#Review By Lou of Close To Death By Anthony Horowitz @AntonyHorowitz @centurybooksuk @penguinrandom #HawthorneSeries #CloseToDeath @SarahHarwood_

Close To Death
By Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz brings the unexpected into our books and onto our screens and in his talks. I recently watched The Magpie Murders and enjoyed it and I also saw him give a fascinating talk at Bloody Scotland. So, to have a chance to review Close To Death, well, I was amazed and grabbed the opportunity with both hands thanks to Century/Penguin Random and Sarah Harwood.

Blurb

Richmond Upon Thames is one of the most desirable areas to live in London. And Riverview Close – a quiet, gated community – seems to offer its inhabitants the perfect life.

At least it does until Giles Kenworthy moves in with his wife and noisy children, his four gas-guzzling cars, his loud parties and his plans for a new swimming pool in his garden.

His neighbours all have a reason to hate him and are soon up in arms.

When Kenworthy is shot dead with a crossbow bolt through his neck, all of them come under suspicion and his murder opens the door to lies, deception and further death.

The police are baffled. Reluctantly, they call in former Detective Daniel Hawthorne. But even he is faced with a seemingly impossible puzzle.

Review

A quiet, gated community in Richmond Upon Thames should be just that… quiet and unassuming in a rich, picturesque, highly desirable area of London. Perhaps it is, most of the time, but this is Antony Horrowitz writing about this area, so of course this is turned on its head. There are twists and turns and and ending that you simply must reach.

Giles Kenworthy is the neighbour from hell, the sort you see being written about on social media from time to time each summer. No one likes him and when he is killed, everyone has a motive so everyone is under suspicion.

Close To Death is very cleverly plotted in such a way that you truly are left guessing until the very end. I found this in The Magpie Murders too. It’s reminiscent of Johnathon Creek in some, but not all ways as Horrowitz has very clearly got his own unique style.

I was glued to Close To Death from start to finish, even more than I expected with this curiously intriguing plot.

About the Author

Anthony John Horowitz CBE (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include the Alex Rider series and The Diamond Brother’s Series.

Horowitz’s works for adults include the play Mindgame; two Sherlock Holmes novels, Moriarty Magpie Murders, Moonflower Murders The Twist of a Knife (2022), and Close to Death (2024).

The estate of James Bond creator Ian Fleming chose Horowitz to write Bond novels utilising unpublished material by Fleming, starting with Trigger Mortis.

Horowitz has also written for television, contributing scripts to ITV’s Agatha Christie’s Poirot and adapting six early episodes of Midsomer Murders.
He was the creator and writer of the ITV series Foyle’s War, Collision and Injustice and the BBC series Crime Traveller and New Blood.

#Review By Lou of Takeout Sushi By Christopher Green @TheWriteReads @NeemTreePress #ShortStories #Sushi #TakeoutSushi

Takeout Sushi
By Christopher Green

Chopsticks at the ready!!! Takeout Sushi is more than food as you explore Japan like never before… Thanks to Neem Tree Press for a copy of the book for review, which you’ll find below.

Blurb

Takeout Sushi is a collection of 17 illustrated short stories set mostly in contemporary Japan that explore feelings of belonging, displacement, and the strangeness of everyday human interaction.

In an innovative, fast-paced company, a man’s job comes under threat when a team of robots are brought in to replace the HR department. A husband’s search for shortcuts to his domestic tasks goes painfully wrong. Overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, a foreigner takes a weekend break and discovers something other than solitude in the mountains.

Marking Christopher Green’s debut adult fiction and inspired by his own experiences, these whimsical slice-of-life tales are full of heart and humour—perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

Review

Experience Sushi and Japan like never before through short stories. Some stories are thought-provoking about our now very near future, for instance there are robots replacing jobs. Often there is also family at the centre of the short stories and a feeling of being ill at ease, but occasionally there is also a sense of humour in some too.
The stories take readers into the busy cities and upwards, away from the hustle and bustle, into the quieter hills for a bit of calm, peaceful solitude.

Some short stories are whimsical and others give almost serve as warnings and all will take you into Japanese culture and scenery.

#Review By Lou of The Holiday Escape By Heidi Swain @Heidi_Swain @BookMinxSJV #simonschusterUK #TeamBATC #SummerRead #BeachRead #TheHolidayEscape

The Holiday Escape
By Heidi Swain

What better way to start the spring/summer season with a book by Heidi Swain to gently ease us out of the wintry freeze and into something heart-warming, with all the anticipation of summer sun. I say anticipation because I’m still in a jumper as I write this review, but I have a lot of hope that this shall pass and summery t-shirts and dresses will peek out of my wardrobe and decide to dance one day soon.

Blurb

Her dream holiday is his everyday life. His dream holiday is her normal life. What happens when they collide?

Ally and her dad, Geoff, run the family business, a creative retreat, from their home Hollyhock Cottage in picturesque Kittiwake Cove. They give their guests their dream break, but Ally hankers after glamourous city living, fancy restaurants and art galleries.

Ally’s survival strategy is to escape out of season, take a break abroad and pretend to be the person she always imagined she would be. She meets Logan while she’s away and he turns out to be exactly the kind of distraction she’s looking for.

With her spirits restored, Ally returns home, picks up the reins again and sets her sights on another successful season, but when Logan unexpectedly arrives on the scene, she soon realises she’s in for a summer that’s going to be far from straightforward…

A story about bringing a holiday home – and what happens when what goes on on holiday comes back to bite you…

Review

A trip to Kittiwake Cove holds a summer of interesting times and of course the birds, Kittiwakes. If you’ve ever seen a Kittiwake, which I’ve seen several, they congregate in certain areas of the UK at certain times of the year and can be quite noisy and sometimes you need to hold your nose going past them, but apart from that, there’s still something endearing about them.

The people in Kittiwake Cove have busy lives. Ally is at a bit of a stumbling block with hers. She’s been busy with her dad, Geoff, giving people wonderful holiday experiences at a retreat and realises she wants more out of life and to see what the buzz of cities have to offer, Barcelona, in-particular. She wants to escape the memories Kittiwake Cove holds, such as her mum dying and perhaps be “someone else” for a time to see what she can discover. There aren’t any Kittiwakes, but there is a parrot who is full of cheekiness and humour. Who she discovers is a guy, who later brings complications and secrets, especially when she returns home.

The fact she returns home shows her loyalty to her dad and his business, which makes Ally appealing and brings a whole new slant to this genre. One that’s relatable as not everyone escapes something forever and bonds can still be there, even when there are bigger dreams that have to be dashed for a while. There’s friendship and warmth and humour to be found, which is a great recipe for a summer read, as well as great locations.

So, as we hope for lots of sun or a book to pack into a suitcase to hit the beach or poolside, this book has lots of summer vibes just waiting to get out.

#Review By Lou of The Alliance By Matt Brolly @MattBrollyUK @AmazonPublishing @ZoolooBookTours #CrimeFiction #Thriller

The Alliance
By Matt Brolly

I’ve read and reviewed a few books by Matt Brolly and this is his twistiest yet! Nobody’s safe as people are recruited by The Alliance…
Thanks to Zooloos Book Tours I am on the blog tour with a review.

Blurb

Four cities, four killers, four murders. The Alliance is just getting started.

When four unconnected serial killers simultaneously commit identical murders across four different US cities, FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace faces an unprecedented threat—a cooperative of killers working in unison. Each homicide is witnessed by a survivor, and now these lucky ones need to decide how to tell their stories to the world.

Their posts about the horrific murders create a media storm and a new term is soon coined for the killers: The Alliance. As they recruit new killers into their ranks and more innocent people linked to the initial murders are killed it becomes clear that Wallace is dealing with an unprecedented threat—a deadly alliance formed to terrorize the nation with coordinated strikes.

With the killers always one step ahead, the very fabric of society threatens to unravel and Wallace battles to decipher The Alliance’s endgame before they dismantle civilization city by city. In a desperate race against time, can Wallace uncover the members and motives of the Alliance and end their reign of terror before more victims wind up dead.

Review

4 murders, 4 cities, this is an intriguing crime wave that has got the FBI involved to crack the case. The Alliance are powerful and know how to make it grow and expand their murderous and nefarious activities.

What really piqued my interest was the fact it combines the impact of social media in such cases, which brings a thought-provoking.

FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace is passionate about her work. She’s recently started working in the Behavioural Analysis Unit, which brings with it an interesting study into societal behaviours, including psychopathy and manipulation.

It’s a darkly gripping thriller that keeps you guessing and keeps you thinking about media in crime cases.

#Review By Lou of A Clock Stopped Dead By JM Hall @JMHall @AvonBooksUK #AClockStoppedDead

A Clock Stopped Dead
By JM Hall

It’s a welcome return to the retired teachers who meet in a garden centre cafe and it’s JM Hall’s best yet. Do some sleuthing and discover the blurb, review and what else this author has written.

Blurb

Retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat and Thelma are giving up their coffee morning for a brand-new mystery.

Retired teachers Pat, Liz and Thelma are happiest whiling away their hours over coffee, cake and chat at the Thirsk Garden Centre café.

But when their good friend tells them about an unsettling experience she had in a sinister-feeling charity shop, they simply can’t resist investigating…

Because the entire shop has vanished into thin air.

Before long, our trio of unlikely sleuths find themselves embroiled in a race against the clock to get to the bottom of this mystery – but who has a secret to hide and how far will they go to keep it concealed?

Only time will tell…

Review

A Clock Stopped Dead is an entertaining cosy murder. It’s a pleasure to catch up with Liz, Pat and Thelma at Thirsk Garden Centre cafe, Yorkshire.

This is the oddest mystery to date. In this third outing for the retired teachers, they are confronted with a bizarre event. A charity shop apparently goes missing. There’s quite a bit of suspicious activity at play and a death and it keeps you guessing until the end.
Alongside the mystery we also have more insights into Liz, Pat and Thelma, who, being retired teachers you can see how they connect together well, as well as leading their separate lives. They’re very well written.

A Clock Stopped Dead is a curious, unique read and that’s where its qualities lie.

If cosy mysteries are your bag, then give how about giving this a try.

It may be a third outing, after A Spoonful of Murder and a Pen Dipped In Poison, but it can still be read as a standalone.

#Review By Lou of The Secret Keepers By Tilly Bagshawe @tillybagshawe_author @harpercollinsuk @RandomTTours #TheSecretKeepers #BlogTour

The Secret Keepers
By Tilly Bagshawe

The Secret Keepers is the latest book by Tilly Bagshawe. It’s perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley. Tilly Bagshawe has been writing for a long time and this is the first I’ve read of hers. I am glad I read The Secret Keepers and I am sure it won’t be my last.
Check out the blurb below and my review.

Blurb

Sweeping from the French Riviera to the wind-blown Cornish cliffs, lose yourself in this spellbinding novel about one golden family – and a devastating secret that binds them, forever…

Year after idyllic year, the Challant family retreat to their summer house on the glittering French Riviera.

Until one stormy night in 1928 when a local boy suffers a fatal accident in the grounds. Overnight, it becomes a place of ghosts.

As time unspools, those dark memories loosen their grip on the four Challant children. And yet the local whispers about that night never quieten, calling them back to the house on the Riviera.

A family secret lies waiting in the past.

But dare they unlock the truth?

Review

Unlock scandalous secrets and enter the 1920’s and meet the Challant family in their luxurious retreat in France. Money can’t buy the perfect life. Events happen, such as a fatal accident and then there’s no telling what this sparks… unless you read the book. Nothing is hidden forever and secrets are always there, just lying in wait to be discovered. People remember things, tongues wag and whispers become noisier. Some of the family are happy enough to return to the French Riviera and others, not quite so much. There’s quite a bit to unravel to reach the truth of what’s really happened on such a fatal night, making it a compelling read as the air becomes quite mysterious.

The Secret Keepers is a book to easily lose yourself in the locations of France, Switzerland and Cornwall and become entangled in the characters lives and agendas.

About the Author

Tilly Bagshawe is the internationally bestselling author of nineteen previous novels and has written for newspapers and magazines including the Sunday Times, Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. She lives in London with her husband and 4 children.