Publisher: Pan Macmillan

#BookReview Burial of Ghosts by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks #BurialofGhosts #AnnCleeves #PGCBooks

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Burial of Ghosts by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks #BurialofGhosts #AnnCleeves #PGCBooks Title: Burial of Ghosts

Author: Ann Cleeves

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jan. 24, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 339

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A classic psychological thriller, available for the first time in Canada, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Shetland, Vera Stanhope, and Two Rivers series, Ann Cleeves.

Abandoned as a baby, twenty-five-year-old Lizzie Bartholomew spent her childhood moving between foster homes and has had more than her fair share of troubles.

Now a holiday in Morocco seems to be the perfect escape. Especially when she meets Philip, a fellow tourist. After a brief affair, Lizzie returns to England, only to find a solicitor’s letter waiting for her.

Philip Samson has died and in his will, has left Lizzie a gift of £15,000. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy that will soon force Lizzie to confront terrifying secrets from her past life.

Burial of Ghosts is a page-turning, edge of your seat thriller from superstar crime writer Ann Cleeves, author and creator of three astounding TV series: Shetland, Vera, and The Long Call.

Review:

Simmering, tight, and mysterious!

Burial of Ghosts is a tense, twisty tale that introduces us to Lizzie Bartholomew, a young social worker who, after experiencing a tragic incident at work, takes a leave of absence to Morocco, where she indulges in some rest, relaxation and a one-night stand with an older man she believes she will never see or hear from again only to return from vacation to find a letter from his solicitor informing her that Philip has died and has left her a sizeable inheritance linked to a stipulated request that will ultimately turn her life upside down, make her a possible suspect in a grizzly murder, and will cause her own secrets from the past to rear their ugly heads.

The writing is sharp and brisk. The characters are flawed, unreliable, and troubled. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth style intertwines and unravels into an ominous tale of twists, turns, lies, deception, corruption, suspicions, revelations, mayhem, familial drama, and murder.

Overall, Burial of Ghosts is an atmospheric, sinister, satisfying tale by Cleeves that does a wonderful job of highlighting that she’s not only the queen of police procedural series, but also a pretty good standalone psychological thriller writer as well.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is the author behind PBS’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. She has written over twenty-five novels, and is the creator of detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez – characters loved both on screen and in print. Her books have now sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before becoming a crime writer. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. In 2006 Ann was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, for Raven Black, the first book in her Shetland series, and in 2012 she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. Ann lives in North Tyneside, England.

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#BookReview Flock by Kate Stewart @authorklstewart @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #Flock #TheRavenhoodSeries #KateStewart #PGCBooks

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Erotica, New Adult
#BookReview Flock by Kate Stewart @authorklstewart @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #Flock #TheRavenhoodSeries #KateStewart #PGCBooks Title: Flock

Author: Kate Stewart

Series: The Ravenhood #1

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Dec. 12, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Erotica, New Adult

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

In your heart of hearts, if you didn’t have to choose, would you?

The deal is simple: all nineteen-year-old student Cecilia Horner has to do is survive a year in the small town of Triple Falls, living with her estranged father and working at his factory. In return, he’ll not only pay her college tuition, but will hand over a small fortune that will enable Cecilia to help her single mother.

But everything changes when she meets sexy local Sean on her first day of work. He introduces her to his close-knit circle of friends – including the enigmatic Dominic – a group who live by their own rules and brandish the same raven tattoo.

Cecilia has always played it safe but, blinded by her growing feelings for Sean and Dominic, she’s determined to enjoy her last summer of freedom and be open to new experiences no matter where they might lead.

Review:

Dark, sensual, and gritty!

Flock is a spicy, seductive romance that takes you on a journey into the life of Cecilia Horner, a nineteen-year-old woman who, after having to relocate to the small town of Triple Falls to live with her father and work at the factory he owns, inadvertently finds herself swept off her feet by the ruggedly handsome, Sean who is not only her newly appointed supervisor at work but a member of a group of locals who sport the same raven tattoo and whose leader, Dominic is sinfully delicious and more than happy to share.

The writing is titillating and smooth. The characters are intense, consumed, and impulsive. And the plot is a fast-paced, salacious tale full of danger, desire, temptation, mystique, chemistry, deception, secrets, and sizzling romance.

Overall, Flock is a tension-filled, dramatic, erotic thrill ride that has just the right amount of mystery, sex, bad-boy vibes, and complex characters to keep you engaged from start to finish. It’s the perfect start to The Ravenhood series by Stewart, and I can’t wait to read what happens to this group of misfits next in Exodus, releasing later this spring.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kate Stewart

Bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick. Kate is a lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.
Her series, The Ravenhood Trilogy, consisting of Flock, Exodus, and The Finish Line, has become an international bestseller, TikTok phenomenon, and reader favourite.

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#BookReview The Party House by Lin Anderson @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #ThePartyHouse #LinAnderson #PGCBooks

categories: 7.5/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview The Party House by Lin Anderson @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #ThePartyHouse #LinAnderson #PGCBooks Title: The Party House

Author: Lin Anderson

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jan. 10, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 7.5/10

The Party House by Lin Anderson is a deeply atmospheric psychological thriller set in the Scottish Highlands, for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware and Sarah Pearse’s The Sanatorium.

Devastated by a recent pandemic brought in by outsiders, the villagers of Blackrig in the Scottish Highlands are outraged when they find that the nearby estate plans to reopen its luxury ‘party house’ to tourists.

As animosity sparks amongst the locals, part of the property is damaged and, in the ensuing chaos, the body of a young girl is found in the wreck. Seventeen-year-old Ailsa Cummings went missing five years ago, never to be seen again – until now.

The excavation of Ailsa’s remains ignites old suspicions cast on the men of this small community, including Greg, the estate’s gamekeeper. At the beginning of a burgeoning relationship with a new lover, Joanne, Greg is loath to discuss old wounds. Frightened by Greg’s reaction to the missing girl’s discovery, Joanne begins to doubt how well she knows this new man in her life. Then again, he’s not the only one with secrets in their volatile relationship . . .

Review:

Dark, suspenseful, and unnerving!

The Party House is an engrossing, ominous tale that transports you to Scotland post-pandemic and into the lives of the Blackrig villagers, especially estate gamekeeper Greg, as they juggle with their feelings for the reopening of the posh, local estate where parties were always wild, rules were flounted, COVID was transmitted killing six of their own treasured souls, and where it now also seems to be the burial site for the body of a missing teen.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are wary, secretive, and troubled. And the plot, told from alternating perspectives, unravels quickly into a gripping tale full of twists, turns, shocking revelations, lies, deception, indulgence, depravity, jealousy, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Party House is a sinister, entertaining, intense stand-alone thriller by Anderson that does a wonderful job of combining the isolating atmosphere of The Scottish Highlands with unsavoury characters, poor choices, and eerie motivations.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

              

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lin Anderson

Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for her bestselling crime series featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod. Four of her novels have been longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, with Follow the Dead being a 2018 finalist. Her short film River Child won both a Scottish BAFTA for Best Fiction and the Celtic Film Festival’s Best Drama award and has now been viewed more than one million times on YouTube. Lin is also the co-founder of the international crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, which takes place annually in Stirling.

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#BookReview The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheChristmasPostcards #KarenSwan #PGCBooks

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
#BookReview The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheChristmasPostcards #KarenSwan #PGCBooks Title: The Christmas Postcards

Author: Karen Swan

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Oct. 4, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 480

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Set in a chocolate-box village, a woman makes a surprising connection with a pen-pal that will change her life – and warm your heart – in the new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Karen Swan.

It had been a make-or-break holiday for their marriage, but Natasha and Rob’s rekindled romance is short-lived when their daughter’s beloved soft toy disappears on the journey home.

As Natasha comforts the distraught child, she turns to social media for help. Miraculously, the toy is found, but it has become the lucky mascot of a man named Duffy, who is thousands of miles away.

When Duffy promises to keep Natasha updated with pictures, the pair begin a correspondence that soon becomes more meaningful to both of them. Sometimes, Natasha feels this stranger understands her more than the man lying next to her.

But as the weeks pass and Duffy heads deeper into the mountains, Natasha begins to notice a change in him. Then one day, the messages stop. Too late, Natasha wonders why he had ever needed a lucky mascot at all.

From the picture-perfect Cotswolds to the majesty of the Himalayan foothills, The Christmas Postcards is a novel about how the closest connections can be the furthest apart.

Review:

Atmospheric, heartfelt, and enchanting!

The Christmas Postcards is an alluring, compelling tale that sweeps you away into the life of Natasha, a young mother who, after her daughter loses her toy elephant she can’t possibly live without, begins a correspondence with the man who found it, Duffy, who seems to be on a soul-searching mission of his own and who may have actually spent a moment of time with Natasha once years before.

The prose is effortless and immersive. The characters are multilayered, troubled, and genuine. And the plot is a heartwarming tale about life, loss, love, friendship, relationship dynamics, hope, happiness, tragedy, fate, self-discovery, and romance.

I’m not sure if it’s ever truly winter unless I have a Karen Swan book to cosy up with in front of the fire, and this twenty-fourth outing is everything I could have wanted and more. The Christmas Postcards is a charming, emotional, irresistible tale by Swan that’s the perfect escapist read with its layered characters, idyllic settings, and beautifully entertaining storyline.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Karen Swan

Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest outside Sussex, England, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs.

An internationally bestselling author, her numerous books include The Rome Affair, The Paris Secret, Christmas Under the Stars, and The Christmas Secret. 

Photograph by Alexander James

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#BookReview Picture You Dead by Peter James @peterjamesuk @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #PeterJames #PictureYouDead #RoyGrace #PGCBooks

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural
#BookReview Picture You Dead by Peter James @peterjamesuk @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #PeterJames #PictureYouDead #RoyGrace #PGCBooks Title: Picture You Dead

Author: Peter James

Series: Roy Grace #18

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 28, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Discover the darkness that lurks around every corner in the latest instalment of Peter James’s award-winning detective series, which is now a major ITV programme starring John Simm as Roy Grace.

Harry and Freya, an ordinary couple, dreamed for years of finding something priceless buried amongst the tat in a car boot sale.

It was a dream they knew in their hearts would never come true – until the day it did…

They buy the drab portrait for a few pounds, for its beautiful frame, planning to cut the painting out. Then studying it back at home there seems to be another picture beneath, of a stunning landscape. Could it be a long-lost masterpiece from 1770? If genuine, it could be worth millions.

One collector is certain it is genuine. Someone who uses any method he can to get want he wants and will stop at nothing.

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace finds himself plunged into an unfamiliar and rarefied world of fine art. Outwardly it appears respectable, gentlemanly, above reproach. But beneath the veneer, he rapidly finds that greed, deception and violence walk hand-in-hand. And Harry and Freya Kipling are about to discover that their dream is turning into their worst nightmare.

Review:

Intriguing, complex, and intense!

Picture You Dead is an unpredictable, sinister thrill ride that takes us back to Sussex, where Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his team now find themselves investigating a case involving a rare, priceless piece of art and a ruthless collector who will do whatever it takes, even murder, to add it to his collection.

The writing is crisp and bold. The characters are intuitive, meticulous, and determined. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine seamlessly into a suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, secrets, surprises, manipulation, coercion, greed, deception, violence, and murder.

Overall, Picture You Dead is another intricate, engrossing, action-packed police procedural by James that has just the right amount of well-drawn characterization and fast-paced, tortuous storyline to make it a satisfying, highly entertaining read.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

              

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Peter James

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. His Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over eighteen million copies, and has given him eleven consecutive Sunday Times number ones. In 2015 WHSmith customers publicly voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he became the recipient of the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. Peter has also written a short story collection, A Twist of the Knife, and his standalone titles include Perfect People and The House on Cold Hill. He has also co-written a non-fiction account of Brighton’s toughest cases with former detective Graham Bartlett entitled Death Comes Knocking. The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple and Not Dead Enough have all been turned into smash-hit stage plays. All his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police. Three of his novels have been filmed and before becoming a full-time author he produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. He divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and near Brighton in Sussex.

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#BookReview The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks #TheRisingTide #VeraStanhope #AnnCleeves #PGCBooks

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks #TheRisingTide #VeraStanhope #AnnCleeves #PGCBooks Title: The Rising Tide

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: Vera Stanhope #10

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 1, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion.

Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now . . .

But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible . . .

Review:

Sharp, gripping, and wistful!

The Rising Tide is a well-paced, engrossing police procedural that sees Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope and her team investigating the death of a famous personality on Holy Island who, while on a quinquennial retreat with some childhood friends is found hanging in his room, but while it seems at first glance to be a simple case of suicide it quickly becomes apparent that something a lot more sinister is underway that has strong ties to the past and events that began fifty years ago.

The writing is compelling and tight. The characters are secretive, multilayered, and persistent. And the plot is an intense, mysterious tale filled with twists, turns, mayhem, deception, suspicious personalities, lies, secrets, murder, and tragic loss.

Overall, The Rising Tide is another intricate, nostalgic, atmospheric addition to the Vera Stanhope series by Cleeves that ultimately left me enthralled, surprised, and undoubtedly confident that this is still a must-read series for me.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is the author behind PBS’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. She has written over twenty-five novels, and is the creator of detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez – characters loved both on screen and in print. Her books have now sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before becoming a crime writer. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. In 2006 Ann was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, for Raven Black, the first book in her Shetland series, and in 2012 she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. Ann lives in North Tyneside, England.

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#BookReview The Sister Returns by Joanna Rees @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheSisterReturns #JoannaRees #AStitchinTiime #PGCBooks

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction
#BookReview The Sister Returns by Joanna Rees @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheSisterReturns #JoannaRees #AStitchinTiime #PGCBooks Title: The Sister Returns

Author: Joanna Rees

Series: A Stitch in Time #3

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 20, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 496

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The Sister Returns by Joanna Rees is the third novel in A Stitch in Time – a sweeping historical trilogy.

To have a future, she must confront her past . . .

It’s 1929 and after running away from her family in Lancashire, becoming a dancer in London and having had a riotous time in Paris with her best friend Nancy, would-be fashion designer Vita Casey is living a much more sedate life in New York with her baby son, Bertie, far away from her evil brother, Clement and her nemesis, Edith.

When the disastrous events of the Wall Street crash change their destinies, Vita and Nancy flee to Los Angeles, where Nancy is determined to make it in the talkies. Schmoozing their way into the Hollywood elite, Vita is starting to think that can begin to fulfil her fashion ambitions. But when the love of her life, Archie is hired as a writer on Nancy’s new movie, The Sister Returns and Clement exacts his ultimate revenge, Vita’s past and present collide.

She has no choice but to tell the truth and try and reclaim what is rightfully hers before it’s too late.

Review:

Dramatic, exciting, and vivid!

The Sister Returns is an absorbing, pacey tale that picks up right where The Hidden Wife left off, taking us back to 1929 and into the life of Anna Darton, aka Vita Casey, as she now heads to America to be part of her best friend’s wedding until the crash of the stock market sends all their plans upside down and they travel from New York to Hollywood where Nancy is determined to become an actress and where Vita’s past catches up to her finally sending this “runaway daughter” back home to Lancashire where she truly belongs.

The prose is rich and atmospheric. The characters are ambitious, capable, and resistant. And the plot is a compelling tale about life, loss, family, friendship, emotion, secrets, heartbreak, passion, danger, determination, glitz, glamour, old Hollywood, self-discovery, and love.

Overall, The Sister Returns is the third and final story in the A Stitch in Time trilogy and even though it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters I’ve come to know and enjoy over these past three novels, it is nevertheless the perfect ending to a wonderful series that I highly recommend and will undoubtedly miss.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Joanna Rees

Joanna Rees, aka Josie Lloyd and Jo Rees, is a bestselling writer of twelve novels, including rom-coms, blockbusters and big- hearted adventures such as Come Together, Platinum and A Twist of Fate.The Runaway Daughter, published in August 2019, is the first in The Stitch in Time trilogy set in the 1920s and following the fortune of budding fashion designer and girl-about-town, Vita Casey. The second part, The Hidden Wife is out in 2020.Based in Brighton, Joanna is married to the author Emlyn Rees with whom she has three daughters. They have co-written seven novels, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Come Together, which was translated into twenty-seven languages and made into a film. They have written three bestselling parodies of their favourite children’s books, including We’re Going On A Bar Hunt and The Teenager Who Came To Tea as well as a light-hearted activity book encouraging people to stop being addicted to their technology called Switch It Off.

Photograph from www.curtisbrown.co.uk.

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#BookReview The Darkest Sin by D. V. Bishop @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheDarkestSin #DVBishop #CesareAldoSeries #PGCBooks

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview The Darkest Sin by D. V. Bishop @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheDarkestSin #DVBishop #CesareAldoSeries #PGCBooks Title: The Darkest Sin

Author: D. V. Bishop

Series: Cesare Aldo #2

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 6, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 432

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

Florence. Spring, 1537.

When Cesare Aldo investigates a report of intruders at a convent in the Renaissance city’s northern quarter, he enters a community divided by bitter rivalries and harbouring dark secrets.

His case becomes far more complicated when a naked man’s body is found deep inside the convent, stabbed more than two dozen times. Unthinkable as it seems, all the evidence suggests one of the nuns must be the killer.

Meanwhile, Constable Carlo Strocchi finds human remains pulled from the Arno that belong to an officer of the law missing since winter. The dead man had many enemies, but who would dare kill an official of the city’s most feared criminal court?

As Aldo and Strocchi close in on the truth, identifying the killers will prove more treacherous than either of them could ever have imagined . . .

Review:

Sinister, evocative, and enthralling!

The Darkest Sin is the complex, thrilling sequel that takes us back to Renaissance Florence in the spring of 1537 and into the life of Cesare Aldo, an officer of the Otto di Guardia e Balia, who now finds himself not only investigating the murder of a naked man found stabbed to death within the walls of the Santa Maria Magdalena convent, but also hoping that Constable Strocchi doesn’t have too much success discovering who actually killed their fellow brutish officer, Cherchi, who’s been missing since winter and whose body has just been recently discovered floating in the river Arno.

The prose is seamless and expressive. The characters are methodical, diligent, and tormented. And the plot is a gripping, twisty tale about life, loss, friendship, secrets, duty, deception, danger, abuse, corruption, politics, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Darkest Sin is another fabulous addition to the Cesare Aldo series by Bishop that does an exceptional job of interweaving historical times and compelling fiction into a gritty, suspenseful mystery that is darkly entertaining and exceptionally atmospheric. 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About D. V. Bishop

D. V. Bishop is the author of the Cesare Aldo mysteries set in Renaissance Florence, and published by Pan Macmillan.

An award-winning screenwriter and TV dramatist, his love for the city of Florence and the Renaissance period meant there could only be one setting for his crime-fiction debut.

City of Vengeance won the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland crime fiction festival in 2018, and D. V. Bishop was awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship by the Scottish Book Trust while writing the novel.

He is currently finishing the second novel in the Cesare Aldo mysteries.

Photo by Paul Reich.

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#BookReview Can You See Me Now? by Trisha Sakhlecha @TrishaSakhlecha @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TrishaSakhlecha #CanYouSeeMeNow #PGCBooks

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Can You See Me Now? by Trisha Sakhlecha @TrishaSakhlecha @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TrishaSakhlecha #CanYouSeeMeNow #PGCBooks Title: Can You See Me Now?

Author: Trisha Sakhlecha

Published by: Pan Macmillan on May 3, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

From Trisha Sakhlecha,Can You See Me Now? is a gripping psychological suspense thriller about a young Indian woman, now a government minister, whose past secrets are about to reverberate into the present and shatter her life. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Erin Kelly.

Fifteen years ago, three sixteen-year-old girls meet at Wescott, an exclusive private school in India.
Two, Sabah and Noor, are the most popular girls in their year. One, Alia, is a new arrival from England, who feels her happiness depends on their acceptance.

Before she knows it, Sabah and Noor’s intoxicating world of privilege and intimacy opens up to Alia and, for the first time, after years of neglect from her parents, she feels she is exactly where, and with whom, she belongs.

But with intimacy comes jealousy, and with privilege, resentment, and Alia finds that it only takes one night for her bright new world to shatter around her.

Now Alia, a cabinet minister in the Indian government, is about to find her secrets have no intention of staying
buried . . .

Review:

Unpredictable, gripping, and dark!

Can You See Me Now? is a compelling, dual timeline thriller set fifteen years ago, as well as present-day that takes you into the life of successful government minister Alia as her world is about to be turned upside down when the past collides with the present and all the destructive behaviours, inexcusable actions, and long-buried secrets involving herself and her two best friends from school, Sabah and Noor, are finally unearthed.

The writing is intense and tight. The characters are self-involved, secretive, and insecure. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth, past/present style intertwines and unravels effortlessly into a sinister tale of lies, deception, drama, jealousy, obsession, competition, secrets, revelations, mayhem, and manipulation.

Overall, Can You See Me Now? is a cunning, disturbing, edgy whodunit by Sakhlecha that does a wonderful job of delving into the complex dynamics that exist between friends and family members and highlights just how toxic and parasitic some of those relationships can truly be.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Trisha Sakhlecha

Trisha Sakhlecha grew up in New Delhi and now lives in London. She works in fashion and is a graduate of the acclaimed Faber Academy writing course. In the past, Trisha has worked as a designer, trend forecaster, and lecturer. Your Truth or Mine? is her first novel.

Photograph courtesy of Goodreads Author Page.

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#BookReview One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter @panmacmillan @PGCBooks #OneGoodThing #AlexandraPotter #PGCBooks

categories: 10/10, Book Review, General Fiction, Noteworthy Book Releases, Women's Fiction
#BookReview One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter @panmacmillan @PGCBooks #OneGoodThing #AlexandraPotter #PGCBooks Title: One Good Thing

Author: Alexandra Potter

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jul. 1, 2022

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 464

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

In life, nothing is certain. Just when you think you have it all figured out, something can happen to change the course of everything . . .

Liv Brooks is still in shock. Newly-divorced and facing an uncertain future, she impulsively swaps her London Life for the sweeping hills of the Yorkshire Dales, determined to make a fresh start. But fresh starts are harder than they look and feeling lost and lonely she decides to adopt Harry, an old dog from the local shelter, to keep her company.

But Liv soon discovers she isn’t the only one in need of a new beginning. On their daily walks around the village, they meet Valentine, an old man who suffers from loneliness who sits by the window and Stanley, a little boy who is scared of everyone, hides behind the garden gate and Maya, a teenager who is angry at everyone and everything. But slowly things start to change…

Utterly relatable, hilarious and heart-breakingly honest, this is a novel about friendship, finding happiness and living the life unexpected. And how when everything falls apart, all you need is one good thing to turn your life around and make it worth living again.

Review:

Heart-tugging, humorous, and affecting!

One Good Thing is an uplifting, engaging tale that takes you to the Yorkshire Dales and into the lives of many, including Liv Brooks, who is still trying to come to grips with her cheating ex, relocation to a cottage in need of TLC, and adoption of a loyal, four-legged friend named Harry; Valentine, an elderly man struggling with the slow decline of the woman he’s loved for sixty years; Maya, a teenager discontent with almost everything in her life; and Stanley, a young boy who prefers routine and the safety of his own home.

The prose is sincere and vivid. The characters are quirky, genuine, and supportive. And the plot is an astute, absorbing tale that takes you on a heart-wrenching rollercoaster ride of love, loss, friendship, family, community, thoughtfulness, dementia, grief, companionship, new love, and moving on.

Overall, One Good Thing is a beautifully written novel that made my heart fill with joy and break with heartache. It’s a sentimental, comforting, compelling tale by Potter that ultimately reminds you that kindness is incredibly powerful and life is truly what you make it.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Alexandra Potter

Alexandra Potter is the bestselling author of eleven romantic comedy fiction novels in the UK. These titles have sold in twenty-two territories and achieved worldwide sales of more than one million copies (making the bestseller charts in the UK, US, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Serbia).

Yorkshire born and raised, Alex currently lives in South-West London with Mr California and their Bosnian rescue dog and when she’s not spending time writing or travelling, she’s spending far too much time on Instagram being reminded that she should be exercising regularly, drinking enough water, practising mindfulness and feeling blessed.

Photograph by Rhian Ap Gruffydd.

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