Two Heads Are Better Than One

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.

https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/15189582

Janet’s review of

I Dare You by Sam Carrington
Read December 2019

A gripping story told over a dual timeline.

1989. Two young girls, Bella and Jodie, are playing ‘knock knock ginger’ (postman’s knock). Jodie pushes a very reluctant Bella to knock on ‘Creepy Cawley’s’ door. Her mother has told her never to go near his bungalow as he is dangerous.

2019. Anna, as Bella is now known, receives a distraught phone call from her elderly mother, dragging her reluctantly back to the small village where she grew up but has not returned to since leaving many years ago.

2019. Lizzie grew up in care. Now an adult, she receives a letter advising Cawley has been released from his 30 year prison sentence for the murder of a young girl. This drags Lizzie back to the same village where she lived before going into the care system.
Who was Lizzie?

The story goes back and forth between the two timelines as bit by bit the secrets held by the small closely knit village begin to reveal themselves.
Was Billy Cawley guilty of the crime? Who is nailing parts of a doll, with hidden messages tucked inside, to Anna’s mum’s door and what does this mean?

This brilliant book will have you glued until all the secrets are finally revealed.

Loved it!

This is the 4th in the DCI Matilda Darke series. I did not know it was a part of a series until I had finished it and looked to see if a follow up book was out as what an ending!

So you don’t need to have read the others in the series to enjoy this book.

DCI Matilda Darke is yryimgvto get her life back together after losing her husband which also caused a huge setback in the case she was working on at the time.

Set in Sheffield, a serial killer is taking the law into his own hands. A vigilante, hanging those he feels have not paid sufficiently for their crimes.

The police enlist the assistance of a criminal psychologist who suggests the killer is probably known to DCI Darke. She is put under pressure by the newspapers and her boss to find this killer quickly as the public are losing confidence in the police force and her job is on the line.

The killer is contacting a young journalist to tell him when and where his victims are. Initially Danny, the journalist, is happy to have the scoop but as time goes by he begins to get scared, especially when he thinks the killer has set up a face to face meeting with him.

Fast paced, action packed page turner – just how a good crime novel should be.

Simon Kernick is one of my favourite authors so when the opportunity came up to review an advance copy of this book I didn’t hesitate and it went right to the top of my pile.
Thank you so much to Cornerstone Penguin Random House UK for approving my request via NetGalley and allowing me to be one of the first to read this brilliant book.

Brief synopsis of the story :

This is the third in The Bone Field trilogy but can easily be read as a stand alone. Simon fills in the character backgrounds.

The short, tense prologue was just brilliant and had me completely gripped to want to read the rest of the book immediately.

DI Mason is in prison for killing some very bad people although there is a story to this I shall not spoil which is explained in the book. He has a large price tag on his life and is living with the expectation an attempt on his life is imminent. He keeps himself fit and ready for such an event.

During a prison riot he is hurt and is transported to hospital but the vehicle is intercepted en route and he is abducted. He is made to agree to assassinate a high level MP, Alastair Sheridan, a nasty, sadistic, murdering piece of work with a history which involves Mason. During the assassination attempt Mason realises he has been tricked into killing the wrong man and contacts his ex partner, Tina Boyd, for help.

His new mission is revenge – for the people who tricked him and for the murder of a 13 year old girl 30 years ago.

My opinion :

Another excellent thriller by Simon Kernick. Fast paced, action packed, gripping and will keep you up until the early hours to finish it.

Highly recommended the book will be released on 28th November 2019 so get those pre-orders in, or ask your local library to get hold of it for you.