Beneath These Walls by Shade Owens [Audiobook]

Description from Goodreads:

"Six months ago, my husband tried to kill me.

Now, my sons and I are living in an old Victorian house passed down to me by my uncle. The house may be big, but the town is small... it's safe, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time. And best of all, it's very far away from my ex.

As soon as we move in, however, I discover that this house has an eerie reputation. Rumor has it my uncle was a mysterious man accused of atrocious things, which is drawing a lot of unwanted attention our way.

And the last thing we need is attention; we need to stay invisible if we want to stay alive.

But how can we remain invisible when things keep happening in this house? Strange things. Horrific things that has the whole town watching. Maybe even him. We were supposed to be safe here, but it's becoming glaringly apparent to me that we're in real danger.

Then I remind I'm a mother.

And a mother will do anything to protect her children."

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I have read/listened to a couple of Shade Owens' books before and enjoyed them and whilst this wasn't as good as the others, it still kept me engaged.

Alice/Emma have managed to escape her controlling and abusive husband with her two boys and is living in a large house she inherited from her uncle however, she doesn't feel safe and is paranoid and terrified that her husband will, eventually, find her.  This, together with a horrifying discovery in the basement and of mysterious handwritten notes left in the kitchen does nothing to ease Alice/Emma's fears.

Told at a steady pace and with flash backs into Alice/Emma's past, this is a tense listen.  The narrator did a great job of capturing the tension and whilst I did find Alice/Emma to be a little annoying at times and overly suspicious of everybody and everything, overall, it was a decent story that I enjoyed.

Many thanks to the author, Red Raven Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to listen and share my thoughts of this intriguing audio book.

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Love, Mom by Iliana Xander

Description from Goodreads:

"A best-selling author. A mother. A murderer…

Mackenzie Casper is a brilliant student. But she is best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase.

When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and the investigators are asking: Was that really an accident?

The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie gets the first mysterious envelope, signed,

From #1 fan. XOXO

Inside are the pages of her mother’s diary that start with the lines:

Want to know a secret?

Love, Mom.

What Mackenzie reads leaves her in shock.

But then comes the second letter.

And the third...

Mackenzie starts her own investigation and stumbles upon secrets that her family has lived with for years.

Quickly, she realizes that her mother's path to stardom was etched with sinister lies that might have caught up with her.

Sometimes fame is worth a murder. Or worse.

Soon, Mackenzie will come to find out that there are worse things than murder…"

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This is one of those books that you will either love or hate; me?  I didn't love it and I didn't hate it but I did find it enthralling.

This is a hard book to review as it did take me a while to get into it but once I was used to the writing style, I became totally invested in the story and desperately wanted to find out who was sending the letters.

The story cleverly unfolds through dual perspectives and multiple timelines, slowly revealing a family falling apart under the weight of trauma, secrets, and lies. While I did see a couple of twists coming, others completely caught me off guard. 

Whilst this book might not be everyone's cup of tea, I really enjoyed it and many thanks to the author, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this intriguing and enthralling book.

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Daughter, Missing by Jill Childs

Description from Goodreads:

"A mother will stop at nothing to save her daughter...

When Kate Grosvenor’s daughter embarks on a gap year, Kate’s worst nightmare becomes a reality. A frantic call from an American woman reveals that their daughters, traveling together, have gone missing.

Desperate and determined, Kate’s search takes her from London to Europe, and finally to America. What she doesn’t know is that her daughter’s disappearance is linked to a stepson she hasn’t seen in years – a man who was disinherited after his father’s death and now harbours a dark desire for revenge.

As Kate’s past and present collide in a terrifying twist, she must race against time to rescue her daughter from a vengeful stepson’s deadly pursuit. But how far will she go to protect her child when the stakes are this high?"

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I haven't read anything by Jill Childs before (I know, where have I been living?!!?) but if this book is anything to go by, I won't be making that mistake in the future.

This is a tense and atmospheric psychological thriller that is full of twists and turns many of them unexpected.  It's written at a steady pace with excellent characters and whilst not all of them are particularly likeable, they are well developed and really interesting.  

The plot is enthralling and had me reading way longer into the night than I should and whilst there are bits that are a little implausible, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of this book and I have no hesitation in recommending it to lovers of psychological thrillers that aren't full of violence and gore.

Thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this absorbing book.

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Dead Reckoning (Simon Peake #) by Rob Sinclair

Description from Goodreads:

"The most dangerous people are those with nothing to lose. Who don't care if they live or die.

Simon Peake does care… he just isn’t sure about what right now. The ex-soldier’s life is as close to rock bottom as it gets.

He needs a job and he needs a quiet life.

What he gets is a whole load of mess working for New York-based Irish mobster Harry Lafferty. A job that requires him to use his special skills on some very unsavory people. His relationship with Harry’s niece isn’t exactly conducive to a quiet existence either…

As Peake tries to walk the fine line between surviving in this new life, and atoning for his old one, he struggles on both counts. And when his past comes back to bite him, and those closest to him are threatened, the reckoning will be merciless for anyone who stands in his way."

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I have read a few of Mr Sinclair's books now and can safely say that I am a fan; this, the first in a new series, has cemented that fandom 😉

Simon Peake is ex-UK special forces living in New York; he has recently been released from prison, he is a loner, doesn't always make the right choices and is desperately in need of work.  With few options, he starts to work for an Irish mob-boss which gets him into all manner of scrapes and dodgy situations.  There's also the small matter of him having started a relationship with the mob-boss' niece and he lives opposite a working woman who is not treated well by her clients. 

Told over two timelines - one the present and the other in the past when Peake was on a mission in the Middle East - both as riveting as each other, Dead Reckoning is full of action, violence, fantastic characters and tension and all told at a fast pace that had me absolutely hooked from the first page.

Definitely recommended to those of you who enjoy reading action/thrillers and I am looking forward to following Simon Peake's trials and tribulations in the future.  Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the first in what is likely to be an explosive series.

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What the Night Brings (Tom Thorne #19) by Mark Billingham

Description from Goodreads:

""Three dead coppers, Tom, maybe four by lunchtime."

The targeted murder of four officers is only the first in a series of attacks that leaves police scared, angry and, most disturbingly of all, vengeful.

As Tom Thorne and Nicola Tanner dig into the reasons for the violence, a deeper darkness begins to the possibility that these murders are payback. The price paid for an unspeakable betrayal.

To uncover the truth, Thorne will be forced to question everything he stands for. He can trust nobody, and the shocking secrets revealed by one terrible night will fracture his entire world."

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I am a massive fan of Mark Billingham and I absolutely love his character - Tom Thorne - neither have ever disappointed me and, after reading this, they still haven’t. 

I won’t go into any details about the story-line as the description above says it all but I will say that it is captivating, thrilling, absorbing, exciting, shocking and all the other superlatives that you normally use to describe a brilliant read.

The story moves at a great pace with an easy to read style of writing which makes this book difficult to put down. There are twists and turns aplenty and just when you go “aha, I know who did it”, Mr Billingham goes and throws a spanner in the works again.

This may be the 19th instalment in the Tom Thorne series and you might think that Mr Billingham couldn't think of new and innovative scrapes, crisis, crimes and miscreants for Tom Thorne to get involved with and in but he seems to be able to manage it with ease and still he makes it feel fresh and new. You can get away with reading this as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading the others as Thorne and his team will quickly become old friends who you love to get reacquainted with with each new book.

Would I recommend this? Heck yes - go and buy it now 🙂

Many thanks to the author, Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this another excellent addition to a brilliant series.

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