While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt

Description:

“A pacy, chilling psychological thriller, set to reinvent the genre. It begins, they say, with a woman screaming...Don't shut your eyes...In an isolated corner of a remote Scottish island lies the McBride house, a place that has forever been shrouded in shadows and secrets. In Victorian times, a mother and son perished there, and just one year ago, a local boy went missing-a scream the only clue as to his fate. For Zoe Adams, though, the McBride house represents a much-needed escape from her life in America, and from the tragedy that has befallen her. All she wants is to be alone, to finally find peace. Only the calm Zoe so desperately craves eludes her. For as night falls, she is disturbed by unsettling dreams, the sinister notes of a woman singing, an indistinct face at the window...Someone, or something, wants Zoe gone, and will stop at nothing to rid the house of her presence.”

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Full of atmosphere and mystery helped by the excellent description of the remote Scottish island and the characters makes this an enthralling read.

In an attempt to escape a failing marriage, Zoe rents an isolated and recently renovated house with a chequered history. It doesn’t take long for creepy things to start happening which spurs Zoe on to finding out more about the house’s history but as the story develops, you start to question whether the happenings are real, paranormal or a figment of Zoe’s imagination.

There are many twists and turns in this book which keeps you guessing as to what is going on and although I found it a struggle at times due to the sheer amount of questions you ask yourself, While You Sleep is an eerie and atmospheric story that is quite unlike anything I have read before.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

Date of publication:  08/03/2018

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Publisher website: HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction

Publisher twitter: @HarperCollinsUK

Author website: Stephanie Merritt

Author twitter: @thestephmerritt

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The best Christmas present ever!

My daughter knows me so well 🌝

The Housemates by Iain Rob Wright

Description:

“Ten days, twelve competitors, two million pounds cash.

What at first appears to be a wonderful opportunity for Damien Banks turns out to be the worst nightmare he can imagine.

Trapped inside a house with eleven strangers, and a booming voice known only as 'The Landlord' controlling his every move, Damien will be forced to compete not only for the money, but for his life.

Let the games begin…”

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I can’t put it into words how much I enjoyed this book. There are only a select few books that I can’t help talking about with my family and work colleagues, whether they want to hear about it or not, but this is one of them … I just couldn’t help myself!

Be warned, there is gratuitous violence throughout!

I’m not going to give anything away about the story-line but basically, it’s a twisted Big Brother with a bit of Saw thrown in for good measure where the contestants have to take part in tasks and eliminations with the last person standing having the chance of walking away with £2 million.

The contestants inside the house are a mix of characters some of which more likeable than others and some thoroughly despicable … we learn more about each person as time goes on and it can be a bit of an eye-opener in some cases.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this is going to put your brain cells to work extra hard nor am I going to say that the twist is a massive surprise but what I will say is that if you, like me, are a little bit sick of the raft of reality TV programmes being rammed down our throats and just wish they would up the anti just a little, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review. I will, most definitely, read more from Mr Wright as I do like a bit of gore every now and then 😃.

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Author Website: Iain Rob Wright

Author Twitter:  @IanRobWright

The Hanged Man by Simon Kernick (The Bone Field #2)

Description:

“From the Sunday Times bestselling author, Simon Kernick, comes the thrilling second instalment in The Bone Field series. Featuring DI Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd.

A house deep in the countryside where the remains of seven unidentified women have just been discovered.

A cop ready to risk everything in the hunt for their killers.

A man who has seen the murders and is now on the run in fear of his life.

So begins the race to track down this witness before the killers do.

For Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd, the road ahead is a dangerous one, with bodies and betrayal at every turn…”

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Once again, I am not disappointed by one of Simon’s books. This, the second in this series, is another gritty and exciting read but I would recommend you read the first otherwise I think you will feel a little lost but it’s not totally essential as there are enough recaps to help you keep up with the story.

The books does contain a lot of violence … you have been warned … however, it does deal with a particularly distasteful subject and equally distasteful people so you can’t expect it to be all warm and fluffy!

I know I have said it before but, I think, one of Simon’s strengths is the creation of believable characters that you begin to care about … DI Ray Mason is one of those however, he’s not all sweetness and light as you will see in this book and so begins the struggle in my head about whether I should be rooting for him or not! I cannot question his dedication and drive to bring miscreants to justice however, the way he does it is questionable and, if I’m honest, a little OTT.

Private Investigator and former Police Officer Tina Boyd is another returning character … she is my all-time favourite female protagonist being loyal, brave, feisty and determined and she delivers on all fronts in this book.

Overall, this book is packed with action throughout; it may not be the complex of story lines in the world but it kept me reading with enthusiasm and going back for more and I definitely look forward to the next in the series.

A big thanks to the publisher (Randomhouse UK, Cornerstone) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Click here for my review
 of the first in the Bone Field Series

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Author website - http://www.simonkernick.com/

Author's Twitter - @simonkernick

Publisher's website - Randomhouse UK, Cornerstone

Silent Fear by Lance & James Morcan

Description:

“Scotland Yard detective Valerie Crowther is assigned to investigate the murder of a student at a university for the Deaf in London, England. The murder investigation coincides with a deadly flu virus outbreak, resulting in the university being quarantined from the outside world.

When more Deaf students are murdered, it becomes clear there is a serial killer operating within the sealed-off university. A chilling cat-and-mouse game evolves as the unknown killer targets Valerie and the virus claims more lives.

A stunning, claustrophobic, "whodunit" murder mystery, Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) is the eighth novel by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan. Included is a commentary by Deaf filmmaker Brent Macpherson on the unique aspects of Deaf culture the story covers. Together, the Morcans and Macpherson are currently developing a feature film adaptation of Silent Fear.”

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First off, I want to thank the authors for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review; please be reassured that receiving this book for free in no way influenced my review in any way.

What a fantastic read that was!

Excellent characters, brilliant and unique story line, gripping and full of suspense … what more can you ask for? Well, throw in a serial killer and a deadly flu virus and you have Silent Fear! But that’s not all … the Morcans write in a way that immerses you into the story so that you become absorbed into the lives of the characters and the dire situation they have found themselves in through no fault of their own.

I have to admit that it was quite daunting to find my Kindle copy was 708 pages long!! That’s one heck of a beast, however, you quickly forget that as you are swept along from chapter to chapter with ease picking up the subtle clues dropped along the way that you don’t initially recognise as being clues until the excellent twist at the end when all is revealed.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good whodunnit or mystery or thriller or serial killer story or … actually, anyone who loves reading a great book and I would urge you to check out the Morcans other works some of which I have been lucky enough to have also read.

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Please click on the links to take you to more information and my reviews:

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

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Author website:  Morcan Books & Films

Twitter:  James Morcan and Lance Morcan 

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Description:

“Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it's her ex-husband, even though he claims he's a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?”

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Having never read any of Chevy Stevens books before, I didn’t know what to expect but having read the description, I thought I would give it a go and I wasn’t disappointed.

This is a fast paced, chilling read with twists that are well-thought out, well developed and believable. Domestic abuse is a difficult subject to write about sensitively and without sensationalism and Chevy does this very well whilst not losing any of the suspense, darkness and fear that comes with living in a very poisonous and controlling relationship.

With great characters and a great story-line, I found this a highly addictive read from start to finish and I will definitely be checking out her other books.

I want to thank the publisher (Little, Brown Book Group UK) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website: Chevy Stevens

Author Twitter: @ChevyStevens

Publisher website: Little, Brown Book Group UK

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