The Good Sister by Chris Morgan Jones

Blurb from Goodreads:

"Morgan Jones' heart-stopping thriller, The Good Sister, sees one father go further than he ever knew possible, to rescue a daughter who doesn't want to be saved.

A missing daughter. A desperate father. A journey to save them both.

Sofia Mounir’s world is not her own. Her mother is sick, her father broken, the London they live in is dying of greed and self-obsession.

So she flees, to Raqqa: heart of the caliphate, foundation stone of a just world that she will help to build. From violence and sacrifice will grow something beautiful, and she will be part of it. Her faith will be equal to everything asked of her.

Until it isn’t. Until it becomes clear that not all her new brothers’ and sisters’ intentions are as pure as her own. Until even her faith becomes a liability.

Where do you turn, when the future you’ve longed for wants you dead?"

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A very thought-provoking, interesting and challenging read about a very real and current situation.

Written from the two perspectives of the father and daughter, Sofia and Abraham, makes this book flow extremely well with the pace being good.  Both Sofia and Abraham are believable and definitely grow on you as the book progresses; I do admit that I didn't particularly like them at the start but the more their inner-workings are explored, the greater the understanding of their motives which resulted in me becoming fully invested in their stories and completely engrossed in their respective journeys.

The book comes across as pretty authentic ... whether it is or not I would only know if I was in Sofia and Abraham's situation which is highly unlikely .... but I do wonder how and where the author got the information for the book from and how accurate it is because, as I said, it feels pretty authentic.

Thank you to Jellybooks for giving me the opportunity to read something a bit different.

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Jellybooks offers readers free advance reading copies and complimentary ebooks in exchange for their reading data

Website:  Chris Morgan Jones

Publisher:  Pan Macmillan

Twitter:  @panmacmillan

Trust No One (Mike Lockyer #3) by Clare Donoghue

"No hesitation in recommending to anyone"

Description from Goodreads:

"A marriage is what you make it, isn't it? It's what you put into it. It's not just about love, it's about understanding another person's point of view. Sometimes there are things you find out about yourself and each other which means the marriage has to end. Sad, particularly when kids are involved - but all pretty normal. Normal that is, until there's a murder. DS Jane Bennett and DI Mike Lockyer are called in to investigate one of the South London murder squad's most difficult and distressing cases yet - where family and friends come under scrutiny in the hardest of circumstances."

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I must admit to having finished reading this book some time ago but have only just got round to writing my review due to unforeseen circumstances but such is the excellent writing ability of this author, that I was able to recall how good this book was very quickly.

The main focus of the story is the death of Richard, a father of 2 young children. At first it is thought to be a tragic but unfortunate death but it soon becomes clear that all is not what it seems and DS Bennett and DI Lockyer are brought in to investigate. Soon everyone associated with Richard is under the spotlight and no one is beyond suspicion with the investigation uncovering lies and deception which opens the door to many suspects. The author has a knack of dropping red herrings in so just when you think you know who the culprit is, another twist appears that forces you to rethink.

The pace of the book is just right with a great mix of the investigation and the life of DS Bennett so that it is not overly procedural or personal. The characters are believable and complex as is the story but I still haven’t made up my mind about the ending although it was a complete surprise and not beyond the realms of possibility.

This is the 3rd book in the DI Lockyer series but can be read as a standalone quite easily but I think it’s best to read at least one of the previous books as it provides insight into the Lockyer and Bennett characters. If I'm totally honest, I'm not sure why this is called the Mike Lockyer series as it seems to focus more on Bennett's character but, having said that, I'm not complaining as she is a strong female character who has to juggle a very difficult job with a complicated personal life. I have read and reviewed number 2 in the series - No Place To Die - which, again, was a great read and I would have no hesitation in recommending Clare Donoghue’s work to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Pan Macmillan, for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Author Twitter - claredonoghue