Book Review: The Half Burnt House by Alex North

Published on 16th March, The Half Burnt House by Alex North follows Katie who has always looked after her beloved younger brother Chris – until she left him alone for one selfish afternoon, and their picture-perfect family fell apart. Although Chris survived the attack, the scars ran deeper than the ones left across his face. Now they’re adults, and they haven’t spoken in years. Then she gets a call, from Detective Laurence Page.

Page is facing an unusually disturbing crime scene. Alan Hobbes, a distinguished and wealthy philosophy professor, has been brutally murdered. Hobbes was living in a sprawling mansion – but one that remains half-ruined by a decades-old fire, wind and rain howling through the gaping, creaking roof.

Page only has one suspect: Chris, caught on CCTV at the house. But he has plenty of questions. What could cause a man as wealthy as Hobbes not to repair his home? Why did he seem to know his death was coming, yet do nothing to stop it? And why was he obsessed with a legendary local serial killer?

But Katie only has one thing on her mind. She knows this is her last, best chance to finally save her brother, and make up for her negligence all those years ago.

But she can’t possibly imagine just how much danger he’s in…

Book Review: The Drift by CJ Tudor

“Survival can be murder…”

Set to be published on 19th January, The Drift by CJ Tudor follows three ordinary people who risk everything for a chance at redemption.

Hannah awakens to carnage when, during a hasty escape from a secluded boarding school, her schoolbus careened over a hillside road during one of the year’s heaviest snowstorms, trapping her inside with a handful of survivors, a brewing virus and no way to call for help.

A former detective, Meg awakens to the gentle rocking of her cable car which is suspended far above a snowstorm and surrounded by strangers in the same uniform as her, with no memory of how they got there. They were heading to a mysterious place known only to them as The Retreat, but when they discover a dead man among their ranks, Meg soon realises that there’s something far more insidious going on.

Carter is gazing out the window of the abandoned ski chalet that he and his ragtag compatriots call home. Together, they manage what they can to survive. But as their generator begins to waver, the threat of something lurking in the chalet’s depths looms larger, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails -for good.

The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater threat–one that threatens to consume all of humanity.

BLOG TOUR: Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg

“HE’S NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS. BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER IS SHE…”

Now released in paperback, Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg follows Steven, a handsome, well-respected and Ellie, a young, wide-eyed student. Together, they are driving south from New York, for their first holiday together: three days in an isolated cabin, far from the city. Ahead of them, the promise of long, dark nights – and the chance to explore one another’s bodies, away from prying eyes. It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two. Except that he’s not who he says he is. But then again, neither is she…

Book Review: A Sliver Of Darkness by CJ Tudor

Set to be published on 29th September, A Sliver Of Darkness by CJ Tudor is a series of eleven short stories which see timeslips, doomsday scenarios, revenge stories, killer butterflies, fatal consequences in unforeseen circumstances, and monsters of all kinds.

Book Review: The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas

“Three missing girls. A twenty-year mystery. A woman who may be able to crack this cold case.”

Set to be released on 15th September, The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas is set in a rural Wilshire town where The Devil’s Corridor lies. A road which has witnessed eerie happenings from unexplained deaths to the sounds of a child crying at night. But nothing more puzzling than the Olivia Rutherford case. Four girls drove home but after their car crashed only Olivia was found.

Twenty years later, journalist Jenna Halliday is covering the case. But the locals aren’t happy with this stranger’s arrival. Least of all Olivia. Jenna soon starts receiving threatening notes and it is clear someone wants her out of this town before she suffers a dark fate…

Book Review: A Stranger On Board by Cameron Ward

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A luxury superyacht. And a killer picking you off, one by one…”

Set to be published on 23rd June, A Stranger On Board by Cameron Ward follows ex-marine Sarah French who joins a luxury superyacht as on-board security, in hopes of getting her life – and career – back on track. Surrounded by crystal waters, it seems like the perfect place to start over. As they head into open water, though, tensions between the crew quickly build. And when someone goes missing, Sarah has a terrifying realisation. One of them is a killer. All of them are suspects. To protect the other passengers, Sarah needs to uncover the killer’s identity and return the boat safely to shore. But there’s a storm on the horizon – and not all of them will make it out alive…

Book Review: Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

“Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?”

Set to be released on 12th May, Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister follows mother and wife Jen who witnesses her son commit a terrible crime: the murder of a complete stranger. It’s every parent’s nightmare. She doesn’t know who her son has killed, and she doesn’t know why. She only knows that her teenage boy is in custody and his future is lost.

That night, she falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes, it’s yesterday. And every morning after that, she wakes up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and Jen doesn’t have a choice but to find them.

BOOK TOUR: The Birdcage by Eve Chase

“Some secrets need to be set free…”

Released on 28th April, The Birdcage by Eve Chase follows half-sisters Lauren, Kat and Flora who share a famous artist father – and a terrible secret. Over the years, they’ve grown into wildly different lives. But an invitation to Rock Point, the Cornish cliff house where they once sat for their father’s most celebrated painting, Girls and Birdcage, reunites them.

Rock Point is a beautiful, windswept place, thick with secrets, electrically charged with the events of the summer – twenty years before – that the family daren’t discuss. And there is someone in the shadows watching their every move. Someone who remembers the girls in the painting – and what they did.

Book Review: Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg

“HE’S NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS. BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER IS SHE…”

Set to be published on 14th April, Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg follows Steven, a handsome, well-respected and Ellie, a young, wide-eyed student. Together, they are driving south from New York, for their first holiday together: three days in an isolated cabin, far from the city. Ahead of them, the promise of long, dark nights – and the chance to explore one another’s bodies, away from prying eyes. It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two. Except that he’s not who he says he is. But then again, neither is she…

Book Review: This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel

“Welcome to Wisewood. Where we keep your secrets, if you keep ours.”

Published in March 2022, This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel follows Natalie Collins who hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year. The last time they spoke, Kit was struggling to get over the death of their mother. Then, she found Wisewood.

On a private island off the coast of Maine, Wisewood’s guests commit to six-month stays. During this time, they’re prohibited from contact with the rest of the world. But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves. Natalie thinks it’s a bad idea, but Kit has had enough of her sister’s cynicism and voluntarily disappears off the grid.

Six months later, Natalie receives a menacing email from a Wisewood account threatening to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from Kit. Panicked, Natalie hurries north to come clean to her sister and bring her home. But she’s about to learn that Wisewood won’t let either of them go without a fight.

Audiobook Review: Breathless by Amy McCulloch

“THERE’S A KILLER ON THE MOUNTAIN – AND YOU MIGHT BE NEXT…”

Breathless by Amy McCulloch follows struggling journalist Cecily Wong who is invited to join an expedition to climb one of the world’s tallest mountains. It seems like the chance of a lifetime, but she doesn’t realise how deadly the climb will be. As their small team starts to climb, things start to go wrong. There’s a theft. Then an accident. Then a mysterious note, pinned to her tent: there’s a murderer on the mountain. The higher they get, the more dangerous the climb becomes, and the more they need to trust one another. And that’s when Cecily finds the first body…

BOOK TOUR: The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen

“One of her friends is lying about why they’re there. One is lying about who she is. And one of them will never make it home…”

Published on 3rd February, The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen follows Sam whose husband has just walked out on her, so a girls’ weekend away with two friends is just what she needs. But they aren’t even halfway to their destination when things start to go wrong: car trouble that just happens to leave them stranded in the town where Harry lives. And that’s only the beginning. Because there are three things Sam doesn’t yet know about her friends, and one of them won’t make it home.

BLOG TOUR: For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

“Some lessons can be deadly…”

Published earlier this month, For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing follows Teddy Crutcher who has just won Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy. Everyone thinks he’s brilliant. They all smile when he tells us his wife couldn’t be more proud – though if they stopped to think about it, they would realise no one has seen her in a while. They’re impressed when he doesn’t let anything distract him – even the tragic death of a school parent. Even when the whispers start, saying it was murder.

Book Review: The Affair by Hilary Boyd

“A summer she will remember forever. Because he won’t let her forget…”

Set to be published on 19th August, The Affair by Hilary Boyd follows tour manager Connie who longs for the summer where she spends her days touring the continent. But it’s on the glamorous shores of Lake Como where she is truly swept away, when Jared, a much younger man, falls for her. Despite resisting his advances, Connie finds that he’s got under her skin. And so begins a long, hot, intoxicating summer where Connie succumbs to temptation – breaking her marriage vows. At the end of the season, Connie returns home to her husband, ready to put this affair behind her. But Jared has other ideas . . .

Book Review: That Night by Gillian McAllister

“What would you do to protect your family? ANYTHING.”

Set to be released on 8th July, That Night by Gillian McAllister follows the events after that night. That night when everything changed. That night when Frannie committed a murder that she didn’t mean to. That night when her family helped her to bury the body. The siblings were always close. Some might say too close. They worked together and lived next door to each other. And now they’ve buried a body together. But when they return to England, Frannie, Joe and Cathy become tangled in the lies that they’ve been telling – to the police, to their friends, to each other. But if you can’t trust your family, who can you trust?

READALONG: The Shadow Friend by Alex North

“There were good memories here too. Moments that, looking back on them objectively, had been filled with light. The problem was that what happened later cast such a shadow they were hard to see.”

Originally published in 2020, The Shadow Friend by Alex North follows lecturer Paul who has never forgiven himself for his part in what happened twenty-five years ago. During their school years, Paul’s friend Charlie Crabtree brutally killed their classmate – and then vanished without a trace. Paul hasn’t been back home since. But when his elderly mother has a fall, it’s finally time for him to stop running. It’s not long before things start to go wrong, though. His mother claims there’s someone in the house, and Paul soon realises someone is following him, too. And, in a town many miles away, a copycat killer has struck. Which makes him wonder – what really happened to Charlie the day of the murder? And can anyone stop it from happening again?

Book Review: This Nowhere Place by Natasha Bell

“That’s the thing about our town: people only come here if they’re going somewhere else.”

Set to be released on 18th March, This Nowhere Place by Natasha Bell tells the story of one grey afternoon, high on the cliffs of Dover, when two girls agree to help a stranger. Within months, two of the three girls are dead. In the years that follow, local legend grows around the events of that summer – and, with the one survivor refusing to speak, it seems the truth will never emerge. Until a documentary-maker arrives, determined to solve the mystery of the Dover Girls. But some will stop at nothing to keep this town’s secrets…

Book Review: The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor

“500 years ago: eight martyrs were burnt to death. 30 years ago: two teenagers vanished without trace. Two months ago: the vicar committed suicide.”

Set to be released on 21st January, The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor follows the new Reverand of Chapel Croft, Jack Brooks, and her teenage daughter Flo, who are hoping to make a fresh start with a new job and a new home. But, as Jack knows, the past isn’t easily forgotten. And in a close-knit community where the residents seem as proud as they are haunted by Chapel Croft’s history, Jack must tread carefully. Ancient superstitions as well as a mistrust of outsiders will be hard to overcome. Yet right away, Jack has more frightening concerns. Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls? Who’s sending them sinister, threatening messages? And why did no one mention that the last vicar killed himself? Chapel Croft’s secrets lie deep and dark as the tomb. Jack wouldn’t touch them if not for Flo – anything to protect Flo. But the past is catching up with Chapel Croft – and with Jack. For old ghosts with scores to settle will never rest…