The Last Orphan by Carly Schabowski

✴✴✴ Publication date: 01-December-2025 ✴✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"Would you save a child in a warzone? Marcin is just hoping to keep himself safe during the Nazi invasion. But once he befriends his Jewish neighbors, his fate is sealed, and when their building is raided by the Nazis, Marcin finds himself hiding their son, Adam.

Marcin vows to keep Adam safe at all costs. But as he starts an impossible journey across the borders of wartorn Europe towards safety, he begins to realize Adam isn’t the only child who needs his help. And when they encounter more orphaned children in hiding, Marcin becomes determined to save as many as possible. Even if that will put his own life—and Adam’s—at terrible risk.

What Adam and the other orphans don’t know, is that Marcin has a secret. He did something terrible in Poland. Something he can never forgive himself for. Until many years later, where he’s living his life peacefully in rural Washington, USA, and he answers a call from another mother in distress. Marcin is needed again. But this time, it’s Adam’s daughter who needs him...

An impossible journey, a secret that spans generations, and a story about loss, bravery and healing that you’ll never forget!"

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If you're looking for a World War II historical fiction novel that doesn't just focus on the horrors of the war but the long, devastating aftermath on those who survived it, this one is for you. 

The dual timeline (1942 Poland/Hungary and 1982 rural Washington) works brilliantly to explore the repercussions of trauma. We follow Marcin as he makes impossible choices to save Adam, his young Jewish neighbour, joining a resistance network to save orphans. The suspense is palpable, particularly with the heartbreaking scenes of children having to jump from trains.

Marcin is a fascinating character, weighed down by crippling guilt over a secret. This makes the 1982 story line compelling when he connects with Clara, Adam's daughter, who is struggling with her own trauma. It’s a dark story of generational suffering but also by hope and self-forgiveness.

Overall, this is a compelling story with rich characters and a strong sense of place. If you appreciate historical fiction that focuses on the emotional consequences of survival, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this powerful read that had me hooked from the very first page.

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People Don't Just Disappear by Claire Allan

✴✴✴ Publication day - 29-November-2025 ✴✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"‘Is he your little boy?'

‘No. No. He is not my boy. He’s your boy.’

When Bronagh opens her front door to find a child on her doorstep, crying for his mother, she follows him without question.

Twenty-four hours later, Bronagh’s boyfriend Mal returns to their home in Derry to discover the house empty. Bronagh has vanished.

At first, the police don’t take Mal seriously, but as the hours since Bronagh’s disappearance tick past, it becomes clear that this isn’t just a case of extreme ghosting. Something is wrong. Very wrong.

Because people don’t just vanish, and Bronagh may be in more danger than Mal could ever imagine.

Just where is Bronagh? And can they find her before it’s too late?"

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I have read and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of Claire Allan's previous books so didn't want to give up a chance to read her next outing and I wasn't disappointed.

Whilst this was a difficult book to read due to the subject matter of violence against women and controlling, coercive behaviour, it was still a riveting read that I was totally invested in.  The characters are great and it's told from the perspective of Bronagh, Mal and Ingrid Devlin, a journalist; I found the sections detailing Bronagh's experiences were particularly difficult to read but I had to keep reading to find out what happens.

Claire Allan creates so much atmosphere and the tension is palpable so much so that I found myself holding my breath at times not wanting to read on but wanting to read on!!  

Although this is a challenging read at times, it's perfect for those who enjoy their thrillers a little darker and it's perfect to dive into on these dark, winter nights when there is little on the TV!  

Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this difficult but riveting book.

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Remember Where You’ve Buried the Bodies by Julie Lancaster

Description from Goodreads:

 "What happens when a serial killer forgets that he’s a serial killer?

When Gilbert Williams, a resident at Sunset House Care Home, claims to have once killed someone, care assistant Will Cavanagh initially dismisses his claims – he’s frail and vulnerable, he can’t imagine him ever killing someone – but he can’t seem to let his comments go. What if it’s true? What if he really did kill someone and he’s forgotten that he isn’t supposed to tell anybody…"

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The premise of this book looked really promising - I mean, what's not to like when a book is about serial killers? But, alas, this one didn't deliver as I'd hoped it would.

It was certainly intriguing and I was compelled to read to the end to find out what happened, but ultimately, it fell a bit flat. There were too many characters, some of which felt superfluous to the main story line and caused unnecessary confusion. Furthermore, there was very little of what I would describe as being dark humour, which was disappointing.

The overwhelming feeling I had after finishing this book was that I wanted more, but with less of the unnecessary characters and back stories but thank you to the author, One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts.

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Blood Like Ours (Blood Trilogy #2) by Stuart Neville

Description from Goodreads:

 "In this chilling follow-up to Blood Like Mine, one mother faces the ultimate supernatural horror: the monster she must become to protect her child.

El Paso, Texas: Rebecca Carter awoke on a morgue table with only two desires: to find her daughter, Moonflower; and to sate her gnawing hunger. Rebecca sets out on a desperate quest, fighting her murderous craving for blood, and pursued by a vengeful FBI agent.

Alone in the wild, Monica Carter survives on whatever small prey she can hunt down. But she needs more. One night, a young man lures her through the mountain scrub with the scent of human blood, promising he and his little brother will feed her and keep her safe. Somehow these brothers know her nickname—Moonflower—and the truth of what she is. She needs them—but can she trust them?

When FBI Special Agent Sarah McGrath learns that Rebecca Carter’s body has disappeared from the morgue, she’s on the next plane to El Paso. Rebecca is responsible for the death of her partner, and McGrath wants answers, but she never expected them to come from a shadowy figure within the Bureau . . .

In this breathtaking follow-up to Blood Like Mine, Stuart Neville, “Stephen King’s rightful heir” (Will Dean), brings to life the ultimate horror: a mother who has been separated from her daughter, and who can stop at nothing to be reunited."

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This is the second in this series and, in my opinion, you must read the first, Blood Like Mine, before reading this one.  I really enjoyed the first book in this series but this is even better which is quite unusual for a sequel.

If you don’t like blood and gore, then you need to give this a miss as it contains a lot! 

From the very beginning, I was captivated by the fantastic and intriguing characters.  It’s full of suspense and oodles of tension that just keeps on building, this is a story that had me intrigued and totally invested; it has everything I enjoy ... crime, thrills, serial killers, action, suspense, tension and a bit of the supernatural and horror thrown in for good measure ... what's not to like?!?

Recommended to those of you who enjoy reading something a bit different than the usual crime stories and I must thank Stuart Neville, Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this compelling book.

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My Husband Next Door by K.L. Slater

🌟🌟🌟 Publication date:  28-October-2025 🌟🌟🌟

Description from Goodreads:

"The perfect way for us to live. The perfect way for him to hide…

My husband Matt and I are an ordinary married couple in every way but one. At the end of each day, we return to our own homes and our own spaces. Some people think this arrangement is odd, but for us it’s perfect.

But beyond the fairy lights I string at my window, darkness is pressing in. Two local women have gone missing, and I don’t want to be alone. With Matt away for work, I find comfort in chatting to my new neighbour Brenda, who drops in regularly with casseroles and groceries.

Sipping our coffees, looking out of my kitchen window, I soon notice how observant Brenda is. So when she tells me that perhaps my husband isn’t simply working late, something cold takes root. I think of Matt’s recent vague tone, the way he brushes off my questions. Brenda thinks I should pop by when Matt’s not at home. Just to check everything’s as it should be.

I should be able to trust the man I married. But when I do go through my husband’s things, I discover that our perfect living arrangement is hiding a shocking secret…"

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I have read quite a few of K.L. Slater's books and have not been disappointed yet and I wasn't with this one.

Sylvie and Matt appear to have the perfect marriage but that facade quickly unravels with the arrival of a new neighbour, Brenda, the disappearance of a local young woman and a subsequent murder which make it clear that secrets, lies and long held grudges abound where everything is not as it seems and you can't trust anyone.

Engaging, easy to follow and compelling, this book was written at a good pace with short, punchy chapters and plenty of tension.  The mystery was intriguing with some excellent but unexpected twists and turns and with a cast of interesting characters, not all of them being particularly likeable.

This is a great domestic psychological thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. I highly recommend it and many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, another cracker from K.L. Slater.

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