Hydra by Matt Wesolowski - Blog Tour Review

I don't think I can put into words, just how excited I am to be part of the blog tour for Matt Wesolowski's newest novel, Hydra. I absolutely loved Six Stories, so jumped immediatey at the chance of reading more of his work! 

Hydra

One cold November night in 2014, in a small town in the north west of England, 26-year-old Arla Macleod bludgeoned her mother, father and younger sister to death with a hammer, in an unprovoked attack known as the "Macleod Massacre." Now incarcerated at a medium-security mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation.

King finds himself immersed in an increasingly complex case, interviewing five witnesses and Arla herself, as he questions whether Arla’s responsibility for the massacre was a diminished as her legal team made out. As he unpicks the stories, he finds himself thrust into a world of deadly forbidden "games," online trolls, and the mysterious Black-eyed Children, whose presence extends far beyond the delusions of a murderess. 

My Review

Matt Wesolowski is officially a genius. The way he crafts and weaves his stories is just, well....genius! I didn't think you could get a better book than Six Stories and then out came Hydra and proved me very wrong. 

Telling the story through podcasts is such a modern and unique way of storytelling and it really lays everything out so nicely for the reader. The writing is so exquisite that you feel like you are actually "listening" to a podcast instead of reading it. Scott King is an extremely interesting character in himself and I enjoy the way he goes about investigating cold cases, not necessarily to solve them, but to try and shed more light on them. Its definitively something I would listen to in real life or watch a documentary on. 

I won't touch on the plot as to do so would be to take away any new readers discovery of the twists and turns throughout. I will say however that you can really feel Wesolowski's origins in horror as Hydra is extremely creepy and gave me chills throughout the book. The story is fresh and full of surprises and I really enjoyed trying to discover the why of the horrendous crime that had occurred. 

Without gushing too much more, all I can say is go out and buy Six Stories and Hydra and read them immediately, you will not regret it! 

I gave this book ALL THE STARS! 

About The Author

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK - and US - based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature Feature, Selfies From The End Of The World, Cold Iron and many more. His novella, The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick, and film rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. 

Don't Forget To  Check Out The Rest Of The Tour

Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb - Blog Tour Review

I'm so excited to be on the blog tour for Steph Broadribb's newest book, Deep Blue Trouble, I've been waiting for this sequel ever since the minute I finished Deep Down Dead! 

Deep Blue Trouble

Single-mother Florida bounty hunter Lori Anderson’s got an ocean of trouble on her hands. Her daughter Dakota is safe, but her cancer is threatening a comeback, and Lori needs JT—Dakota’s daddy and the man who taught Lori everything—alive and kicking. Problem is, he’s behind bars, and heading for death row. Desperate to save him, Lori does a deal, taking on off-the-books job from shady FBI agent Alex Monroe. Bring back on-the-run felon, Gibson "The Fish" Fletcher, and JT walks free. Following Fletcher from Florida to California, Lori teams up with local bounty hunter Dez McGregor and his team. But Dez works very differently to Lori, and the tension between them threatens to put the whole job in danger. With Monroe pressuring Lori for results, the clock ticking on JT’s life, and nothing about the Fletcher case adding up, Lori’s hitting walls at every turn. But this is one job she’s got to get right, or she’ll lose everything.

My Review

LORI IS BACK! I was so excited to get my hands on Deep Blue Trouble after enjoying Deep Down Dead so much. I would 100% recommend reading Deep Down Dead before reading Deep Blue Trouble, not only because it's awesome and you don't want to miss out on it, you'll be on the back foot with the story that is continuing from the first book. 

I absolutely love Lori, she's a badass, she's a great mum, she's strong and brave and intelligent (well she sometimes makes silly decisions, but don't we all!) She also have a softer side, in particular over her daughter. Her character is incredibly well rounded and you I think of her as a real person. I'm really invested in what happens to both her and her daughter and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book just waiting to see what happened to her next. 

Deep Blue Trouble is extremely fast paced and I have to admit that I read it in one sitting, because I just didn't want to put my book down and not know what was happening in the world of Lori. I really enjoyed the story, though I was sad that Lori and JT were separated at the beginning as I really love their chemistry and their relationship. 

I really enjoyed the flashbacks used in Deep Blue Trouble, they were used wisely and really added depth and understanding to Lori and JT. I really think they added to the overall story. 

Deep Blue Trouble is just as amazing as Steph Broadribb's first book and I absolutely loved it. You really need to go out and get engrossed in this series. 

I gave this book 5 stars!

About The Author

Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alter ego - Crime Thriller Girl - she indulges her love of all things crime fiction by blogging at www.crimethrillergirl.com where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases.

Steph is an alumni of the MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California. She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded by horses, cows and chickens. Her debut thriller Deep Down Dead, was shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards in two categories, and hit number one on the UK and AU kindle charts. 

Don't Forget To Check Out The Rest Of The Tour

Whiteout by Ragnar Jónasson - Blog Tour Review

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Orenda Books publish the most amazing books from the most amazing authors! If I could realistically read and review every single book they publish in time for the tours, I'd never say no! Whiteout by Ragnar Jónasson is another excellent example of the quality of books they produce and I'm very happy to be sharing my review with you all today. 

Whiteout

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thór Arason discovers that the victim's mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier. As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place. Dark, chilling and complex, Whiteout is a haunting, atmospheric and stunningly plotted thriller from one of Iceland's bestselling crime writers.

My Review

Ari Thór is back with another dark and fascinating case. Ragnor Jónasson's writing is excellent and the cases he comes up with are incredibly unique and fascinating. 

The first few chapters in Whiteout, follow Ásta who is returning to her childhood home after over twenty years. We don't get much information about her as she is quiet and reticent, but we know enough to really get to care about her and what will happen on her visit "home". I thought it was a really nice touch, getting to know the victim first and joining her on her last few days before her untimely death. 

As always Iceland is one of the main characters of the story and the dark, cold isolation of Kálfshamarsvík really comes through the pages. I could feel the bitter chill of the winter and the wildness of the sea crashing against the cliff bottoms. Such a lonely and sad place to die. 

On this case, Ari is back working with Tómas, his old boss as a favour and as a way to possibly move to a different police force. It was good to see them back together, though they seemed to have drifted apart in the time they haven't been working together as Tómas isn't aware of some major happenings in Ari's life. We also see more of Kristin in Whiteout and her and Ari's relationship is an interesting one. They've been through a lot together, but I personally don't know if they really work. 

As this is a sequel and a crime book, I won't be talking about the plot as I would never want to spoil anyone discovering what has happened on their own. As usual you can read this as a stand alone, but there are some minor spoilers from previous books, but nothing too major that I can recall. The translation is absolutely spot on and again you wouldn't know this was originally written in another language. I think this is so very important in translated books so as not to make the reading difficult and put anyone off trying more. 

Overall another excellent nordic noir from Ragnor Jónasson and one that has left me eagerly anticipating the next book in the Dark Iceland series. If you haven't already, go check out the series! 

I gave Whiteout 5 stars. 

About The Author

Ragnar Jónasson is author of the international bestselling Dark Iceland series. His debut Snowblind went to number one in the kindle charts shortly after publication, and Nightblind, Blackout and Rupture soon followed suit, hitting the number one spot in five countries, and the series being sold in 18 countries and for TV. Ragnar was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he continues to work as a lawyer. From the age of 17, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic. He has appeared on festival panels worldwide, and lives in Reykjavik with his wife and young daughters.

Don't Forget About The Rest Of The Tour

The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen - Blog Tour Review

As always I'm extremely happy to be part of an Orenda Books blog tour and I was exited to be able to read Antti Tuomainen's next book The Man Who Died after  thoroughly enjoying his book The Mine (my review for that is here). 

The Man Who Died

A successful entrepreneur in the mushroom industry, Jaakko Kaunismaa is a man in his prime. At just 37 years of age, he is shocked when his doctor tells him that he’s dying. What is more, the cause is discovered to be prolonged exposure to toxins; in other words, someone has slowly but surely been poisoning him. Determined to find out who wants him dead, Jaakko embarks on a suspenseful rollercoaster journey full of unusual characters, bizarre situations and unexpected twists.

My Review

I could not put this book down! Such a cleverly written book and a really interesting concept. Jaakko finds out that he is dying from a slow acting poison and so he decides to try and find out who is killing him. I like the idea of the victim solving their own murder. As Jaakko isn't in the detective business, he's a mushroom exporter, he has no idea how to go about figuring it out and this leads to all sorts of situations that he shouldn't have got himself into. 

Jaakko is an interesting character and I enjoyed watching his journey of emotions, his paranoia that it could be anyone and the determination to find out who the culprit is and save his hard earned company from them. He discovers things about the people around him that he never knew and it all adds to the mystery of what has been happening to him. 

The translation is excellent and the words flow and it feels very much like it was written in English to start off with. I also have to take a moment to actually mention the cover of The Man Who Died as I think it is absolutely stunning and extremely eye catching. 

There are twists and turns throughout the story and each one kept me hooked as I just needed to know who had been poisoning Jaakko and why. I ended up devouring The Man Who Died in one sitting as I didn't want to surface until I knew what had happened. As always with crime novels, I don't like to go into the plot too much as I would hate to ever spoil something for someone wanting to read it themselves. 

Overall an excellent book and one which I will recommend with gousto. 

I gave this book 5 stars. 

About The Author

Finnish Antti Tuomainen (b. 1971) was an award-winning copywriter in the advertising industry before he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. The critically acclaimed Veljeni vartija (My Brother's Keeper) was published two years later. In 2011 Tuomainen's third novel, Parantaja (The Healer), was awarded the Clue Award for 'Best Finnish Crime Novel 2011'. Thus emerged a bright new star in the field of crime and noir. The Finnish press labeled Parantaja – the story of a writer who is desperately searching for his missing wife in a post-apocalyptic Helsinki – as "unputdownable". With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen is one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula. Antti Tuomainen lives in Helsinki.

Don't Forget To Check Out The Rest Of The Tour

Dying To Live by Michael Stanley - Blog Tour Review

I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for Dying To Live, which is the sixth book in the Detective Kubu series. Any time a new Michael Stanley book comes around you can be sure that I'll be reading it, so when Orenda Books got in touch to say Dying To Live was coming out, I jumped at the chance of reading it. 

Dying To Live

When the body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that, although he's clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzlingly young. What's more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles ... but where is the entry wound? When the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor is reported missing, Detective 'Kubu' Bengu gets involved. But did the witch doctor take the body to use as part of a ritual? Or was it the American anthropologist who'd befriended the old Bushman? 

As Kubu and his brilliant young colleague, Detective Samantha Khama, follow the twisting trail through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters and drugs manufacturers, the wider and more dangerous the case seems to grow. A fresh, new slice of 'Sunshine Noir', Dying to Live is a classic tale of greed, corruption and ruthless thuggery, set in one of the world's most beautiful landscapes, and featuring one of crime fiction's most endearing and humane heroes.

My Review

Well they did it again, I absolutely loved this book. Detective Kubu is easily one of my all time favourite detectives. He isn't your usual grumpy, hard drinking detective. He's happy (well as happy as a murder detective can be) and has a loving and wonderful family and he genuinely tries to be good to everyone. This on top of being a really great detective. If they could get the casting right, this series should 100% be a tv series. 

The stories are always quite dark and in Dying To Live, that is still true. The stories always contain things that I've never read about and things that I wouldn't have even thought about and I love that about them. They are also incredibly well written and thought out. There are twists and turns which don't always lead to where you are expecting and will keep you guessing. As usual Botswana is a character in itself and you can feel its essence throughout the book.

It was really good to see more of Detective Samantha Khama and get to know her better after enjoying her character previously. All the characters though are very strong and there isn't any I can pick out as being weak. Ian Macgregor the pathologist is also another one of my favourite characters, even though he isn't in it quite as much. 

Though Dying To Live is the sixth book in the series, reading this as a stand alone is very easily possible. I would definitely recommend reading the whole series though just because of how good it is. 

Overall another excellent book from Michael Stanley and I'm already excited waiting for their next book. 

I gave this book 5 stars.  

About The Authors

Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business. On a flying trip to Botswana, they watched a pack of hyenas hunt, kill, and devour a wildebeest, eating both flesh and bones. That gave them the premise for their first mystery, A Carrion Death, which introduced Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. It was a finalist for five awards, including the CWA Debut Dagger. The series has been critically acclaimed, and their third book, Death of the Mantis, won the Barry Award and was a finalist for an Edgar award. Deadly Harvest was a finalist for an International Thriller Writers’ award, and book 5, A Death in the Family, was an international bestseller.

Don't Forget To Check Out The Rest Of The Tour

Faithless by Kjell Ola Dahl - Blog Tour Review

My first blog tour for today is for the wonderful Faithless by Kjell Ola Dahl. I'm really going to have to stop reading Orenda books as they keep adding whole series of books that I want to read to my TBR because I want to read everything each author has written! 

Faithless

When the body of a woman turns up in a dumpster, scalded and wrapped in plastic, Inspector Frank Frølich is shocked to discover that he knows her—and their recent meetings may hold the clue to her murder. As he begins to look deeper into the tragic events surrounding her death, Frølich’s colleague Gunnarstranda finds another body, and things take a more sinister turn. With a cold case involving the murder of a young girl in northern Norway casting a shadow, and an unsettling number of coincidences clouding the plot, Frølich is forced to look into his own past to find the answers—and the killer—before he strikes again. Dark, brooding and utterly chilling, atmospheric page-turner marks the return of an internationally renowned and award-winning series, from one of the fathers of Nordic Noir.

My Review

You can immediately tell why Kjell Ola Dahl is one of the forerunners in the Nordic Noir genre, the writing is beautiful and the storytelling is incredibly well thought out that it's just a pleasure to read. 

Faithless is straight to the point and is very traditional in it's investigation style of the crime, it shows that it takes time to discover and research and solve crimes and that not all murders are solved by a sudden aha moment with some new technology. It's very refreshing to see this as a throw back to how crime novels used to be and I thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace and methodical nature of the book. I also really enjoyed Inspector Frank Frølich, his dedication and experience shine through and feel really authentic. I feel like he is believable as not just a character but as a real person and can imagine him working away in a police station solving crimes. 

The location stands out as its described perfectly and it feels like an extra supporting character who helps the story along, It's both beautiful and haunting and makes me want to visit right now. 

Faithless is the seventh book in the series and having not read the other six, I was still able to jump right in and treat this as a stand alone. As I said in my intro though, it now means I have six other books I need to go find and read because of how much I enjoyed Faithless. 

Faithless is chilling and compulsive reading and a great gateway to reading Nordic noir. Easily read in one sitting as the atmosphere consumes you and the story's twists and turns take you on a thrilling ride to the ending which is absolutely stunning. 

Overall an excellent novel and one I will be recommending from here on out. 

About The Author

One of the fathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since published eleven novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In 2000 he won the Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he won both the prestigious Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. His work has been published in 14 countries, and he lives in Oslo.

Don't Forget To Follow The Rest Of The Tour

Deadly Game by Matt Johnson - Blog Tour Review

Another exciting Orenda Books blog tour today for Life Of A Nerdish Mum. I had the pleasure of reading Deadly Game by Matt Johnson and I'm sharing my review. 

Deadly Game

Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed. Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay’s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all… Picking up where the bestselling Wicked Game left off, Deadly Game sees Matt Johnson’s damaged hero fighting on two fronts. Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy … and a shocking fate. 

My Review

Right from page one I could tell the quality of the writing and I knew I would enjoy this book. The standard of writing continues throughout the whole of the book and the author shows his skill with the written word. 

Robert Finlay, the main character, is a very complex and well developed character. He is suffering greatly from previous occurrences and you can really feel how close he is to breaking due to the stress. He is a likeable character though and you really feel for him as he deals with that along side of dealing with his hard work life. I felt the authors real life experience really showed in the work side of the story and added an authenticity to the investigation. 

Deadly Game deals with sex trafficking which is a very real and serious problem around the world today so it is very important that we talk about it no matter how hard it is, I feel it was covered realistically and definitely in no way glamorises anything about the industry. It shows how very easily someone can get caught up in it because of how clever the traffickers are, 

Though Deadly Game is the second book in the series, it can very easily be read as a stand alone, my only warning would be that if you do plan on reading book one, Wicked Game, (which I fully recommend that you do) then do that first as during Deadly Game it does give away what happens throughout the first book. 

The plot twists and turns and the story is incredibly planned out. There's very little I can say without giving spoilers as so much happens in Deadly Game. It's fast paced and keeps you on your toes till the very end. 

A definite recommendation from me and I will be looking forward to the next instalment in the Robert Finlay series. 

About The Author

Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for 25 years. Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1993, and one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent’s Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People’s Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital. Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism. One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition. His bestselling thriller, Wicked Game, which was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger, was the result. Deadly Game once again draws on Matt’s experiences and drips with the same raw authenticity of its predecessor.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour stops

Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski - Blog Tour Review

I've been waiting patiently and finally the day has come when I can share my review of Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski! Today marks the turn of Life Of A Nerdish Mum on the blog tour for this amazing book. 

Six Stories

The novel is constructed as a series of podcasts, in which an investigative journalist describes the circumstances around the death of a teenaged boy in an outward-bound centre, interviewing witnesses, suspects and people close to the incident. Their six accounts form the six stories of the title, creating a "chilling and compelling, page-turning thriller that also delves deep into notions of truth, perception and loyalty"

My Review

Another amazing 5 star read from Orenda Books. I swear Karen has a golden touch when picking out books to publish! 

Six Stories is an absolute breath of fresh air in the crime genre with an incredibly modern and unique way of presenting a story. The story is told in the form of pod casts that cover six interviews with people involved with the murder of a teenager twenty years previously. 

The writing is beautiful and easily draws you in, making you feel like you are listening to the pod casts as they are being broadcast - in fact this is the first book that I've ever wished I could listen to in audio because I think it would be perfect. The interviews are personal and are at times uncomfortable both from the person being interviewed and the reader. The way the story unfolds from different perspectives is so smoothly done and I was kept fully immersed the entire time I was reading. 

Matt Wesolowski has really captured the complex relationships of teenagers as well as their thoughts and feelings. Each character, both likeable and un-likeable are all extremely well fleshed out and believable. Scott King I found fascinating and his narration throughout the book really added to the atmosphere instead of disturbing it, he also added important information without feeling like it was being tagged on or info-dumped. It was skillfully done and I really enjoyed the whole experience. 

Scarclaw Fell, the site of the murder is a character completely in it's own right with its overpowering presence and beauty, Matt Wesolowski describes Scarclaw Fell in such a way that you can picture yourself within it and feel it around you as you are reading with the trees looming over you. 

Overall an excellent read and one I think everyone needs to go out and try as it's something so new and exciting, but with a theme that's recognisable and comfortable. 

I gave Six Stories 5 stars. 

About The Author

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor and leads Cuckoo Young Writers creative writing workshops for young people in association with New Writing North. 

Wesolowski started his writing career in horror and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous magazines and US anthologies.

Wesolowski's debut novella ‘The Black Land‘ a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013 by Blood Bound Books and his latest horror novella set in the forests of Sweden is available in 'Dimension 6' magazine through Coeur De Lion Publishing.

Wesolowski was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at 'Bloody Scotland'; Crime Writing Festival 2015, his subsequent debut crime novel 'Six Stories' will be available through Orenda Books in the spring of 2017

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour stops

Cursed by Thomas Enger - Blog Tour Review

As always I am happy to be part of the Orenda Books blog tour for Cursed by Thomas Enger. I am bringing my review of this wonderful book. 

Cursed

When Hedda Hellberg fails to return from a retreat in Italy, where she has been grieving for her recently dead father, her husband discovers that his wife’s life is tangled in mystery. Hedda never left Oslo, the retreat has no record of her and, what’s more, she appears to be connected to the death of an old man, gunned down on the first day of the hunting season in the depths of the Swedish forests. Henning Juul becomes involved in the case when his ex-wife joins in the search for the missing woman, and the estranged pair find themselves enmeshed both in the murky secrets of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, and in the painful truths surrounding the death of their own son. With the loss of his son to deal with, as well as threats to his own life and to that of his ex-wife, Juul is prepared to risk everything to uncover a sinister maze of secrets that ultimately leads to the dark heart of European history.

My Review

I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down! The dual stories suck you right in and I didn't want to surface till I knew what had happened. 

Cursed in the fourth Henning Juul novel, but this is the first one I have read and it can very easily be read as a stand alone. There are mentions to previous happenings, but they are very clear so you aren't left wondering what happened or if you have missed something. 

Henning Juul and Nora Klemetson are absolutely wonderful characters, They are both so strong and are dealing with such a horrendous loss each in their own way, but they still carry on, they help people and keep going in their work. Their relationship was also heartbreaking to read and I couldn't help but root for them throughout no matter what had happened and no matter that Nora was in the process of moving on. 

The writing and story is gritty and hard hitting. The story not only follows a mystery, but it delves into the seedy underground world of enforcers and fight clubs. Everything is covered really well and how things work is extremely well thought out. I don't want to say too much about the plot as it has been so expertly woven that I would hate to spoil anything. There were things that shocked me and when I thought I had things figured, everything changed. 

I thoroughly loved this book and I will definitely be going out to pick up the other Henning Juul books so that I can enjoy more of this brilliant writing and characters. I am also excited about more books following in this series. 

About The Author

Thomas Enger was born in Oslo in 1973, but grew up in Jessheim. He has an education in journalism, and has also studied sports and history. He worked at the Norwegian online newspaper Nettavisen for nine years.

He has composed music and written books since the age of 18. He is also working on a musical.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour

Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson - Blog Tour Review

I'm super excited today to be a part of the blog tour for Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson. For my stop I have my review of what I thought about this wonderful book. 

Rupture

1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…
In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He’s assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik, who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them. 

My Review

Rupture is my first Ragnar Jonasson book and I realise I've been missing out! Rupture is the fourth book in the Dark Iceland series but can definitely be read as a stand alone like I did, however I do now need to go back and read them all! 

First things first, the cover is absolutely stunning and really reflects the isolation and cold from the book. Also I am eternally grateful for the pronunciation guide in the front of the book as it immediately helped me immerse myself in the story without spending time sounding out words and names that were unfamiliar to me. 

The story is a slow burn and weaves beautifully between two storylines. As you get further into the book, the pace builds up and leads to a crescendo for both cases which both took a direction that I had not expected at all. The story telling is clear and really well thought out and everything worked out really well. 

I really enjoyed the character Ari Thór and I liked how he went about investigating the cold case and his interaction with people in the community. I also think the friendship/partnership that was developed between him and Ísrún was really good as it was built on mutual need and respect. Ísrún was also a really interesting character and I think there will be a lot more to her story going forward.

The location itself feels like a character in its own right, you can feel the oppressive isolation, especially during the threat of a contagious and killer disease and I certainly kept myself wrapped in my blanket as I felt the cold. 

Overall an absolutely wonderful book and I have discovered a new favourite author. 

I gave Rupture 5 stars. 

About The Author

Ragnar Jonasson is author of the international bestselling Dark Iceland series.

His debut Snowblind, first in the Dark Iceland series, went to number one in the Amazon Kindle charts shortly after publication. The book was also a no. 1 Amazon Kindle bestseller in Australia.

Snowblind was selected by The Independent as one of the best crime novels of 2015 in the UK.

Books in the Dark Iceland series have been published in the UK, Germany, Poland and Iceland, and rights have also been sold to the USA, France and Italy.

Ragnar was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he works as a writer and a lawyer. He also teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University and has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV-news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service.

Ragnar is a member of the UK Crime Writers' Association (CWA) and recently set up the first overseas chapter of the CWA, in Reykjavik.

He is also the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland Noir.

From the age of 17, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic.

Ragnar has also had short stories published internationally, including in the distinguished Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in the US, the first stories by an Icelandic author in that magazine.

He has appeared on festival panels worldwide, and lives in Reykjavik with his wife and young daughters.

Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb - Blog Tour Review

Today I am very excited to be on the blog tour for Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb and I will be bringing to you my review of this extremely exciting book. 

Deep Down Dead

Lori Anderson is as tough as they come, managing to keep her career as a fearless Florida bounty hunter separate from her role as single mother to nine-year-old Dakota, who suffers from leukaemia. But when the hospital bills start to rack up, she has no choice but to take her daughter along on a job that will make her a fast buck. And that’s when things start to go wrong. The fugitive she’s assigned to haul back to court is none other than her former mentor JT—the man who taught her everything she knows. Not only is JT fighting a child exploitation racket operating out of one of Florida’s biggest theme parks, Winter Wonderland, a place where "bad things never happen," but he’s also mixed up with the powerful Miami Mob. With two fearsome foes on their tails, just three days to get JT back to Florida, and her daughter to protect, Lori has her work cut out for her. When they’re ambushed at a gas station, the stakes go from high to stratospheric, and things become personal.

My Review

Deep Down Dead is one of the most fast paced, thrill of a roller-coaster book that I have read in a long time!

Lori Anderson is a strong but flawed badass of a main character and I loved her voice. I enjoyed reading the whole book in what I pictured to be Southern American accent, it immersed me so much more into the world of the book and what was happening. I thought her relationship with her daughter was very realistic as it was full of unconditional love, snark, laughter, back chat and feeling like a failure. 

I also fell Deep Down in love with J.T. He is such a great character and has still so much to share that I already can't wait to find out more about him going forward into the next book! He is your typical tall, strong bad boy with a soft side. But he's a bad boy for justice which just makes it hotter! The relationship between him and Lori is intense and you can feel the heat between them whenever they are in the same room together. He is also an absolute sweetheart with Lori's daughter Dakota which was really good to see. 

From the moment the story started it takes you on a ride and you just cannot get off till you're done. Steph Broadribb leaves just enough breathing space between action to keep you going before hitting you in the face with the next bit of action. 

I don't think that I've ever read anything with a bounty hunter in before (or watched Dog The Bounty Hunter), so I found it really interesting seeing somewhat how the work and I loved the rules that both Lori and J.T. followed. 

Overall an absolutely excellent book and one I recommend to everyone. I read this in two sittings and that was only because I needed sleep so that I could be an adult, or I would have definitely read it all in one go. 

I gave this book a very big five stars! 

About The Author

Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alter ego - Crime Thriller Girl - she indulges her love of all things crime fiction by blogging at www.crimethrillergirl.com where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases.

Steph is an alumni of the MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California. She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded by horses, cows and chickens.

DEEP DOWN DEAD is her debut novel.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour!

Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas - Day 6

Half way through and I have my stand out book from June which I was actually lucky enough to be part of the blog tour for, my post is here. 

Day 6 - June Book - Deadly Harvest by Michael Stanley

A young girl goes missing after getting into a car with a mysterious man. Soon after, a second girl disappears, and her devastated father, Witness, sets out to seek revenge. As the trail goes cold, Samantha Khama – new recruit to the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department – suspects the girl was killed for muti, the traditional African medicine usually derived from plants, sometimes animals, and, recently and most chillingly, human parts. When the investigation gets personal, Samantha enlists opera-loving wine connoisseur Assistant Superintendent David ‘Kubu’ Bengu to help her dig into the past. As they begin to discover a pattern to the disappearances, there is another victim, and Kubu and Samantha are thrust into a harrowing race to stop a serial killer who has only one thing in mind …

My Thoughts

This was my second Michael Stanley book, my first being A Death In The Family which I read and reviewed all the way back in 2015 (my review for that is here). I've mentioned in both my reviews previously but as it's one of the reasons I think this book stands out to me, I'm going to mention it again. The fact that these books are written by more than one person is just amazing. I've read books before that are co-authored and you can tell which section or chapter is written by each author, but it is just not that way with the Detective Kubu books. The writing is all smooth and cohesive so when I first discovered it was a two man team I was really shocked. 

Another reason this book stands out is the characters. I adore Detective Kubu, he is just such a wonderfully well rounded character. I love the fact that he's such a family man and is in a happy marriage, adores his kids and he is really close with his parents; It's such a nice touch when books are dealing with crime and darkness to have one shining light of joy to keep the balance. 

I really feel that I have learnt a lot from reading Deadly Harvest in particular about Botswana. The books have introduced me to Setswana, one of the languages spoken in Botswana as well as different traditions and cultures, all interspersed with police work and family life. The subject of Deadly Harvest also introduced the darker side of the culture and I ended up doing a lot of my own research following reading it which is good as I love books that make me want to expand my knowledge and really know about the subject they have brought up. 

Overall though I am specifically saying that Deadly Harvest was my stand out book in June, I would definitely recommend the Detective Kubu series as a whole. 

About The Authors

Michael Stanley is the writing partnership of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Michael lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Stanley in Minneapolis.
We have travelled extensively in Southern Africa and have a special love of Botswana, where our detective novels are set.