Armadillos by P K Lynch

"A good début"

Synopsis:

“Aggie is fifteen, a ‘sub’ from a ‘sub’ family, one of Texas’ downtrodden. Her father and brother enact that ‘sub’-ness on her, week in, week out. She has only the vaguest notion that there is something wrong with the abuse she endures and instead dreams of the outside world.

And then one day, Aggie walks out, and like the armadillos that flourish in Texas’ barren landscape, she is a survivor…

In her escape, she gravitates to those who are just as maltreated as her. They offer Aggie the sense of family, albeit a thoroughly dysfunctional one, that she’s been searching for. But when she gets embroiled in a crisis involving stolen money, Aggie soon realises there are some problems you can’t run away from.”

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Once again, I want to thank the Publisher, Legend Press, for sending me a copy of this book in order to provide an impartial review as part of the Legend 100 Club. It’s not a book I would normally pick up to read and therefore I had no expectations at all but overall, I was pleasantly surprised although it is not a “happy” story rather one that is quite dark and intense.

This is a “coming of age” story about 15 year old Aggie - a strong, young, female character who is brave and wise for her years. The book is told from her perspective both the present and flashbacks.

Aggie is a survivor born into a dysfunctional family which she suddenly decides to escape from one day to undertake a dangerous journey to find a better life. She starts off in the Texan desert going from one truck stop to another using her experiences to survive before arriving in the city where she befriends “Freak” and moves into a squat full of colourful characters. It is during this journey that you realise Aggie is one tough cookie and very intelligent despite her upbringing. Despite her best efforts though, Aggie is not able to leave her past behind and there is an inevitability that she will return home and confront what deep down she already knows but has yet to accept.

I thought the book was extremely well written and flows really well resulting in it being easy to read. The author has an excellent ability to tell a story and to describe locations, situations and characters - she makes them believable and come to life off the page.

On the negative side, the story was interesting enough to keep my attention but I was left feeling something was missing. It’s hard to explain but I was reading with anticipation that something “big” was going to happen, it never really did and I felt even the ending was a bit of a let down and anti-climax. However, as I've said, I didn’t know what I was expecting as it’s not my usual genre - I am used to twists and turns and things being thrown at you in surprise - this isn’t that type of book but what it is, is an exploration of a young woman’s need to live a normal life and her attempts to get there - Aggie is a memorable character and I for one will remember her.

Overall, this is a good début and an author I will look out for in the future.

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Publisher website: Legend Press

Author website: https://lynchpinpauline.wordpress.com/

Author twitter: @lynchpinpauline

The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood

"Full of people you love to hate"

Description from Goodreads:

"Apologies for the general email, but I desperately need your help.

My goddaughter, Coco Jackson, disappeared from her family's holiday home in Bournemouth on the night of Sunday/Monday August 29/30th, the bank holiday weekend just gone. Coco is three years old.

When three-year-old identical twin Coco goes missing during a family celebration, there is a media frenzy. Her parents are rich and influential, as are the friends they were with at their holiday home by the sea.

But what really happened to Coco during her father's 50th birthday weekend?

Set across two weekends - the first when Coco goes missing and the second, at the funeral of Coco's father, where at last, the darkest of secrets will be revealed..."

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This is a subject matter that is any parent’s worst nightmare; their 3 year old child goes missing but, in The Darkest Secret, that is only the beginning of the story and when money and reputations are at stake, it becomes something even more sinister.

The story builds from the first page and takes a very firm grip on you. It covers 2 main timelines - the days leading up to Coco’s disappearance and the days leading up to her father’s funeral some years later. It’s told from various perspectives which, I think, was very clever as it provides different views of the same events and how each of the characters explain and, at times, justify their actions.

We meet some of the most thoroughly abhorrent and loathsome characters you are ever likely to meet but, on the other hand, we meet 2 sisters who, despite their childhood and upbringing, turn out to be half decent human beings. There are characters that you dislike at the beginning but develop sympathy for and their are others you take an instant aversion to which grows in intensity as the book develops, the story unfolds and the shocking truth starts to emerge.

I can’t recall having read anything by Alex Marwood before but after reading this, I will certainly read something by her again. If you enjoy dark, twisty stories that are full of people you love to hate, then this is the one for you.

I want to thank the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for a copy of this engrossing book in return for an honest review.

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Author website - click here

Author twitter - AlexMarwood1

Nowhere Girl by Ruth Dugdall

Description from Goodreads:

“A psychological crime novel from an author with 10 years experience as a probation officer in high security prisons

When Ellie goes missing on the first day of Schueberfouer, the police are dismissive, keen not to attract negative attention on one of Luxembourg’s most important events, its annual city fair. Probation officer Cate Austin has moved for a fresh start, along with her daughter Amelia, to live with her police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard. But when she realizes just how casually he is taking the disappearance of Ellie, Cate decides to investigate matters for herself. She discovers Luxembourg has a dark heart. With its geographical position, could it be the center of a child trafficking ring? As Cate comes closer to discovering Ellie’s whereabouts she uncovers a hidden world, placing herself in danger, not just from traffickers, but from a source much closer to home.”

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I haven’t read anything by this particular author before but because I had read and reviewed Before It’s Too Late by Jane Isaac for the Publisher - Legend Press via NetGalley, I was invited to read this one by the same Publisher. Well, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I accepted but unfortunately I was left a little disappointed.

Although the book is well written and easy to read, it was also easy to put down and didn’t have that “just one more chapter before I go to sleep” moment which I found a little bit sad because I hate it when that happens. Unfortunately, I did not feel a connection to any of the characters which is a shame and, in addition, none of the characters seemed to have much of a connection with each other either particularly Cate and Olivier. Now I got the impression that Cate and Olivier are a fairly new couple and should still be in the stages of ‘dreamy-eyed love’ but I didn’t get that sense at all … don’t get me wrong, I’m not one for romance and gushing love but they just seemed to be on totally separate wavelengths to me … it’s really hard to explain but it felt unnatural.

The story itself is interesting and whilst parts are scarily believable and there were a couple of twists I didn’t see coming, the way it played out felt a bit too contrived for me and how it was all wrapped up at the end felt rushed and a little far-fetched. I did however like how the story was told from different perspectives and I particularly liked Amina and found her the most interesting character in the book.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad read but rather I found it a bit frustrating and it just didn’t grab me as much a I would have liked. From reading other reviews, I get the feeling that to get the most out of this particular book, you need to have read the previous one which introduced Cate - “Humber Boy B” - so I would recommend to anyone thinking of buying this, to buy and read that one first.

Written in the Scars by Mel Sherratt

Description from Goodreads:

“Welcome to The Estate - where even the darkest times have their lighter moments...

Scars.

Sometimes they’re visible. Sometimes they’re burdens that we carry around with us.

You can’t see Donna’s scars from a joke of a marriage.

You can’t see Lewis’s scars from his time in the army.

You can see Megan’s scars but she won’t let you.

And Mary can’t always remember how she got hers.

If the past could be erased to make a better future, we’d all want to do that, wouldn’t we? No matter how dangerous the consequences might be…

WRITTEN IN THE SCARS is the fourth book in The Estate Series but each one can be read as a standalone novel.”

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I really enjoy reading Mel’s books but this is the first one I have read from The Estate Series. Her other books from the DS Allie Shenton Series - Follow The Leader and Only The Brave are brilliant so I did not hesitate when Mel asked me to read and review her new book, Written in the Scars and I am so pleased I did because I really liked it even though it is slightly different to what I normally read.

Mel has a skill of drawing you into the lives of complete strangers, becoming attached to them and really caring about what happens to them even if some of them are far from perfect. The characters she creates are authentic and believable and Mel makes you feel that they could be you, a member of your family, a friend, neighbour or work colleague. The trials and tribulations she puts them through are more than plausible they are true-to-life and are probably happening in your street right now.

Donna is a 40-something, single parent working in a local shop; her son is walking a thin line to becoming a miscreant, her daughter working in a massage parlour and to top it all, her mum has dementia. Donna is the linchpin in the family but all she wants is a little fun herself and to get the spark back into her life. There is a saying that good things only happen to good people, well, this isn’t always true - I won’t elaborate further - no spoilers from me - you’ll just have to read the book.

Lewis is an ex-soldier who has brought back a lot of baggage from his tours in Afghanistan and as a result, has lost his family and is back living on The Estate with his mum who herself is mourning the death of her husband. All Lewis wants is to be back with his family however, he is on self-destruct and as a result, is pushing all those he holds dear and those who want to help further away. I found myself really feeling for Lewis and I desperately wanted to jump in the book and help him myself - that’s what Mel does, like I said, she makes you care.

There are many other characters of note including Megan - a young girl with a secret who is holding down two jobs as well as caring for her disabled mum; Josie - a housing officer with a heart and Owen - Donna’s love interest. There are some more minor characters as well and although I call them minor, they are pivotal to the realism of the book.

Mel’s writing style is easy to read and flows well. Her use of language during the dialogue, both internal and between characters, is natural and convincing.

Mel is a favourite author of mine and I would encourage anyone who enjoys a great character-driven story or, as Mel describes it herself, grit-lit (women’s fiction with a punch) to buy this book, you will not be disappointed and once you have, you will want to read everything else she has written.

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Author website: http://melsherratt.co.uk/ - where you can get a free book - Secrets on The Estates - the prequel to The Estates Series

Twitter: @writermels