The Sentence by Christina Dalcher [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Laurel Lefkow and Greg Lockett 🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"A law intended to end capital punishment.

Prosecutors who seek the death penalty put their lives on the line if the guilty are later found innocent.

A lawyer convinced beyond reasonable doubt.

Justine Boucher is presented with overwhelming evidence in a brutal murder case. Her request for execution is granted.

But what if she’s wrong?"

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This is a riveting and thought-provoking legal thriller set in a future America where the sentence of a death penalty for the most heinous crimes comes with a catch ... if the person is subsequently found to be innocent, the prosecutor gets the death sentence as well!!!

Justine is a prosecutor who was instrumental in creating the new law but following the murder of her husband and whilst in the throes of grief, she takes on the case of Jake Milford, a man accused of murdering a little boy.  The evidence is strong and he gets the death penalty.  Years later, new evidence comes to the fore and Justine has to decide whether she faces the consequences or runs but all is not as it seems.

Told from the perspective of Justine and from Jake's perspective whilst on death row, this is a riveting book with some great twists and tense moments that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The narrators were excellent and really brought the characters to life.

Highly recommended to those of you who enjoy a good legal thriller and thank you to the author, HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of The Sentence.

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The Flood (A Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller #1) by G.N. Smith

 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"The flood waters are rising. And so is the body count…

Police officer Fiona MacLeish has been ordered to step back from her role in Police Scotland. Haunted by the murder of her parents, she’s dangerously close to breaking point: and is back in her remote childhood home nestled in a valley on the Scottish border. But there’s a terrifying storm coming…

When Fiona finds the bloodied body of a neighbour in their flooded house, a chill runs through her veins. The bruising around his throat tells Fiona someone wanted this elderly man dead. And with the torrential rain cutting the farming village off completely, the murderer must still be nearby.

But flood waters continue to rise, and landslides force Fiona to take shelter with a crowd of locals at the highest-standing farm. Then, another victim is found, with more suspicious wounds. Trapped at the farm with a killer, with no hope of outside help, can Fiona catch them before more of the isolated community become victims?"

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This is a new author for me and whilst this wasn't the most fast-paced thriller I have ever read, I will be checking out his other books in this series.

Fiona is taking a break from her job as a police officer and visiting her Aunt in an isolated hamlet in the Scottish Borders when a ferocious storm hits.  With flood waters rising, Fiona and her Aunt decide to make for safer ground but need to check out their neighbours first to ensure they are ok.  They are far from it - one has been murdered and another is missing.

With the waters rising and with no way out, they along with the other residents head for the highest farmhouse in the hamlet to seek shelter and to ride out the storm but the killing has only just begun and it's going to take all of Fiona's experience to work out who the killer is before there's no one left.

Written at a steady pace with some great characters although not many of them particularly likeable, The Flood is a pretty good read.  The description of the hamlet and the storm really give this book a dark atmosphere however, it is very descriptive and quite repetitive which slows the action down somewhat.  However, overall, The Flood is a good start to a new series.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Flood.

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You'd Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die.

Of course, it helps that I'm the one killing them.

The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, even before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Let the games begin..."

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I really enjoyed this debut probably more than I should!  It feels all kinds of wrong when I am rooting for a serial killer but Joanna has created the character of Claire so well, that I wanted her to succeed in her endeavours and not get caught.

Claire is a quirky but likeable character; the story is told almost entirely by her and from her point of view which makes for some interesting and her dark but sometimes amusing perspectives.  I particularly enjoyed the sections dedicated to her childhood which shed some light on the beginnings of her 'unusual' life choices.

Written at a good pace with some great twists and turns, excellent characters and great story line, You'd Look Better as a Ghost is a must read for those of you who enjoy reading books with strong female protagonists who lead unconventional lives.

Thank you to the author, Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of You'd Look Better as a Ghost.

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The Glovemaker's Daughter by Shari J. Ryan

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Paris, 1943. German soldiers drag me out onto the cobbled street and push me towards the waiting truck. I force myself to face forward as tears stream down my cheeks. If I look back, they’ll know. I can’t let them find my little girl…

Raya bends over a delicate glove in her beloved shop under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. It’s the only place she still feels safe. When the Nazis snatched control of Paris, Raya knew she had to fight to protect the few things she had left. And so far, her support of the resistance has gone undetected.

But now, the door bangs open and three German soldiers lunge towards her. Raya’s blood turns to ice. Hauled onto the street, she struggles against their rough hands as they accuse her of organizing meetings in the tunnels below her shop.

Raya can think only of her baby daughter Amalia, hidden beneath the shop’s front desk. She has a heart-wrenching choice to make. Reveal Amalia’s existence and risk her life, or leave her behind and pray someone protects her. It’s the hardest decision she’s ever faced…

Transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp, every day is a desperate battle for survival. The only thing that keeps Raya going is the thought of being reunited with her blue-eyed, innocent baby girl.

But in the darkest of places, is the power of a mother’s love enough to keep Raya alive until she can see her daughter again?"

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This is another great book from an author that I look forward to reading and one that I will remember for some time.  Emotional, heart-breaking, heart-warming, tense, horrifying, gripping and totally engaging and enthralling ... these are just a few of the superlatives I can use to describe this book.

The characters feel authentic and believable and I was completely transported into their lives and was totally invested in them and whilst this is a work of fiction, I have read many non-fiction books relating to the same subject matter and a lot of the experiences that Raya and the other characters endured, are a good representation of what  'real people' went through during that horrific time.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book and many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Glovemaker's Daughter.

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Check out my other reviews of Shari's books I have read:

The Homemaker [Audiobook]

The Stolen Twins

The Dead Pennies by Robert Ford

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"After leaving an abusive relationship, Abby visits an old friend on her way to her mother’s in Florida. Hayden’s Uncle Jack is renovating a building into high-end apartments in town, and with the lure of living rent-free in a beautiful loft, Abby becomes the caretaker with the entire building all to herself. Abby hears strange sounds in the building. Shadows move as if they’re alive. Led to believe the structure was previously a school, Abby is told by the last living employee of Harper’s Grove that the building used to be a home for the infirm and unwanted children, the Dead Pennies of society, unfit for circulation.

Abby and Hayden search for the cause of the strange events at Harper’s Grove, and find out why the spirits of the dead children won’t sleep until they get vengeance.

But there’s also another evil at play—this one of a human nature. Abby’s ex-boyfriend, Nick, finds out where she has run off to. He won’t stop for anything until she’s back in his clutches, but Nick doesn’t expect to come up against the raging spirits of the Dead Pennies."

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I enjoy a good horror book every now and again .... takes me back to my youth (many, many years ago!!) ... and The Dead Pennies certainly hit the spot with added supernatural shenanigans going on as well.

The story centres around the main character, Abby, who is escaping her waste of a skin boyfriend and takes her school friend, Hayden's, offer to stop by the town he lives in on her way home to Florida.  Abby lands on her feet when she gets the opportunity to stay in a brand new apartment within the unfinished redevelopment of the old Harper's Grove Hospital but almost immediately, she begins to experience strange things.

This starts out as a creepy and unnerving supernatural story which turns in to a full-on horror fest.  The characters are great, the tension and overall creepiness builds and builds and the ending is quite satisfying.

I must give a warning that this book deals with historical child abuse, addiction and domestic violence so if these are triggers for you, please think twice before reading. 

Many thanks to the author, Cemetary Dance Publications, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Dead Pennies.

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The Blackout by Sarah Goodwin

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"You can't outrun the past… 

Summer, 2022. When Meg and Cat are forced to take a dangerous shortcut home one night, they notice two men silently following them. Suddenly running for their lives, they scramble into an abandoned building to hide and wait for help.

…for what’s done in the dark will come to light…

One year later. Attempting to escape the horrors of that fateful night, Meg barricades herself into a safehouse at the edge of a crumbling sea cliff. As a storm rages outside, a blackout plunges the house into darkness. But Meg’s not alone.

…and someone wants revenge."

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Meg has changed her name and is trying to reinvent her life following a horrendous incident that happened after a night out in Bristol.  Life is hard but she thinks she is safe until her past catches up with her and a struggle for survival against the odds ensues.

This is a well written and tense read full of twists and scenes of peril that had me reading way into the night.  The characters are great and with the back story to Meg, I became invested in her story.  

Another book by Sarah Goodwin I have enjoyed and look forward to reading more in the future and many thanks go to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Blackout.

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Click on the cover to read my review of The 13th Girl also by Sarah Goodwin

 

Irena's Gift by Karen Kirsten

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"If we seal off the past, how will we ever know the truth?

In 1942, in Nazi-occupied Poland, a Jewish child was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto in a backpack. That child was Karen Kirsten’s mother, but she knew nothing about this extraordinary event until one day a letter arrived from a stranger.

After Karen eventually discovered the grandparents she loved dearly were in fact not her biological grandparents, she travelled the globe to uncover her family’s past and to find the answers to baffling why did her adoptive grandmother treat Karen’s mother so unkindly? Why did she hide the truth that she was her mother’s aunt? And why, if she appeared to dislike Karen’s mother, did she risk her life to save her and bring her to Australia?

Irena’s Gift weaves together a mystery, history and memoir to tell the story of a family torn apart by war. From the glittering concert halls of interbellum Warsaw to the vermin-infested prison where a Jewish woman negotiates with an SS officer to save her sister’s child, Irena’s Gift is about the lies we tell to survive and what happens when those lies unravel. It is about the extraordinary resilience of three generations of women, and the sacrifices made for love."

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I don't really know how to review this book because on the one hand, it was incredible and clearly well researched but on the other, the way it was written made me really struggle to connect with it or the characters as it felt like it was disjointed and it didn't really flow very well for me.

Karen is researching the history of her family which takes her on a difficult but enlightening journey of discovery from pre-war Poland, to the horrendous years of World War II and Nazi persecution, the end of the war and up to the present day; it is an illuminating and heart-breaking story of survival and of the impact the war years had on that generation and on the generations to come.

Now whilst I found the style of writing didn't work for me, the story itself was incredible and therefore I would recommend to people who enjoy this genre as it could work for you as it has for others who have read and reviewed this book.

Many thanks to the author, Ad Lib Publishers, Mardle Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Irena's Gift.

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