Two Heads Are Better Than One

Thank you to Joffe books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had read an amazing Joy Ellis book a few months ago, which is not part of this series which was just brilliant (Beware the Past) so I was super excited to see a new Joy Ellis book available on NetGalley.

This one is 11th in the series, although as it is the first I have read and I don’t feel I have missed out on any background as Joy added those little bits of information to this book.

A lady begins to receive strange pagan ‘gifts’ (or threats?) on her doorstep. She is quite knowledgeable of Wicca and Pagan rituals so it would appear they are left as some sort of sign.

The police visit to begin an investigation.

Around the same time, on the same property, a review of the land which has been requested by the owners in order to plant the best trees for the area is being carried out by Tamsin who stumbles upon a derelict cottage the owners do not know exists. My interest in the book went up a few notches when a skull stopped down from the chimney!

The police begin their second investigation on this property. They find a tens in the cottage and some biscuits which says someone has been there recently. Further investigation of the property reveals a satchel with photographs of a girl under the floorboards.

A family hiding secrets. An old case of a missing girl. A current case of a missing girl. Many intertwined plot lines which had me thinking I knew what was happening, only to turn the page and find a new twist!

An enjoyable read from a talented writer.

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Books and Alison Gaylin for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed the way the book was cleverly written using two timelines. 

In 1976, 15 year old April Cooper is given an assignment at school to write a letter to her future self which would be posted out to her by her teacher in the year 2000. She decides to write a letter to her future daughter. The letter was never handed in as Alice never went back to school.

On her way home she hears gunshots coming from her home and finds her boyfriend, Gabriel, has shot and killed her stepfather because he did not want them going out together. But where is her little sister? She is forced by her boyfriend to hold the gun and fire another shot at her stepfather therefore having her prints on the gun. Gabriel says he has her sister somewhere safe and she has to go with him or she will never find her. And so they both go on the run, and carry out further murders. April continues to write letters to her future daughter explaining what is happening during her time on the run. 

Fast forward to the current day. Quentin is a podcaster who is working on a podcast he will call ‘Closure’. He is looking for the truth to the story about April and Gabriel. Gabriel died in a fire alongside a family, his body was identified, and there was a girl’s body next to him, presumed to be that of April. But was it or is April Cooper still alive? Why did she stand by and allow Gabriel to murder so many innocent people that day at the petrol station?

This was a very well written book which kept me turning the pages to find out what did happen to Alice. Devoured over just 2 days. 

Well thank you NetGalley for letting a novice reviewer like me read what is probably going to be one of the best books of the year. I could say it was none stop thrill a minute but with the quality of writing shown by Tony Kent you can keep your readers captivated by the skill alone. There is plenty of action but Tony uses his word skills to provide the reader with a book that will keep you reading past midnight, and start again when woken early the following morning by the latest storm to hit these shores.
This is the third outing for Dempsey but you do not need to read the others to enjoy this one. In fact when you read a book and think I wish there were more, well, if you have not read the previous two, there is, and you can read them without waiting until May when this book goes on sale. Political intrigue and terrorism provide an explosive mixture in a story that keeps you gripped from the opening page to the last.

Rattled.
First of all I would like to thank Fiona Cummins for writing this book, and Net Galley for letting me read it. If you have not read Fiona’s Bone Collector series then you are missing out, and if you have you will not be disappointed when you read this one.
Your two best friends,sisters live next door, and their parents, the local GP and his wife are strict disciplinarians. Their childhood is not a happy one, but your mother is terminally ill so neither is yours. Then early one morning your whole world is turned upside down as the two sisters are taken away by the police after their parents are brutally stabbed to death.
Twenty or so years on and the story is about to break again, you have moved away, making your own way in life with those events a distant memory, except you are now are journalist, and are sent to the village of your childhood to report on it.

Fiona was a journalist with the Daily Mirror before she started writing books, so you would expect her to know a good story when she sees one, and she has one here.
The story is told from one of the sisters prospective and also the journalist’s. The sister is living under an assumed name, a new life given to her after her release from juvenile detention, which is about to collapse like a house of cards.
You feel for the characters.The story develops, being told in two time frames, then and now, allowing you to learn about them as children and also as adults.

Would I recommend you read this book? Absolutely, it is well written, totally believable and has characters you empathise with.

Well Anna Stuart I was not expecting such a rollercoaster of emotions with this read. Yes I had tears. Twice. So very well written and such likeable characters. I adored this book right from the beginning. There are so many lonely people out there and this book focuses how just one person who cares can make such an impact.

Charlie wants to start a new life. He sets a bonfire in his garden and burns his possessions. He changes his surname. Sparrow. Dull, ordinary, and he hopes harmless.

So he starts his new life as a delivery driver for a large supermarket. He is told he has only 4 minutes per delivery. When he challenges this as customers may want a chat he is told ‘we are not social workers’. His round includes Hope Street where he finds three very different but all very lonely residents. Each visit he learns a little more of their heartbreaking stories and decides to try to help. He works out a way for them to ‘accidentally’ meet which works a treat and they become good friends.

But who can help Charlie heal his broken heart? And what is the secret he is keeping of his real identity?

Such a unique storyline it was a pleasure to read. Thank you to NetGalley and Trapeze Orion Publishing for this ARC. Publication date 20th Feb 2020

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of the book. Release date 29th January 2020.

SYNOPSIS

Bernard has Alzheimer’s and his daughter Claire, her husband and their young daughter move in with him to look after him. It soon becomes clear that Claire has bitten off more than she can chew as he becomes increasingly confused and violent.

Luke comes home drunk one night and Bernard almost strangles him. This is the last straw for Luke who then ends up getting himself tangled into a strange relationship with a bunny boiler called Anna.

Claire gets wind of his ‘affair’ thanks to a so called best friend who sends her a photo of them kissing. She won’t listen to his explanation and kicks him out.

Desperate for someone to lean on Claire allows Sophie, a stranger who gets in touch with her out of the blue and tells her she is her half sister, into her life. They soon become very close with Sophie moving in with them. Claire begins to realise Sophie may not be quite as honest as she thought but it may be too late …….

MY OPINION

The book started off really well I was hooked from the beginning and flew through it in 2 sittings. It was an easy read but sadly the end was far too rushed and confusing I had to read it a few times to try to get it straight which is why I have given it 3 rather than the 4 stars I was intending.

I had to give this book 5 stars the same as Marion’s first which I raced through!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy of this book to review.

This is the second in a series, See Them Run being an outstanding debut. Saying that, you do not have to have read the first one but I would recommend you do if you enjoy this.

A young family with their baby are at the seaside waiting for a fun run event to begin. There is a lot of commotion with some protesters blocking the start and when the young mum looks down her baby girl has been taken from her pram.

DI Clare Mackay is waiting to start running along with her partner DS Chris West so are on hand to begin the investigation immediately. There is an added urgency about the case as the baby has a heart defect and will not live much longer than 48 hours without her medication.

So how do the parents, Lisa and Kevin afford to live in such a big house? He is a groundsman at a school and she works part time in a tanning salon. Neither are close to their parents and Lisa’s sister has an interesting past. What are they hiding?

And so begins a search for the baby which takes many avenues and twists and turns, and dips into the world of drug dealers

 Thank you to NetGalley and Trapeze for my early copy of this book.

Alice wakes up one morning to find her husband is already up. Nothing unusual in that until she finds an envelope with ‘Tell Maxy I’m sorry’ written on the front. She goes into a panic, leaves her 7 year old son Max with the next door neighbour and heads out to look for him.

It is raining heavily and Ben is struggling to see the road in front of him. Then he sees a white flash and something hits his windscreen.

Alice and Ben’s lives become intertwined from that moment.

Exceptionally well written alternating between Ben and Alice so it is easy to see the little misunderstandings which begin to happen.

Excellent debut novel and I look forward to what comes next.

I was lucky to have been given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thanks to Elliott and Thompson publishers.

This is the third in a series, but there is no need to have read the earlier books, Killer Intent and Marked for Death although you will want to if this is your first.

An American Airlines jumbo jet flying over the Pacific ocean, from Heathrow heading for JFK goes down killing all 534 passengers on board. 

Dale Victor, a candidate for the republican nomination for the next President of the USA was on board along with his wife and staff. 

Nizar Mansour, a Syrian refugee and baggage handler at Heathrow, sits in a bar and impatiently waits for a phone call. He glances up at the large TV screen and reads the headline. He realises he is never going to receive that call. He leaves for home a short walk away, but as he nears his flat what he sees makes him realise his life is in imminent danger.

Nizar bursts into a police station, out of breath and confesses to planting the bomb on the plane, appearing to be running from someone. 

Joe Dempsey, ex military and now working for The International Security Bureau which is the special intelligence division of the UN Security Council, is tasked with investigating the possibility that the plane crash was a targeted attack to take down Dale Victor.

What follows is a non stop action packed search for the truth. Could this have been a hit authorised by the President himself? Joe must find out the truth and obtain proof, which ultimately takes him to Afghanistan.

A fantastic read I would highly recommend.

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