following day in hospital, miraculously recovered.

When news reaches them of an octopus-like creature washed up on the shore near where the meteor came to earth, Lennox senses that some extra-terrestrial force is at play.

With the help of Ava, Heather and a journalist, Ewan, he rescues the creature they call ‘Sandy’ and goes on the run.

But they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the alien … close behind are Ava’s husband, the police and a government unit who wants to capture the creature, at all costs. And Sandy’s arrival may have implications beyond anything anyone could imagine…

Review

The Space Between Us is rather different from The Skelf’s series, where my reading of Doug Johnstone’s books began. This is a bit sci-fi, rather than crime, which The Skelfs is. I have to say though, for someone, like me, who only dips in and out of sci-fi, like me, this is a very good and compelling book. It is more than just sci-fi. It is more about what connects people and their lives.

The Space Between Us is set in Edinburgh and what links 3 people is that that they suffer some strange after effects after a meteor hits and an odd creature emerges. There is Lennox, a troubled teenager with no family. He is 16 and of mixed-race and is being brought up in a home. You find him around Portobello. Ava is in Longniddrey, is pregnant and trying to escape an abusive husband and Heather is grieving and has cancer. Strange streaks occur in the sky and everyone is affected and then the next day, it is as though the strokes they suffered from didn’t happen.

It is an intriguing tale that also has readers sweeping across Scotland, around and out of Edinburgh and the city centre’s surrounding areas.
It also seems to be a premise of bringing “Sandy” the alien to earth and creating compassion to those who arrive in your country, wherever they come from seems to be one of the overarching messages. It becomes a story about community and an idea that there are perhaps bigger things than humans and bigger things that you’re living through right now. It seems that in the space between us is connections and that need for connections, however they are made and communicated, as well as place that is safe and to have a sense of belonging. Each character is seems to be desiring and needing this in what is a book full of different emotions. So, as much as it is sci-fi, there is also a human story running through it.

Having read The Space Between Us for review, thanks to Orenda Books and Random T. Tours who invited me to and provided a book, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, even though it is not my usual genre, more a genre I dip in and out of here and there. So, ultimately it is a book I recommend to both sci-fi fans and non-sci-fi fans alike.

About the Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of fourteen previous novels, most recently Black Hearts (2022). The Big Chill (2020) was longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and three of his books, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade, and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years.

Doug is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club, and has a PhD in nuclear physics.

#Review By Lou of – Do No Harm By Jack Jordan Happy #PaperbackPublicationDay to @JackJordanBooks @simonschusterUK @T4cyF3nt0n #compulsivereaders #DoNoHarm #blogtour #Thriller #MedicalThriller

Do No Harm
By Jack Jordan

It is time for Do Not Harm to be published in paperback. So join me in saying Happy paperback publication to Jack Jordan, author of medical thriller – Do No Harm.

Blurb

MY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN.
AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . .
KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE
OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER.

The man lies on the table in front of me.
As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.
As a mother, I know I must kill him.
You might think that I’m a monster.
But there really is only one choice.
I must get away with murder.
Or I will never see my son again.

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.
WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

Review

An involuntary sharp intake of breath may occur whilst reading Do No Harm!
Anna is a cardiothoracic surgeon. She knows the mantra and code of do no harm. She knows she has life and death literally in her hands. She has an unusual decision to make -who to save? Her son or her patient. The patient could become the next Prime Minister, but her son has been abducted and those who have him demand the patient is killed or she won’t see him again. That’s the threat she is faced with.

Jack Jordan has created such a tense atmosphere that you embody the emotions and intensity of the writing that twists so much in its head as Anna’s career, along with her promise made with it hanging by a thread.

It is essentially a story about morals and how things can become muddied as life isn’t always so simple. It’s quite multilayered with it asking what you would do in Anna’s situation, when things aren’t as clear cut as say, a scalpel making its first incision.

It’s quite a psychological drama that unfolds with Anna being emotionally and morally torn in different directions. In top of this, her scrub nurse is also having a hard time in her life.

It is pacy and has grip throughout and is very involving. It’s a book I recommend.

Thanks to Compulsive Readers and Simon and Schuster UK for a copy of the book and for inviting me to review.

#Review By Lou of – The Ugly Truth By L.C. North @Lauren_C_North @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours #Thriller #Blogtour #TheUglyTruth #Bookrecommendation

The Ugly Truth
By L.C. North

I am pleased to be on the blog tour with a review for highly modern story – The Ugly Truth. Discover the blurb and review below.

Blurb

Melanie Lange has disappeared.

Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped.

The media will say whichever gets them the most views.

But whose side are you on?
#SaveMelanie
#HelpPeter

Told via interviews, transcripts and diary entries, The Ugly Truth is a shocking and addictive thriller about fame, power and the truth behind the headlines.

Review

The Ugly Truth is like a story of our times. It’s a work of fiction but it has a feel of a mix of watching a true crime documentary as it has an interview format to it and then looking at Twitter and following other people’s accounts of the story and going back to the interview style. Once your eye is in the format, which, for me happened fairly quickly, it becomes a compulsive read as all is interwoven impressively well to create the story of the disappearance of Melanie Lange.

It is a cautionary tale of our times about social media and the impact when certain stories implode all within a thriller that is a compelling read in all its formats of telling this story of Melanie Lange and everyone who feeds into it, from her controlling dad, her envious sister, her husband who betrayed her. Is fame also all it is cut out to be?

Discover the truth about what happened, is everyone telling you the true story, is everyone reliable and work out what camp you are in – #SaveMelanie or #HelpPeter in this compulsive, slick, highly modern thriller that has a lot to uncover.

Thanks to Random T. Tours and Transworld Books for inviting me to review and a proof copy to review from.

About the Author

L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North. She studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller – The Ugly Truth – combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. She is currently working on her second novel, and when she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense.

L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family.

Follow her on Twitter @Lauren_C_North

Find her on Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor

#Review of Force of Hate By Graham Bartlett @gbpoliceadvisor @AllisonandBusby #BlogTour

Force of Hate
By Graham Bartlett

Force of Hate is an excellent, timely crime fiction book you don’t want to miss! I am delighted and excited to be on the blog tour, organised by the publisher – Allison and Busby. Check out more in the blurb and my review below.

Blurb

When a firebomb attack at a Brighton travellers’ site kills women and children, Chief Superintendent Jo Howe has strong reason to believe the new, dubiously elected, far-right council leader is behind the murders.

Against the direct orders of her chief constable, Jo digs deeper into the killings. She uncovers a criminal ring of human trafficking and euthanasia all leading to a devastating plot which threatens thousands of lives and from which the murderous politician looks sure to walk away scot-free.

Review

Force of hate is a searingly compelling portrayal of the darker sides of life. Superintendent Jo Howe has her work cut out what becomes increasingly twisted crimes that she reckons all points to the far right. It is twisty with euthanasia and human-trafficking amongst the crimes.

The tension tightly builds as you read more in what is a fast-paced read. It’s easy to get hooked into pretty quickly, even with some of the darkest of subject matters. I think it is great, however, that human-trafficking is portrayed in books. It keeps such an important matter highlighted. The book truly shows the extremities of behaviours and ideals, as well as creating a meaty story with lots for the police to get stuck into.

Amongst all the crimes, Graham Bartlett allows the readers to get to know the characters he writes, such as what they do, their personalities, their banter and so forth. It’s a team that’s well-written and for readers to feel involved in.

Graham Bartlett has served in the police force for many years and now writing novels as authentic as they get as a result of his years of knowledge and experience. It’s an important story he tells in a highly engaging, plausible manner.

Thanks to the publisher Allison and Busby for inviting me onto the blog tour and for the book to review from, as well as a copy of Bad for Good (which I will also review). that all arrived packaged up in a police bag.

About the Author

Graham Bartlett rose to become chief superintendent and the divisional commander of Brighton and Hove police. His first non-fiction book Death Comes Knocking was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, which he then followed with Babes in the Wood. He co-wrote these books with bestselling author, Peter James. Bartlett is also a police procedural and crime advisor helping scores of authors and TV writers inject authenticity into their work.

#Review By Lou of Fire In the Mountain By AJ Aberford @AJAberford @HobeckBooks #DetectiveGeorgeZammit

Fire In The Mountain
By AJ Aberford

Fire in the Mountain is another terrifically gripping book published by Hobeck Books, who invited me onto the blog tour to give a review in-exchange of a book.

Blurb

A colleague in need
Superintendent George Zammit is persuaded to go to Sicily to investigate the disappearance of his superior’s niece.
There, George discovers a city overshadowed by the mighty Mount Etna, a huge volcano perilously close to a major eruption that would have disastrous consequences around the world.

The magic of volcano
George finds the volcano not only provides unlimited energy, but has long been worshipped by an ancient and mysterious cult, which believes it has the power of renewal and rebirth. Strange priests and monks wander the volcano’s flanks and the old volcanic tunnels, risking the wrath of Mother Etna to keep its secrets safe.

Unlimited power, unlimited wealth
The dark forces of organised crime have captured the green energy of the volcano and grown rich on the profits. Others have noticed this deep source of wealth and they gather to plot and scheme to take a share of their own. Rival organisations play their cards, leaving George trapped between the warring factions.

George enters a world beyond his control
In his quest to find the missing girl, George, and his unlikely allies, find themselves caught between the forces of nature, superstition and organised crime. It is time for a hero to step forward and risk all to take on all these competing threats. Can it be George? And how does he learn an important lesson about trust and loss?

Review

Fire in the Mountain is action-packed with the strange forces and energy of a volcano, family, mafia and fracking. George Zammit has his work cut out between the corruption and dark forces of Sicily and Malta. The juxtaposition of wonderful picture postcard scenery and food and the darker sides of the islands creates an explosive, gripping story.

Assistant Commissioner Gerald Camilleri‘s niece has gone missing, whilst out protesting against fracking. AJ Aberford brings politics, nature, family, power and policing very well together in what is a gripping, well-researched, tightly written crime book with superstition, cultish behaviours and crime. It’s quite the unexpected page-turner, after a slow-burn that will sweep the reader into the darker-side of life and will throw any misconceptions of the islands of everything being just right, deep in the water.

Fire In The Mountain is part of a series, but it is also, in terms of the crime, complete in itself, so works very well as a standalone novel.

#Review By One Moment By Becky Hunter Bookish_Becky @CorvusBooks @RandomTTours #ContemporaryFiction #BlogTour

One Moment
By Becky Hunter

One Moment is perfect for David Nicholl’s fans. I have the blurb and my blog tour review that I am closing the tour with, thanks to Random T. Tours for inviting me onto and the publisher – Corvus for the book in exchanges for an honest, non-biased review.

About the Author

Becky Hunter lived and worked in London for several years before moving to Mozambique to volunteer

with horses and try her hand at writing. A few years, a few destinations, and a few jobs later she had the idea that would become One Moment. Alongside writing, she now works as a freelance editor and publicist, splitting her time between Bristol and London, and constantly trying to plan the next adventure.

Blurb

One moment in time can change everything…

The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn’t feel fair that she’ll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams. And now, she’s still … here – wherever here is – watching the ripple effect of her death on the lives of those she loved the most.

Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend’s death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie’s life in directions she’d never let herself imagine possible. Ways, perhaps, even those closest to her had long since given up on.

If you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, everything that happens because of that one moment in time, would you change the course of history or would you do it all again?

Review

One Moment is sure to have readers taking a sharp intake of breath as the words on the first page tumble out. It also has some One Day vibes about it, not a bad thing at all. Becky Hunter’s book is about how everything can change in One Moment and in the most shocking of ways.

It is a highly charged emotional read about grief and you see the impact death has on those left behind, especially in Evie’s life and then Nate keeps appearing, further changing her life.

The book also talks about MS – (Multiple Sclerosis – a disease with no cure and affects everyone differently), being an unpaid carer to someone with this, of course it piqued my attention further and scrutiny heightened. I will add that it isn’t mentioned lots and isn’t the whole story, but as part of this story and the way it fits in, it is done well.

Scarlett also has a pov in this book, yes, she is dead, (as the blurb says) but she in a state of limbo. It almost asks the reader to imagine what it would be like to witness what happens after your death, would you want to and would you change certain events? It’s an interesting concept in what is a fittingly emotional journey that shows all of life, how in a moment it can all change, so basically, perhaps not take it for granted, and so much of life’s connection.

This is a quick paced, compulsive read that packs a punch with a most unexpected ending!