#Review by Lou of The Pod Couple by Adam Leigh #AdamLeigh @RandomTTours #podcasts in #book form #ContemporaryFiction #RomanticFiction

The Pod Couple
By Adam Leigh

Podcasts. They’re still big business, containing all sorts of interesting insights into humans. The Pod Couple very cleverly sets itself up like this, but in book form, letting you see all sorts of aspects of life, especially love and the human condition.

Blurb

When Chloe Adams embarked on the publicity tour for her new book, she didn’t expect to appear on a live radio interview alongside Joe Harris promoting his memoir on the same subject.

Relationships.

They had last met years ago when Chloe abruptly ended theirs. Now a successful journalist, she is married to an equally ambitious film director, while Joe, still single, has struggled to move on.

The spiky reunion leads to an offer they can’t refuse – hosting a podcast about failed relationships – and three months later they launch Ex-Communicate, exploring other people’s heartbreak while tiptoeing around their own complicated history. Their on-air chemistry makes the podcast a rapid hit, but as their professional success grows, they’re forced to confront the feelings they’ve buried for over a decade. Soon they realise there is a price to pay for discussing their emotions so openly in the pursuit of downloads.

The Pod Couple is a witty examination of our cultural obsession with failed relationships, exploring the uncomfortable truth that time rarely heals. It just makes things more complicated.

‘Wickedly clever and gloriously sharp’

Rob Rinder, author and broadcaster

The Pod Couple interestingly allows readers to glean over the culturally popular reasons why people may tune into a podcast and why we like hearing about relationships. The storytelling comes across at times as brutally honest when it comes to relationships, parenting duties and more… perhaps some readers will recognise the feelings of all or part of the elements.

The exploration and directions the books take you into, in-terms of human nature and the way the characters relate to each other is compelling, especially as they dig into their pasts that then holds something for their present and perhaps their future. It’s also honest how it doesn’t sugar coat failed relationships and how time is not necessarily a healer.

This cleverly written book is rather refreshing and one to give a try this summer.

#Review of The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney @LiamMcIlvanney – @@BloodyScotland Longlisted for #McIlvanneyPrize @RandomTTours #BlogTour #ScottishNoir #PsychologicalThriller #TheGoodFather

The Good Father
By Liam McIlvanney

The Good Father, at time of writing this review has been longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize (William McIlvanney that is) at Bloody Scotland. Having just read it, I can see, with such strong writing, why it’s on such a prestigious list. Readers of crime/psychological thrillers are in for a treat. Check out the blurb below and then my review to discover more…

Blurb

‘Heart-stopping and heart-rending, this is Liam McIlvanney’s best novel yet’ VAL MCDERMID

WHEN A CHILD DISAPPEARS, NO SECRET IS SAFE . . .

Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with rich, fulfilling lives. They have a son they adore, a house on the beach and a safe, friendly community in a picture-postcard town.

Until, one day, Bonnie the Labrador comes in from the beach alone. Their son, Rory, has gone – the only trace left behind is a single black sandal.

Their lives don’t fall apart immediately. While there’s still hope, they dig deep and try to carry on.

But as desperation mounts, arms around shoulders become fingers pointed – at friends, family, strangers, each other. Without any answers, only questions remain. Who can they trust? How far will they go to find out what happened to Rory?

And the deadliest question of all: what could be worse than your child disappearing?

When the truth begins to emerge, they find themselves in a world they could barely have imagined.

‘Beautifully written, this is easily one of the finest crime novels I’ve read in a very long time’C.M. EWAN

Review

The writing stops you in your tracks right from the start. It grabs your attention in a way that makes you want to drop everything else that you’re perhaps supposed to do and read on.

Readers meet Robert Rutherford and before his name is even mentioned, there’s a sinister feel just before the blow of full-on directness in behaviour. His and Sarah’s son has gone missing. There’s the usual finger-pointing at the parents and the seaside town wanting to move on. There is also, however some strikingly beautifully, yet heart-wrenching passages of overwhelming sadness and despair and how that can feel. You go on a very emotionally charged journey with them, following them every step of the way to try and find out what happened to Rory. As you do so, you also see other people’s perspectives too, which is interesting as is the time-lapses. You also see the lengths people will go to in such a situation and feel the tensions mount. Who is trustworthy and who is not?

There are some shocking twists, clearly not written just for the shock factor, but really work in-line with the storyline and yet also keep you hooked in. There are a few hard-hitting themes that bring current topics to the forefront and are addressed very well.

The Good Father is a strongly written emotional psychological thriller for summer that entrances and captivates into a seaside town with sinister activity.

#Review by Lou of Be Here Now by Paul Carroll @paulcarrollink @RandomTTours #books #music #festivals #Oasis #OasisLive

Be Here Now
By Paul Carroll

Review written by Lousie Cannon

Oasis Fans Assemble….. BritPop Fans….. Assemble! Be Here Right Now is a novel taking you into the music festival world and the headliners – Oasis.
Today I am delighted to be on the Random T. Tours blog tour, so go ahead and check out the blurb and my review below…

Blurb

Makes Woodstock ’99 and Fyre look like Sunday school outings

When Oasis reform for a one-off gig on a wind turbine eco-island in the middle of the North Sea, it’s billed as the greenest live music event of all time.

The stakes are high for all involved, but it turns out some of the festivalgoers have bigger personal problems to deal with than the survival of the planet.

Rachel, for one, on a trial break from her husband. The gang of four middle-aged Manc mates trying to re-capture their youth. Not to mention a bunch of activists who plan to disrupt the gig.

Can such an ambitious event live up to the hype? (And has anybody checked the weather forecast?)

Pack your windbreaker, grab your solar charger and get ready to party like it’s the end of the world.

Review

As you get ready for the Oasis reunion of 2025, Be Here Now zooms you forward to a reunion also no one wants to miss in 2029.

The chapters are, like the title, of Oasis songs, which really will take you Half A World Away from your own lives for a bit as it provides the perfect escape.

Follow Rachel into the dizzying world of her life as she prepares for a road trip to see her favourite manc band. She is taking a break from her other half, so what better way to do that go to the reunion of a lifetime.

Not all goes to plan. Much like today, music bands and soloists are looking at greener gigs and green glamping pod type accommodation for fans to stay in. The climate and how to save the world isn’t the only immediate problem on people’s minds…

Paul Carroll writes about the very human situations of why and how people decide to go to gigs and the baggage that people have in their personal lives. The festival-goers are worth reading about and delving into their lives.

The anticipation for Oasis to be on stage at the festival is high as is the rising tensions between the different characters, not to mention people trying to disrupt the event and have a hope it can’t really go any further. There’s also the question of the weather…

To find out what happens at a festival behind and in-front of the scenes and if the reunion of a lifetime is all that is promised, you need to read the book.

This is without a doubt a book to push up your tbr (to be read) pile this summer.

#Review by Lou of The Lady in the Park by David Reynolds @davidreynoldswriter @muswellpress @RandomTTours #Debut #NewBook #Thriller #CrimeFiction #TheLadyInThePark

The Lady in the Park
By David Reynolds

The Lady in the Park is a strong debut thriller with some topical subjects like people trafficking, drugs and there is a murder. Something quite different makes this debut rather striking. Find out more in the blurb and my full review below on this blog tour. It’s a book that makes you realise that debuts are not to be sniffled at, but instead given a chance on…

Blurb

Introducing a unique and unorthodox crime solving duo –

meet ex Met DI Jim Domino, and his inquisitive six-year-old grandson, Danny…

When a woman is found unconscious on a ping-pong table in Warwick Gardens in Peckham, South East London, it looks like a case of mistaken identity. Why would anyone want to injure this popular local mum of six? But Jim Domino, ex-CID detective turned private eye, keeps asking questions. As the crime escalates to murder, Domino finds himself collaborating with his old colleagues in the Met. And, assisted by sharp observations from his six-year-old grandson, Danny, he finds that important clues can come from unexpected sources.

The first in an exciting new crime fiction series, The Lady in the Park weaves a rich tapestry of characters together with a twisty immersive plot that will leave readers craving for more investigations featuring the inimitable Jim Domino and his young sidekick, Danny.

Review

What is striking is the crime-busting duo. A grandad who has all the experience in crime-solving from his time in the Met and his 6 year old grandson. Admittedly, it is a strange combo, one which could have proven frustrating. It wasn’t at all. It was intriguing and observational in how the experience and connections to the Met that ex-DI Domino has and the sharpness of the eye of his grandson, Danny can compliment each other. Despite the unlikelihood of this actually happening, these characters, like the others are written in a believable manner, making them investable in as a reader. Danny has 6 year old traits and behaviours, which keeps him realistic and a pleasure to read about. There’s warmth and humour in this interesting family relationship. It’s also interesting to see how Jim Domino’s former Met colleagues also connect.

What is embarked on becomes more complex than how it starts with the murder of a lady in the park. There’s much to uncover to keep readers guessing where it will take them next.

The writing of the characterisation and plot of the crimes with their hard-hitting themes are engaging, with the situations of suburban London moving to the Thames creating an immersion and further understanding of the feel of the urgency of the story that’s within the mysterious pages.

It’s a great opener debut to a whole new series to adorn bookshelves and feast the eyes and mind.

About the Author

David Reynolds was one of the founders of Bloomsbury Publishing and is now a director of Old Street Publishing. Based in London, he is the author of Swan River: A Memoir of a Family Mystery, which was published by Picador to great critical acclaim and shortlisted forthe PEN/Acklerley Prize. Greystone Books published Slow Road to Brownsville which was reviewed in The Times, The Telegraph, The Financial Times and The Observer and praised by Robert Elms and the Reverend Richard Coles. His most recent book was Slow Road to San Francisco. This is his debut novel.

He has three adult children, six grandchildren and lives with his wife Penny in South West London. but still spends a lot of time with his grandchildren in Peckham!

#Review by Lou of The Coffee Shop Masquerade By T.A. Morton @TAMortonWriter @Earnshawbooks @RandomTTours #Blogtour #TheCoffeeShopMasqerade #Coffee #Books

The Coffeeshop Masquerade
By T.A. Morton

Coffee shops, most of us do love them, whatever the coffee type we order, from our favourite latte to cappuccino, flat-white and more, but this one is different from any you’d have stepped into before. This is a coffeeshop masquerade, this is when a cup of coffee isn’t just a cup of coffee, it’s much more, but still one for the coffee lovers. Discover more in the blurb and my review below as I close the blog tour.

Blurb

A mysterious mask abandoned in a Hong Kong coffee shop eavesdrops on the lives of those who enter, asking, who are we beneath our masks?

The Coffee Shop Masquerade is a captivating exploration of transient lives seeking meaning amid everyday encounters, much like the alluring cup of coffee that unites and intrigues us all.

As the enigmatic forces inspired by the Tao Te Ching loom over them, choices must be made, secrets revealed, and unexpected bonds forged—all under the watchful gaze of a mysterious mask.

Review

A cup of coffee isn’t more than what you think it is in The Coffee Shop Masquerade. Have you ever sat in a cafe and looked around at its customers and wondered who they are, what brought them there, what they do? In a coffee shop in Hong Kong, there’s a mask that observes everything and everyone. It’s a great way of creating people’s lives and answering all those questions and this mask is used to great effect, bringing depth of life to the people who come and go. It makes for a quirky read with a great premise. It’s a bit different from what I imagined it to be as it isn’t some big masquerade ball, the masquerade comes from the mask that links all these transient lives together. It carries an air of mystery about it.
The stories that people think are hidden are all there in coffee shops and the Tao Te Ching knows all their secrets, their loves, their sadness and happiness. Each persons lives give thought-provoking snapshots, with each chapter starting with an interesting quote.

Sit with a cup of coffee to feed the body and allow curiosity to takeover to feed the mind. Be enthralled by people’s lives and beware, the mask observes all.

About the Author

T.A. Morton is an Irish/Australian writer.

Previously, she worked as a journalist and editor for Longman Pearson in Hong Kong.

In 2020, she was shortlisted for the Virginia Prize for Fiction and the Bridport Prize.

She has a Masters in Crime and Thriller writing from the University of Cambridge.

Her novel Someone is Coming was published by Monsoon Books in August 2022 and has been optioned for television.

#Review by Lou of The Bleed by Paul Barrell

The Bleed
By Paul Barrell

The Bleed is a thriller inspired by true events. See the blurb and my review as part of the random t tours in below.

Blurb

THE BLEED A GRIPPING NEW CRIME THRILLER . SET IN SOUTH

LONDON, INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS.

MARC MADISON IS A GHOST

AND YOU CAN’T KILL A GHOST

Marc Madison is a lovable rogue, with a flawed addictive

personality, but he had never been sacked for being prudent

with the truth, smoking a little weed or nursing the hangover

from hell. He is also one of the Mets top undercover and has

been tasked with bringing down the the drug KIngpin of

south London.

With the help of bad boy dealer Christian Marc Madison has

successfully infiltrated a maintenance firm he is getting ever

closer to The Duke Of York, the head of the OCG.

Until, one evening on the way home he suffers a cardiac

arrest and as he drifts between life and death, a strangers

touch miraculously brings him back to life. Although from

that moment something in Marc changed. Something that

went all the way back to his childhood and his twin brother.

When a chance encounter introduces him to Eva Chan a high

class Chinese masseuse, Marc feels strangely drawn to her

but has no idea Eva is embedded deep within the claws of

the drug gang.

With Eva a willing Bonnie to his Clyde, Marc is dragged

deeper into the south London drug world, a place where, in

the search for the truth about his brother, the stakes escalate

with each crime he is forced to commit

Review

The Bleed is a fast-paced, darkly gripping thriller that takes readers to the depths of a gang in London, 2018. Inspired by real events, it shows how flawed humanity can be and how deeply dark and dangerous some people can be when they’re part of a gang.

In comes Marc Madison, who’s also deeply flawed and had a massive heart attack, but nonetheless is determined to infiltrate the gang and bring them down.

There’s also a plot to find out who killed one of his family members.

Each part weaves seamlessly to create interesting characters in a space where fiction and true events collide, giving a great story and picture of what goes on. It’ll open your world to the darker side of society and make you more aware, a bit like what Adolescence does on Netflix.

Check it out for a tense must read thriller.