The Guest Book by C.L. Pattison

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

"Charles and Grace wanted a quiet staycation honeymoon, but when their train terminates early due to a storm up ahead, they wonder if they made the wrong decision. Forced to take shelter in the nearest seaside town, Saltwater, they discover that there is only one guesthouse left. Unlike the rest of Saltwater, The Anchorage is entirely deserted.

That night, with the storm howling relentlessly, Grace is woken by a child crying. She is haunted by the sound, until Charles convinces her it was only her imagination. But the next day, she finds a warning scrawled in the guest book: Leave now. Do not trust them .

As the storm rages on, phone lines are down, transport links cut off. Grace is desperate to leave, but Charles remains unaffected by the eerie stillness of the house. Is it just Grace's imagination or do the owners, and Charles, have something to hide?

THANK YOU FOR STAYING AT THE ANCHORAGE. WE HOPE YOU'LL BE BACK SOON..."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

This is the first time reading this author and likely won't be the last as this was an enjoyable and easy read.

Grace and Charles are on their way to St Ives to start their honeymoon when disaster strikes and they are stranded in the small seaside town of Saltwater; with there being few available rooms left, they have to book in to the run-down bed and breakfast, The Anchorage, and which is where the creepiness starts.

This is a story that is full of atmosphere which is excellently captured from start to finish.  You can feel the weird vibe jumping out of the pages from not only the strange owners of The Anchorage but from the town itself and its inhabitants.  You know something's not quite right but you struggle to put your finger on it and this builds the tension however, and it's a big however, it didn't really end as good as it started; it just seemed to fizzle out unfortunately and I didn't get that sense of satisfaction or pleasure when the "twist" was revealed.  

Despite the disappointing conclusion, I did enjoy reading it and will seek out more of C.L. Pattison's work in the future.

Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

The Bonds of Blood (DI Dani Stephens #4) by Rob Sinclair

 

Description from Goodreads:

"One perfect family. One deadly secret. One killer on the loose.

Annie and Terry Eccles seemed to have it all, until one night they are brutally murdered in their bed.

Called in to head up the case, DI Dani Stephens delves into the couple’s past, quickly realising that beneath the comfortable veneer of this apparently golden family, lies uncomfortable truths.

But when Dani finds her own safety threatened, it becomes clear that someone wants those truths to remain hidden – whatever it takes…

Perfect for fans of Stuart Macbride and Peter James, this is a completely original and utterly unputdownable crime thriller from a modern master."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

This is the fourth instalment in the DI Dani Stephens Series however, the first that I have read.  For me, I don't feel I have missed out too much not having read the previous three in the series, maybe on a bit of the backstory, but nothing that ended up being detrimental to my enjoyment of The Bonds of Blood and just makes me want to go back and read more.

This is a great story - it starts pretty brutally with the murder of a husband and wife in their bed so be prepared - and one that follows DI Stephens and her team's investigation into the brutal murder which is far from straight forward.

Full of lies, deceit and secrets, this is a tricky one to try and work out who did it which makes it all the more enjoyable.  It's full of great characters and is written at a good pace and I would definitely recommend to those who love a police procedural where it's not obvious who the perpetrator is until close to the end.

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

Connect with the author:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

👀👀👀👀👀👀

Other books by this author I have read and reviewed:

Dance with the Enemy

Rise of the Enemy

Hunt for the Enemy

Witch: A Horror Novel (The Cursed Manuscripts) by Iain Rob Wright

 

Description from Goodreads:

"On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as 'The Cursed Manuscripts.'

In December 2020, new manuscripts started turning up around the world.

If you find one, do not read it."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

I think I can safely say that I am a fan of Mr Wright's tales; they take me back to my teenage years when I read anything and everything that was described as horror or creepy and even now, in my 50's, I still enjoy a story "from the dark side"!

This is a good, short, quick read that has great characters and a great story however, I don't think the blurb makes much sense when you read the book - it doesn't seem to bear any relation to the actual story and the only think I can think of is there are more to come ... which is great but a tad confusing.

The story is actually about 2 teenagers who, on escaping some bullies, find themselves stumbling upon a ruined house in the middle of a wood; what they find there defies belief but no-one sees what they do so they decide to sort it out themselves which devastating consequences.

This is a good start to, hopefully, a new series where we will get to learn what the "Cursed Manuscripts" are all about.

My eternal thanks go to the author who provided a copy to me to read and review, this is no way influenced my thoughts on this book and it is is unbiased and unedited.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

Connect with the author:

Twitter

Website

Facebook

Instagram

👀👀👀👀👀👀

Other books by this author I have read and reviewed:

The Housemates

Sea Sick

Escape

Dark Ride

Ravage

Savage

Sam

The Room Upstairs

2389

The Spread: Book 1

Stranger by Karen Perry

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Abi Holland considers herself lucky.

She's happily married, and her oldest daughter, Eva, is all set for a place at a top university.

She just can't help but worry about Beth.

So when foreign exchange student Corinne comes to stay, it's a relief her lonely younger daughter finally has someone to talk to.

It's only when Beth starts to misbehave, that Abi begins to wonder how much they really know about their guest.

Because the Holland family have lots of secrets, and Corinne is quietly listening to them all.

And once they come out, there's no going back..."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

I am sad to say that I couldn't get into this at all and found my mind wandering to other things.  I have read Your Closest Friend by Karen Perry and enjoyed it but this one just didn't do it for me unfortunately, however it won't put me off reading more from these authors.  Not sure why it didn't grab me but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

Connect with the authors:

Twitter

Buried for Good by Alex Coombs

 

Description from Goodreads:

"ON A REMOTE ISLAND, EVERYONE IS A SUSPECT…

When Private Investigator Hanlon is hired to protect famous yoga instructor Camille Anderson on her Scottish island retreat, she thinks this may be her simplest job yet.

But when an attack on Camille’s life goes wrong, it soon becomes clear that there is a murderer on the island – and Hanlon will stop at nothing to track them down.

With only a small group of guests the suspects are clear, but as the body count rises Hanlon must step up to find out who the killer is before it’s too late…"

📚📚📚📚📚📚

Once again, a treat is in store with another thrilling read starring Hanlon where nothing is straight forward or easy.

This is the third instalment in the series where Hanlon is now a Private Investigator - I have to admit that I haven't read the previous two but have read the first four in the series when Hanlon was a serving Police Officer.  I don't think you have to have read the first two in this particular series but I would definitely recommend reading at least the very first novel (The Stolen Child) where Hanlon is introduced and you get a real sense of who she is.

What we have here is another fast paced and enthralling read with twists and turns aplenty and a fare smattering of red herrings that keep you guessing to the end.  Alex Coombs is able to put you right in the middle of the story with his excellent descriptions of the various locations and he creates interesting and compelling characters that have you hooked and reading way too late into the night.

An excellent addition to anyone's book shelf or eLibrary and I would definitely recommend any of Alex Coombs' books.

Many thanks go to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

👇👇👇👇👇👇

Connect with the author:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

👀👀👀👀👀👀

Other books by Alex Coombs I have read and reviewed:

The Stolen Child

The Innocent Girl

The Missing Husband

The Silent Victims