#Review by Lou of The School Gates by A.A. Chaudhuri @aachaudhuri @hera_books #PsychologicalThriller #LBTCrewbie #BlogTour #Summer #School

The School Gates
By A.A. Chaudhuri

The school gates hold more than a physical entity. If only they could talk. They’d know many secrets, not to mention the parent politics and dynamics. No wonder there is a psychological thriller about this space that is so much more than just a drop-off/pick up point and an entry/exit point to the school grounds…
Find out more in the blurb and review below as today is my turn on the Love Books Tours blog tour.

Blurb

First comes gossip … then comes revenge

When single mum Lola Martinez’s son, Luca, starts school, she feels that she’ll never fit in with the yummy mummies in the playground. Confident, married to wealthy men, with ample free time, they are everything she isn’t.

However, Lola is invited into the inner circle, surrounded by seemingly friendly people, even if Lola’s silence about her child’s father puzzles them. Despite herself, Lola quickly becomes involved in playground politics, making as many enemies as friends.

But then Lola is brutally murdered, her death rocking the close-knit community. As the police investigate the case, they discover that Lola was hiding many secrets – as are the mums in her new social circle. But who had the most reason to kill her? And who else might unwittingly hold the answers to what happened that night?

An addictive psychological thriller with an end twist that will make you gasp, for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and Frieda McFadden. If you loved Big Little Lies, you’ll adore this.

Review

Do you fit in at the school gates? Will you dare, even after reading this book, to enter the school gate politics? You may not stay alive. Lola didn’t as her death shows just how things can get so out of hand that murder happens.
It’s a good topic to choose to write about and to turn it so vicious that murder actually occurs. It’s quite a page-turner, but underneath that aspect lies a more darker, deeper issue. How people are in cliques, inner circles at these gates and if you’re not part of it, you may be seen as an outsider and treated as such. Although the murder is extreme, there are clearly rooted aspects surrounding that in certain characters that I am sure some parents will recognise, either in others or even themselves.

Tensions rise and secrets are revealed across The School Gates and they’re rather juicy and twisty to read. Chaudhuri certainly knows how to play into the psyche of that of what is a normal everyday task such as taking your kid to school and making it so intriguing and twisty that you want to listen more to the gossip and spy on what people are doing.

This is a sharply observed summer read for the end of the school term.

#Review by Lou of Lyme Regis Murders by Andrew Segal @authorandrewsegal #CrimeFiction #Thriller

Lyme Regis Murders

By Andrew Segal

Murder is everywhere, even in Lyme Regis, a seaside town in West Dorset.

Blurb

The gruesome murders of three little girls on the beach of a peaceful English seaside town frighten the community and baffle the police.When London-based private detective Tammy Pierre is hired by the father of the girls – who’s been targeted immediately as the prime suspect – she runs up against a lack of evidence and hostility from the police. New suspects emerge, more bodies are found, as the case keeps getting more complicated.

And Tammy’s personal life follows suit, with her frequent trips back and forth between London and Lyme Regis, the pressures of trying to unravel the mystery, and her own indecision leave her neglecting those she loves. Throw in an attack on Tammy herself and a series of threats to drop the case and she’s at her wits end.

Can she find the killer (or killers), avoid becoming a victim, and repair her faltering relationships?

This is a new Author’s Edition of this opening book in the Tammy Pierre Series, with a Discussion Guide.

Review

Tammy is a complex character, which goes with the vibe of a complex case. Complex characters can be interesting to read about though as it seeps you into a life so different from your own. Tammy took time to warm to and normally that doesn’t matter, but this time it did a bit. It is however worth sticking with. It’s a fiercely strong written book with unusual murders and complicated matters such as evidence lacking and certain attitudes to overcome, as well as Tammy having to overcome and move forwards with her past issues. It does make it a rather well-rounded and well-balanced book.
The book seems to set out to challenge readers and also show how certain attitudes can be and this works really rather well. It tells a truth that’s needed.

#Review By Lou of Vanished By Lynda La Plante @LaPlanteLynda @BonnierBooks_UK #DCJackWarr #CrimeFiction #Vanished #CompulsiveReaders #BlogTour

Vanished
By Lynda La Plante

Review by Louise Cannon – (Lou) – Bookmarks and Stages

Vanished is the 3rd book in the Jack Warr series. I am pleased to be on the blogathon/blog tour for this entire series. Even more excitedly, there is a brand new 5th book in this excellent series, coming soon. Today I have a review on Vanished below.

Blurb

When an eccentric elderly widow claims she is being stalked, Detective Jack Warr is the only person willing to dig into the truth behind her wild claims.

Jack soon finds himself embroiled in an international drugs operation, art theft – and a murder investigation. On the back foot throughout, he is forced to play second fiddle to the Drug Squad, confront an old adversary, and even fight off accusations of assault.

But Jack believes that every aspect of this multi-faceted case is simply a distraction from the one person who lies at the heart of it all – the widow’s elusive stalker. Find him, and the truth will come out…

Review

The quality of the writing is excellent. As soon as you open the first page, you start to get to know who Avril is. She’s an intriguing person with more than just being eccentric going on, but it has meant that people haven’t always believed her claims at what’s going on, until Detective Jack Warr’s involvement…
It’s entertaining and interesting reading about Avril. There’s quite a feistiness about her and evolving and developing eccentricities, which draws you in and she grows on Jack.

The book gets off to a fast-paced start with trepidation and high-stake danger, instantly hooking you in.

Things get rather nasty and Jack Warr becomes determined to solve, what becomes a rather more complex case than you’d initially think, with the murder, a drugs operation and an art theft. Amongst it all, personal life also goes on, which creates such a rounded view of everyone, there’s even a wedding…

There’s much to read about in this thriller. It’s all written succinctly, making each part easy to follow and be gripped by.

Detective Jack Warr is one to follow. His story is a gripping one and the cases he gets involved in are thrillers that are very compelling to read.

#Review of The Bookseller By Tim Sullivan @TimJRSullivan @HoZ_Books #TheBookseller #DSCross #BlogTour

The Bookseller

By Tim Sullivan

The Bookseller is the latest DS Cross series. I have been hooked on these for quite some time. If you haven’t started, I highly recommend them. Once started, each one is like meeting an old friend in feel. They are that pleasing to keep joining DS Cross in his life and crime solving.
You can read them in any order. If you liked Ludwig or Grace on TV/books, this is a bookish thriller series that you’ll like too. Discover more about The Bookseller in the blurb and review below… a bit later than planned due to being busy with work matters.

Blurb

SOMEONE’S ABOUT TO TURN THEIR LAST PAGE…

‘One of the most iconic British fictional detectives of the 21st century.’ DAILY MAIL
‘These are must-read detective novels.’ MARK BILLINGHAM
‘One of my favourite detectives.’ ELLY GRIFFITHS

THE SETTING
The body of a bookseller is discovered, lying in a pool of blood in his Bristol bookshop. Police have one question: how did the man meet such a violent, murderous end in this peaceful place?

THE CONFLICT
DS Cross’s ability to dismiss red herrings is challenged by a worrying development in his personal life. Hopelessly distracted, he needs to rely on those around him in a way he has never been comfortable doing before.

THE MURDER PLOT
It may be a quiet profession, but it’s full of passionate, ambitious characters who know the value of a rare book. Their extensive reading means they also know how to get away with murder.

But is that enough to fool the tenacious DS George Cross?

Perfect for fans of MW Craven, Peter James and Joy Ellis, this is the seventh book in the bestselling series, which can be read in any order.

Review

Raymond, DS. George Cross’s dad has some health news to break to him. What’s striking is how DS. Cross reacts to it, with questions, minus some of the perhaps more expected emotion and the balance tipped far more towards the matter of fact of the situation.
For those who don’t know, DS. Cross is on the autism spectrum. The characterisation can totally be captured within the writing, giving you a real feel for DS Cross.

Ed Squire is meanwhile worried about his dad’s whereabouts. Little does he know that he went back from a day in London to Bristol after a satisfying day, all to find something amiss in the bookshop, “Squire’s Rare Books”…

The window into the world of antique books is fascinating, coupled together with a crime, creates a deep world to explore full of mystery and intrigue.

As the investigation into the murder gets deeper, there are increasing suspicions and some shady characters about and complex relationships, emotive issues to delve into that keep readers gripped and guessing.

The end twists are seriously not ones I was expecting and were brilliantly executed.

I am now looking forward to seeing what comes next by Tim Sullivan. This is a series I highly recommend.

#Review By Lou of Private Investigations – A Lara Arden Crime Novel By Rob Gittins @Gittins2Rob @HobeckBooks #Thriller #BlogTour

Private Investigations
By Rob Gittins

I am thrilled to receive the second instalment of the Lara Arden crime series for the blog tour after the rather chilling debut, Can I Trust You? A bit late, due to illness, here is my review of Private Investigations, but first, take a look at the cover and blurb…

Blurb

A young girl is in a coma after a tragic road accident. Another young girl has washed up on a remote beach, her identity unknown. An old man is murdered and hastily buried in a makeshift grave. A tormented pastor is unable to erase old misdeeds.

Different souls, but with one common link – the past.

Detective Inspector Lara Arden has her own demons to deal with. But as she investigates this raft of seemingly disparate crimes, she begins to suspect there’s a further common link at work here – her own past.

When all roads lead back to a former children’s home called Kenwood – and a macabre half-size windmill sited in its grounds – suspicion hardens into conviction.

Lara always believed that Kenwood had to be destroyed. Its old stories haunted it too strongly, like spirits yet to find their voice.

But do the tendrils of its past cling to everyone associated with it, too?

And do they need to be destroyed as well?

Review

Near death and actual death gives DI Lara Arden a lot to hit her desk that requires investigating. All leads to former children’s home, Kenwood. From there, it becomes increasingly darkly atmospheric. Windmills can either be romantic, curious or dark objects. This one errs more to the dark side. It has a past that lingers across it and the grounds. I imagine if you stood there, you would feel it in the air above. It can certainly be felt as the pages turn.

Weston, now in a hospice, gets a visit from DI Arden. She has a letter in her hand and wants to know more about what went on in the place. It’s brutal and highlights a dark truth of some places and of some people who become corrupt and of the secrets kept by the victims.

Whilst trying to solve the crimes, DI Arden isn’t without her own demons from her past. There’s fascinating character exploration within the book as well as the mystery to solve, all culminating a surprise ending.

Second books are some of the hardest, lots of authors say so, well this one was well worth the wait!

“Rob Gittins is a highly acclaimed dramatist whose work has been enjoyed by millions
in TV and radio dramas.’
Nicholas Rhea – author of the Constable series, adapted for TV as Heartbeat.”

The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #TheSkelfs #BlogTour #Review #NewBook #Thriller

The Big Chill
By Doug Johnstone
Rated: 5 stars *****

I hadn’t read any of Doug Johnstone’s books before, but I am very glad I have had the opportunity to read and review now. It turns out he’s very good in what he writes and I can see why he’s so critically accalimed. The Big Chill is a very good thriller that has depth of character and plot to it.
Discover more about this Edinburgh based author, the blurb and my review.
I also thank Orenda Books for supplying me with a book and Anne for inviting me on the blog tour.

About the Author

McIlvanney-shortlisted Doug Johnstone’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed A Dark Matter, which introduced three generations of women from the Skelf family, who run both a funeral home and a private investigation business.
Doug Johnstone is the author of more ten novels, most recently Breakers (2019), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and A Dark Matter (2020), which launched the Skelfs series. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions – including a funeral home, which he drew on to write A Dark Matter – and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

Blurb

Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a quieter life. But running both a funeral directors’ and a private investigation business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open grave at a funeral Dorothy is conducting, she can’t help looking into the dead driver ’s shadowy life.

While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own struggles. Jenny’s ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the Skelf women’s lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.
But something even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy’s disappears, and suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves immersed in an unbearable darkness – but could the real threat be to themselves?

Fast-paced, darkly funny, yet touching and tender, the Skelf family series is a welcome reboot to the classic PI novel, whilst also asking deeper questions about family, society and grief.

Review

Meet Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah. They each have a chapter that rotates as the story goes along.

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, the writing is well-plotted and enthralling, throughout. The Big Chill is interesting, intriguing and tightly written. I like the chapters alternating between each of the people mentioned above. Their parts that create the bigger picture of the story, are all interwoven well.
There are some cleverly placed film references in the book, which is enjoyable and quite different.

Dorothy and Jenny like being surrounded by dead people. Work takes them between the funeral parlour and being a Private Investagator.
Jenny is hired to find evidence of Orla, Liam’s wife, having an affair with the gardener.

Hannah on the other-hand is getting therapy because of something that happened to her dad.

There’s a fabulous energy through the main characters, fuelled by their anger of what happened to Hannah’s dad. It’s just very realistically written and allows readers to feel their anger and feel compassion for them.

It’s an interesting subject to write about – death in the way this book is written. There’s death, but there’s also a person with a psychological condition that is under control, but has made him believe he was dead.

The story looks a bit into what goes on in a funeral parlour, which is fairly different and how different people have died, which is fascinatingly written into this fictional book.

There’s deaths, including a murder, a case to be solved once as there is a suspect and at the heart of it all is Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah. I enjoyed both the thriller element and how their lives are revealed.

I also like the tones within it and that whole pussy-footing around trying not to say the word “dead” to Hannah and her saying that it is okay to say “dead” to her is so realistically done. There is also the sadness, but also the compelling nature of this thriller, with a little bit of humour mixed in, that makes each page so enticing to read.