Frozen Minds by Cheryl Rees-Price - Blog Tour Guest Post

Today on Life Of A Nerdish Mum I have an extremely interesting guest post from Cheryl Rees-Price as part of the Frozen Minds blog tour, so without further ado, I'll hand straight over to Cheryl.

WEAPONS AND POISONS

One of the grisly aspects of crime writing is researching methods to kill off your characters.  I tend to have a dark sense of humour so the more unusual or ridiculous the weapon the more appealing. Saying that, I’m also squeamish so I try to avoid the violent and gory end.

When choosing a method a lot depends on the character and circumstances. If it is a spur of the moment act then it will be the first thing to hand. If it’s a planned revenge then there is more scope to find a method fitting for the character’s demise.

My research has turned up some bizarre methods most of which are true life crimes. The umbrella murders being among the most well-known. One made use of a micro engineered pellet containing ricin which was fired into the leg with the umbrella, the second used an injection of mercury attached to the umbrella. The umbrella is not the only innocent item to have be used in a crime. A corkscrew (ouch!), Xbox, prosthetic leg, breasts, and a desert spoon to name a few. This demonstrates that almost anything can be used as a murder weapon.

When it comes to poisons there are also many options and variations. Most medicines when taken in small doses are fine but larger quantities can be fatal. The amount of poison needed to be fatal depends on the person’s weight and general well-being. Not all poisons kill instantly. Ricin for example, it’s said, can kill up to 36,000 people with 1 gram yet in the only recorded case in Britain it took the victim four days to die. This gives a greater opportunity in fiction writing for increasing the number of suspects. The longer the time period the more people and places the victim could have come into contact with.

Poisons can be given in small doses over a length of time or in a fatal dose. When using poisons in fiction writing it’s important to consider the availability, effectiveness, and detectability.  Nicotine, for example, is widely available, it can be bought over the counter or extracted in liquid form. (I won’t give details on how to do that!) It can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled or injected. A lethal dose is 40 to 60 mg’s and death can occur instantly. The downside is it is easily detectable in a PM.

Plants and fungi are another source of available poisons. (If you know where to look) Destroying Angel and Death Cap are among the most deadly fungi. Ingesting only three of one of these could prove fatal. These poisons can be slow acting and even fool the victim into thinking they are making a recovery only to be hit with renal failure a few days later, nasty! Plants such as Wolfs bane have both poisonous leaves and roots, it only takes 1mg to be lethal. This is one of the oldest poisons, well known to the ancient Greeks.  

The problem for our fictional detective is proving beyond any reasonable doubt that the person accused actually administered the poison. That the victim actually died from the poisoning and the accused intended to kill the victim. This can be quite tricky.

I now have a catalogue of weapons and poisons. I’m just waiting for the next deserving character (fictional of course!).

Thank you so much to Cheryl for this fascinating (if slightly terrifying) guest post. I'm definitely looking forward to reading which method Cheryl decides to use next!

Frozen Minds

When a man is found murdered at Bethesda House, a home for adults with learning difficulties, local people start to accuse the home's residents of being behind the killing. The victim was a manager at the home, and seemingly a respectable and well-liked family man. DI Winter Meadows knows there's more to the case than meets the eye. As he and his team investigate, Meadows discovers a culture of fear at the home - and some unscrupulous dealings going on between the staff. Does the answer to the case lie in the relationships between the staff and the residents - or is there something even more sinister afoot?

Links

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September 2016 Bookish Wrap Up

Well where did the time go? By the time I've got around to doing my September wrap up it's almost time to do my October wrap up!! Between mini Nerdling starting pre-school and me getting the flu, I've just been swamped keeping up to date with everything so my wrap up got pushed to one side, but I finally am catching up (hopefully).

Ok so firstly my Getting To Know... feature is still going strong and I've had some absolutely awesome people on again in September. If you've missed any, here they are again for you:

Claire Knight - Crime Book Junkie
Claire Morley - author of "Tindog Tacloban"
Denise Erguler - author of "The Adventures Of Shifting Jack"
Susan Moody - author of "Penny Black"
Joy Wood - author of "For The Love Of Emily"
Cassandra Parkin - author of "Lily's House"
Graham Smith - author of "Snatched From Home"
Mary-Jane Riley - author of "The Bad Things"
Dane Cobain - author of "No Rest For The Wicked"

I've got plenty of exciting people coming up too so I hope you're still enjoying reading my interviews.

Myself and my buddy reader F, finished The Count Of Monte Cristo in September (look out for that review soon) and we started our next read, which is The Essential Kafka by Franz Kafka. It's definitely a lot different to anything I've read before so we'll see how we get on with it!

September for reading was another slow reading month for me, I didn't read as much as I would have liked (small spoiler for October I think I'm getting over my slump, but shh I don't want to scare it away). The books I did read are

Panterra: The Machinist by Gary L. Ward - 4 Stars
Pumpkintown Perils: A Cozy Mystery Collection by Aubrey Law - 4 Stars
Hunted: The Zodiac Murders by Mark Hewitt - 4 Stars
Captain America, Vol. 3: Loose Nuke by Rick Remender - 3 Stars
The Fury Of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, Vol. 3: Takeover - 4 Stars
Shadow Of The Beast by Michael Fowler - 5 Stars
The Count Of Monte Cristo - 5 Stars
Time For A Short Story by Julia Roberts - 5 Stars

It was another busy month of blog tours and book blitzes in September and that will continue over the next few months which is incredibly exciting for me, I really enjoy being part of the book community and being able to chat about books!

So that's a quick over view of my bookish September, do you remember what you read in September? If not what are you reading now?

Three Weeks Dead by Rebecca Bradley - Review

Blurb

How far would you go if someone took your wife? 

Especially, if you buried her a week ago. 

When Jason Wells is faced with this scenario, he is confronted with the prospect of committing a crime that will have far-reaching consequences. 

Can young DC Sally Poynter get through to him before he crosses that line, or does a desperate husband prove to be the case she won’t ever forget? 

Review

I have never read a Rebecca Bradley book before, but that did not affect me reading this as it is a prequel to her DI Hannah Robbins series. I actually think this is a great jumping in point if you've never read her books before to get a feel for the characters. After reading this I will definitely be moving on to read her other published work in the series. 

The story follows new recruit DC Sally Poynter as she gets involved with her first case on the major incidents team and as she tries to find her place within that team. I instantly took a liking to Sally as she felt so very human, she was nervous and unsure and you could sense her feeling of wanting to fit in. She was also hard working and just needed to find her footing to gain confidence in herself. She was very relatable to me. 

I also really liked the small bits of DI Hannah Robbins that we got to see, it was a nice introduction to her from a viewpoint of a team member. She seems very good at her job, both with the investigating side as well as managing her team.

The story itself is fast paced but yet feels like a full story rather than a novella. There is just enough going on without it feeling crammed or without losing sight of the main story. The idea of kidnapping a dead body to manipulate was a new concept and I though it was done really well. The police procedure side of things was done to perfection, just enough to be realistic, but not enough for it to slow down the story. 

I think overall this was an absolutely excellent story and I'm incredibly glad that I had the chance to read it and discover a new to me crime writer. 

I gave this book a full 5 stars. 

Land Of Midnight Days - Katrina Jack

I was very lucky to receive an e-book copy of Land Of Midnight Days direct from the author, Katrina Jack, in exchange for an honest review. 

Omgoodness this book sucks you right in and doesn't let you out until its done! Land Of Midnight Days is fast paced and action packed. I genuinely couldn't put this book down when I picked it up as I needed to know what happened next. 

Jeremiah the main character is a half Elwyn/half human and a genius with the flute. He is an amazing character, he is broken but he refuses to give up. I think he is also the first mute character that I have come across and it was really interesting watching the struggle of trying to make himself understood when the other person couldn't use sign language. I thought this was all handled extremely well and the author also highlighted the presumptions that people have about differently abled people. I think the description in the synopsis of Jeremiah is perfect, he knows how to survive, but not how to live. 

The characters are all fleshed out really well and there isn't a single character that I didn't find interesting. The author has updated elves, ogres and demons in a really interesting way and in a way to make them work in an urban environment instead of rolling hills and valleys. Apart from Jeremiah, I really liked the characters of Joe, Big Fred and I thought Ezra's character wasn't nice but was interesting. As a parent I just couldn't find anything redeeming in either Sylvan or Zeb as both of them let Jeremiah down in the worst way time and time again. 

The world described is one of violence and of people just trying to survive. It is a very bleak place and one that can be recognised as somewhere we could end up one day. You can feel the hopelessness of the population, though there are spots of light that are shining through the darkness and hopefully they will be the one to succeed by the end of the story. 

I'm not sure why I have never heard of this series before or why more people aren't talking about it. I would 100% recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy or urban fantasy. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the books in the series to find out what happens next to Jeremiah and the other characters. 

I gave this book 5 stars. 

Land Of Midnight Days 

What would you do if your life was filled with fear: hide, run away - or would you fight back? In a city at war with itself, Jeremiah Tully already knows how to survive, now he must learn how to live. Mute from birth, of mixed race heritage and his only possession a charmed flute, Jeremiah tries to discover where his remarkable talent as a musician will take him.

Shadow Of The Beast by Michael Fowler - Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the Shadow Of The Beast by Michael Fowler blog tour and I'm excited to bring you my 5* review! 

Shadow Of The Beast synopsis

A DS Hunter Kerr Novel

‘A new terror is sweeping Barnwell and Hunter faces a killer whose evil surpasses all others.’

The discovery of a skeleton buried beneath the altar of an old chapel should not have raised an eyebrow, but this one was different. This one had been savagely murdered, and all the evidence points to the blood-thirsty killer the press have dubbed ‘The Beast of Barnwell’; a killer who has already served time for the brutal murder of a young girl and is now free.

Is this his handiwork?

In the midst of the enquiry, a 22 year old woman is abducted on her way home from work. Is there a link?

To add to Hunter’s workload his former boss, Michael Robshaw, is deliberately mown down and left for dead.

Why?

In his search for the truth Hunter returns to his undercover roots - with deadly consequences.

My Review

Let me start by saying that I absolutely loved this book! It was my first Michael Fowler book and I will be going out to read all his previous books too. Shadow of the Beast is the fifth outing of DS Hunter Kerr, but this can definitely be read as a stand alone or as your first taste of Michael Fowler's writing. 

Shadow of the Beast is very well written and is fast paced and easy to read. There is enough police lingo to make it feel realistic and to submerse you in the story without losing a lay person with too much jargon. The police procedure side was also shown just enough to give an idea of what the police have to go through in an investigation without it slowing the pace of the book or lessening the excitement. 

DS Hunter Kerr is an amazing lead man, he is hard when he needs to be but has a soft side which is shown in his relationships with his friends and family alike. It's nice to see another hardened police man with a happy marriage and children. I also think his relationship with his partner Beth is brilliant, there is no sexual tension, they are just two really good friends with a healthy dose of competition between them to be the best. 

The main story follows a discovery of bones beneath a demolished church and moves quickly from there when other remains are found and then all seem to be linked to the "Beast Of Barnwell". It was interesting to see the investigation go from having no leads, to it picking up pace the further into it they got, it felt like a really natural progression. You're kept guessing at what's been going on and who it could be and I was actually surprised at the end. 

Overall between the excellent story-line and the extremely likeable characters I really enjoyed this book and I flew through it. I will be (and have been) recommending this book to people! 

About The Author

Michael Fowler was born and brought up in the Dearne Valley area of Yorkshire where he still lives with his wife.

At the age of 16 he left school with the ambition of going to art college but his parents’ financial circumstances meant he had to find work and so he joined the police.

He has never regretted that decision, serving as a police officer for thirty-two years, both in uniform and in plain clothes, working in CID, and undercover in Vice Squad and Drug Squad, retiring as an Inspector in charge of a busy CID in 2006.

Since leaving Michael has embarked on two careers: he is an established author with two crime series to his name: DS Hunter Kerr and DS Scarlett Macey, and he has also co-written a true crime story.

He is a member of the Crime Writers Association and International Thriller Writers.

Michael has also found considerable success as an artist, receiving numerous artistic accolades. Currently his work can be found in the galleries of Spencer Coleman Fine Arts at Lincoln and  Stamford.

Find out more at  www.mjfowler.co.uk

or follow him on Twitter @MichaelFowler1

Pre Order Shadow Of The Beast HERE

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

Hunted: The Zodiac Murders - Mark Hewitt

Recently I have been wanting to read more non fiction and one of my favourite things to do while ironing, cleaning etc is to watch documentaries on serial killers. It's my guilty pleasure. In turn I also enjoy reading about serial killers and so when I got the chance to read Hunted: The Zodiac Murders by Mark Hewitt I jumped at it.

I have seen documentaries on the Zodiac killer, so I knew a lot of the basic information about the killings and the investigation, I actually thought I knew quite a lot but this book certainly proved that I didn't. There is so much information that I had never heard before and so many leads which sound incredibly interesting that would have changed my perspective about the whole situation had I heard them before.

This book is incredibly well researched and is very well written, there is no sensationalising of the facts or any particularly biased opinions forced upon the reader. The author very clearly lays out the information and in chronological order which I always think is a bonus.

There were at times what I felt like information dumps, which I can imagine was very hard to prevent with how much information was being presented throughout the book, but there were two occasions I had to stop myself from skimming because I was getting too much information to process in one go. Having only two moments of this though in a long book with a lot of information is actually really good.

Overall a very good and fascinating read and one I will recommend. I am also now looking forward to future books in this series by Mark Hewitt.

Thank you very much to Genius Book Publishing for a copy of Hunted in exchange for an honest review.

Hunted: The Zodiac Killers is now available HERE. 

Synopsis

The Zodiac occupies a special place in the annals of the “Serial Killer Hall of Fame.” Claiming the lives of at least 5 young victims and taunting the police in telephone calls and cryptic letters, he terrorised Northern California from 1966 to 1974 and beyond. Despite his appalling acts of violence, he was never arrested—he has never even been identified. 

Thousands of men have been accused; nearly 2,500 have been investigated. The police lack only the name of the perpetrator. Never has there been more passionate interest in the Zodiac serial killer. Never has there been more FOIA-released information on his crime spree and the subsequent law enforcement investigation. Yet, never before has a carefully-researched scholarly treatment of this otherwise eminently solvable riddle been attempted. That is, until now.

Getting To Know... Mary-Jane Riley

Today on Getting To Know... I have the lovely author of The Bad Things and After She Fell, Mary-Jane Riley. She took time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. 

Your two novels, The Bad Things and After She Fell, are both psychological thrillers, what in particular draws you to that genre?

I’ve always loved reading all things crime, but I think psychological thrillers are more concerned with extraordinary things that happen to ordinary people and the way they deal with them. That’s what I like to explore. The struggle for survival. Actually, crime writer Belinda Bauer puts it really well: ‘Life is the river and crime is the rocks. It’s only when we hit a rock that we find out whether we are one of life’s swimmers – or one of life’s sinkers.” Neat, isn’t it?

You have worked as a journalist, is writing an article and writing a novel completely different or do you go about it in a similar way?

It is pretty similar (except for the length!) in that you have to have a great opening paragraph, a fabulous middle and an intriguing and satisfying end. The first paragraph of an article has to hook the reader in, so does the first paragraph of a book. Both disciplines use the six Ws – What, Who, When, Where, Why and How. Working for BBC NewsOnline meant we had to be extremely accurate in our facts – something I’m still a little obsessed with but am learning that I’m writing fiction – and in our grammar and spelling. Mind you, when I had the first lot of edits for THE BAD THINGS from my editor I’d made so many errors despite reading it through a million times, I felt very ashamed! One thing that has stood me in good stead is that when writing news stories you have to put it together and get it written very quickly. You also had to use simple words, straightforward construction. I try to do all that now in my fiction.

You have also worked as a BBC radio talk show host, can you tell me what that was like?

Enormous fun! I interviewed all sorts of people from writers (Ruth Rendell, P.D.James to name only two) to politicians (slippery) to stars of the entertainment world (mixed) to ordinary people who had a story to tell. They were generally the most interesting – the woman whose daughter had been murdered and how she, the mother, had been living with the fact they never caught the killer; the man who was transitioning to become a woman; a man living with AIDS; a girl who was paraplegic due to a skiing accident; a couple who were living with having won the lottery. All sorts. Many years ago I did a programme on an Independent radio station late at night where I had an expert in the studio and people ringing in about their sex problems. I learned a lot from that.

You and two friends formed a group that helps charities in telling their stories, can you tell me more about that?

Yes, it started in a small way when Sue Welfare (a fabulous writer of romantic comedies and now psychological thrillers) asked me and a qualified counselor, Andrea, to help disadvantaged people to write their life stories. Anyone could come along. It was a free course in conjunction with the BBC and the University of East Anglia. By the end of six weeks everybody had a paragraph about their lives to take home. It was wonderful seeing how people blossomed. We did that for about three years, then branched out as Write Out Loud into helping people with disabilities, elderly people, and people with serious illnesses to write about their lives. A few years ago we were asked to go to a conference in Nigeria to take writing classes for aid workers. That was so interesting and eye-opening in all sorts of ways, not least because Nigeria is not the most settled of countries.

Do you find yourself drawing inspiration from your time as a journalist when plotting your stories?

Most definitely! I’m a bit like a magpie, taking elements from this news story and that news story to make up my own. I still trawl news websites and read a newspaper everyday. It’s also useful to have been at police press conferences and spoken to police officers in the course of my work….but in the past I covered stories that would almost be too much for fiction!

When you're writing do you have a set routine or a certain place you enjoy to sit?

I like to write first thing in the morning… it’s a habit left over from when I did a lot of early shifts…I had to be writing copy at six o’clock in the morning so I’m quite fresh first thing…. But I don’t get up that early any more! I like writing at my desk in the spare bedroom. The window looks out over the common so I see trees and grass and wildlife. I also write notes in longhand at the kitchen table and also sit outside when its sunny. I’m yet to try the coffee shop/library option, but I think that may come.

When you're not working what would we find you doing?

Being very boring! Reading, walking the dog, plotting, going to the cinema. Cooking (I love reading cookery books). Enjoying when my family come home for the weekend. Watching the latest Game of Thrones – I’ve only got one more episode to go!!!! What will I do then???

Do you have a favourite author?

I love Daphne Du Maurier, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James, Belinda Bauer, Louise Doughty, Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, Lee Child (I’m a little in love with Jack Reacher), Helen Dunmore (Her latest, Exposure, is just magnificent) and recently discovered William Shaw….I could go on….

What is your favourite thing about being an author?

Entertaining people. That’s all I want to do with my books… write something I want to write and that people will enjoy.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

Well, I’m writing the third book featuring Alex Devlin (my journalist protagonist in THE BAD THINGS and AFTER SHE FELL) and I have an idea for a standalone psychological thriller that I am very excited about…

Thank you so much to Mary-Jane for answering my questions!

To connect with Mary

Mary's Facebook Page
Twitter - @mrsmjriley
Instagram - maryjanerileyauthor

The Bad Things

Alex Devlin’s life changed forever fifteen years ago when her sister Sasha's two small children were snatched in broad daylight. Little Harry’s body was found a few days later, but Millie’s remains were never discovered.

Now Jackie Wood, jailed as an accessory to the twins’ murder, has been released, her conviction quashed by the Appeal Court. Convinced Jackie can reveal where Millie is buried, Alex goes to meet her.

But the unexpected information Wood reveals shocks Alex to the core and threatens to uncover the dark secret she has managed to keep under wraps for the past fifteen years. Because in the end, can we ever really know what is in the hearts of those closest to us?

To buy a copy of The Bad Things click here for UK and here for USA

After She Fell

There are so many ways to fall…

Catriona needs help. Her seventeen-year-old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. The death has been ruled a suicide, but Catriona isn’t convinced.

When her old friend, journalist Alex Devlin, arrives in Hallow’s Edge to investigate, she quickly finds that life at private boarding school The Drift isn’t as idyllic as the bucolic setting might suggest.

Amidst a culture of drug-taking, bullying and tension between school and village, no one is quite who they seem to be, and there are several people who might have wanted Elena to fall…

To buy a copy of After She Fell, click here for the UK and here for the USA

Everyday Monsters - Ellie Robbins

I was very lucky to receive an e-book copy of Everyday Monsters direct from the author Ellie Robbins.

Everyday Monsters follows Taylor, a homeless girl who earns money by participating in a fight club, when one night everything changes.

This book had me hooked right from the beginning, Taylor is such an interesting character and the story really got going right from page one. I loved the opening which consisted of a flash back to when Taylor was a little girl and she first started seeing things that couldn't be real...or could they? It was very intense.

Taylor meets Evan on a night where everything seems to be going wrong and people actually seem to want to kill her. He offers to take her away from living on the streets and all the bad stuff happening to go and live at a special school which takes on and looks after teenagers with talents.

The first part of the story reminded me a bit of X-Men and Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, in the fact there is a school for children with talents (or powers) and other parallels but wrapped up in an awesome YA package.

The writing is well done and the characters are all well fleshed out. I really liked Yumiko and Gabriel, but Evan I couldn't make my mind up on. One of my favourite characters is 100% Chester, but I don't want to say anything too much about him as he's a very nice surprise.

Everyday Monsters is a very well put together origin story with just enough action to show off the start of Taylor's powers and as a good set up for a good series of books following this first one. I for one will definitely be waiting eagerly for the next book to see what happens next and to see how Taylor's powers fully come to light, especially regarding one aspect of them which I won't spoil.

I gave this book 5 stars and would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA.

Everyday Monsters is currently available to vote for on Kindle Scout, so if you like the sound of it from this review, or enjoy the sample on the Kindle Scout page, give it a nomination! There's currently (at time of publishing this post) 5 days left to vote. The link to check it out is HERE.

Everyday Monsters synopsis

Living shadows are only the beginning.

15 year old Taylor Brock is homeless, and she likes it that way. So when Evan, a boy who controls fire, tells her that she has super powers too, she's skeptical. Evan takes her to The Flagship, a haunted hotel turned boarding school with classes covering everything from math, magic and self-defense (super-powered, of course). When Taylor's friend goes missing and the school's administration turns a blind eye, she has to decide - will she help find her friend or go back to the streets?

August 2016 Bookish Wrap Up

Wow what a busy month August has been! My new feature, Getting To Know... has been a huge success and I'm so happy as I am very proud of the work that has gone into it so far! There's more Getting To Know... to come all through September and I am now booking in authors and bloggers for slots from November onwards! So definitely keep your eye out for all that excitement. If you missed any of my interviews this month, here is the list of people I've been lucky enough to have on Life Of A Nerdish Mum

Marie Campbell - author of "Baby"
Kate Moloney - Bibliophile Book Club
Tara Lyons - author of "In The Shadows"
Jo Hollywood - author of "An Unextraordinary Life"
Noelle Holten - Crime Book Junkie
Tracey Sinclair - author of The Cassandra Bick Chronicles
Abigail Osborne - author of The Puppet Master

I really hope everyone has been enjoying reading the interviews as much as I have in doing them!

I've also taken part in some awesome blog tours and I have more planned in the coming months which as usual is awesome and I really enjoy taking part.

My reading has been a lot slower this month and I've even had to renew my library books which I never normally have to do! I'm really hoping to reading a lot more in September and I'm definitely feeling more in the mood to start devouring some books, so that's a good sign. The books I did get around to reading in August are:

1. Imperium Omni: Captain's Edition by Matthew S. Thomas - 4 Stars
2. Tridea's Children by Kevin Peake - 2 Stars
3. Beetlebrow by Ben Parker - 4 Stars
4. Broken Samurai: A Combat Marine's Journey From Hero To Hitman - 4 Stars
5. The Joker: The Clown Prince Of Crime by Dennis O'Neil - 2 Stars
6. Stop Press Murder by Peter Bartram - 5 Stars

In august I also received exciting news that I had joined #thebteam which means that I am now part of the Bookollective family of bloggers. I'll have more information about that at a later date, but I'm super excited about joining!

For September I am participating in a bookstagram challenge created by The Geeky Yogi to get me back in the habit of posting daily again, so if you like looking at bookish and nerdish photos, come take a look at my instagram @nerdishmum and say hi!

I've got more plans in the pipeline for Life Of A Nerdish Mum in the future and I'm really excited about sharing them soon hopefully!

What have you been reading this month? Have you read anything that I've read, what did you think?

Getting To Know...Claire Knight

Claire Knight with the fab author C.L. Taylor

Today on Getting To Know... I am asking my questions of Claire Knight, reviewer on the fabulous blog Crime Book Junkie.

You review books on Crime Book Junkie, has crime fiction always been your favourite genre or do you love other genres too?

I have read crime fiction on and off for as long as I can remember; I grew up reading The Famous Five, Secret Seven and then progressed onto Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.  I developed a love for the real crime novels reading about the moors murders and taking an interest in the post mortem process reading Michael Baden’s Unnatural Death over and over again. I had a brief obsession with chick lit but then fell back in love with crime fiction when Mark Billingham released Sleepyhead.  I still do read other genres but crime is possibly my joint favourite with psychological thrillers.

Do you have a favourite author?

That’s like asking if I have a favourite child!! There are so many to choose from that I could be here till Christmas making a decision as I’d keep changing my mind.

Do you have a particular way that you organise your bookshelves or is it a free for all (like mine are right now)?

My bookshelves are a mess.  Two years ago when I found out I was pregnant, I had to have a clear out of my books because our spare room aka my library was to become the new nursery.  But since then, I’ve won books or been sent them by lovely authors or publishers.  I was at this year’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate and each day, I came back with a stack of books….so there are now piles of books scattered around the house that need to be homed!

A toughie for a reader - e-books, paperbacks or hardbacks?

I am a covert to the e-books.  Before my husband bought me a kindle, I was a staunch physical copy reader preferring paperbacks to hardbacks (they’re lighter after all).  But having a kindle has introduced me to so many new authors such as Mel Sherratt, Caroline Mitchell, Mel (M A) Comley.  These authors are one you probably wouldn’t find browsing in Waterstones so it’s a whole new set of authors that I’m exposed to and I love discovering new authors

Other than reading, do you have any other hobbies?

With two children, working four days a week and a house to look after, I don’t have much time.  I do like to watch TV and go shopping with friends.  

How many books do you read in a year? Do you set yourself an annual goal?

Last year I read 96 books but I did spend the first 8 months on maternity leave, In January I targeted 52 books (one a week) given I was going back to work so I couldn’t read as much as I did last year, but I’ve got a feeling I might hit that well before the end of the year as I’ve already hit 49.

What was your favourite book or series when you were growing up?

I think I read every Enid Blyton book going and then moved onto the likes of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Lois Duncan’s thrillers. But then is there any 80/90s girl who didn’t read Judy Blume or the Sweet Valley books – not so much crime but a rite of passage.

Do you have a favourite place to read?

Anywhere – in the car, on the sofa, in the garden, in bed…I’ve even been spotted reading at my desk or waiting for my husband outside of work particularly when the story has got me hook line and sinker and I’m desperate to finish it.

As you enjoy crime fiction, do you also enjoy watching crime series or crime documentaries on tv?

I prefer the crime drama series but I’m not averse to a documentary.  My recent favourite have been The Fall, Marcella, Death In Paradise, Sherlock, Daredevil.  I really want to find time to watch Making a Murderer

Have you been lucky enough to meet any authors?

Oh yes!! Apologies for the name drops but….. As I mentioned, I was at the Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival this year and I met a fair few authors such as Sarah Hilary, Clare Mackintosh, Mark Edwards, Jenny Blackhurst, Cally (C.L) Taylor and Tara Lyons to name but a few – in the signing tent, I met Mark Billingham, Ruth Ware, Beth Lewis and Dr Brooke Magnanti (aka Belle De Jour).  Also I am a member of THE Book Club on Facebook which organises regular get togethers in various locations around the UK; in February I was lucky enough to meet Steven Dunne, Graham Smith, Col Bury, Rita Brassington, Sarah Louise Jamson and David Videcette.  I’ve been to a few book signings, meeting Peter Robinson, Kimberley Chambers and Stuart MacBride. 

Thank you so much to Claire for answering my questions! 

To connect with Claire or check out her reviews

Twitter @ClaireK01959448
Crime Book Junkie website
Crime Book Junkie Facebook page

Beetlebrow - Ben Parker

I received a copy of Beetlebrow direct from the author Ben Parker in exchange for an honest review. 

Beetlebrow follows the story of two young girls, Beetlebrow and Pook, on a journey to deliver a message from one king to another to save their people. 

We start out with Beetlebrow and learning about her home life with her mum and two brothers which is terrible. It really sets the scene and you can feel the impoverishment of the town and of Beetlebrow's family. Her brothers are both just horrible human beings, but her mother does everything she can for the family. 

Without any spoilers, circumstances occur and Beetlebrow decides to leave and she goes to find Pook whom she had met in the market previously and had hit it off with and the story progresses from there. 

The book is well written, though there are a few minor things that have been missed in editing. I felt the world building was very strong and I could quite easily picture each town and place that is visited throughout the story. There is one part where they are crossing a desert and I really became immersed and I could feel the heat and dryness of it and just how awful it would have been.

Beetlebrow's character was also well developed and the decisions she made, made sense from what we knew about her life, especially as we also get to see more of her brothers personalities. Her relationship with her mother was really nice and I liked that we got to see more of it at points throughout the book. Pook however I felt that I never really got to know her as much and she seemed a bit one dimensional and she slept or was tired an awful lot throughout the story. I also felt that the description "her slim body" was overused for both her and Beetlebrow. 

The relationship between Beetlebrow and Pook isn't just a friendship, they become partners too as their love for each other becomes stronger. One of my favourite scenes in the book is when Beetlebrow is trying to tell Pook how she feels about her and she's explaining that when she saw girls talking to their friends she'd want to talk to her friends like that if she had any, but with Pook she feels that these things just aren't enough and she wants to say so much more. This to me is one of the best descriptions of how you feel when you love someone, everything just is so much more special with that person than with everyone else. 

I would definitely have preferred this book to be longer so that the journey felt a lot more epic. I feel a lot of scenes could have done with more time focusing on them so you got a real feel of the danger etc of what was happening at the time. But the story definitely does not feel rushed, this would just be my preference. Also I am hoping that there is a book following Beetlebrow as I would like to find out what happened following the decisions made at the end of the story. 

Overall though a really great book and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I am definitely hoping for a second book so I can continue following Beetlebrow's adventures. 

I started this book on the 12th of August 2016 and I finished it on the 20th of August 2016

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads