Waiting on Wednesday – Perfect Victim by Corrie Jackson

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corrie jackson, sophie kent, thriller, Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

My choice is Corrie Jackson’s second book in the Sophie Kent series, The Perfect Victim: How Far Would You Go For Friendship? I loved Breaking Dead last year, and have been waiting for the next book in the series ever since. I’m thrilled it’s due to be published in November!

From Goodreads

What do you think of my choice?

Which books are you waiting for?

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Throwback Thursday – The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth

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Frederick Forsyth, Germany, thriller, Throwback Thursday, WW2

Throwback Thursday meme is hosted by Renee@It’s Book Talk and is a way to share some of your old favourites as well as sharing books that you’re FINALLY getting around to reading that were published over a year ago. You know, the ones waiting patiently on your TBR list while you continue to pile more titles on top of them 🙂! These older books are usually much easier than new releases to get a hold of at libraries and elsewhere. If you have your own Throwback Thursday recommendation feel free to jump on board, you’re welcome to use Renee’s pic as well. If you’d just link back to her @ It’s Book Talk she’d so appreciate it.

 

My choice this week is: The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth

From Goodreads:

Paperback, 422 pages

Published April 7th 2011 by Arrow (first published 1972)

Can you forgive the past?

It’s 1963 and a young German reporter has been assigned the suicide of a holocaust survivor. The news story seems straightforward, this is a tragic insight into one man’s suffering. But a long hidden secret is discovered in the pages of the dead man’s diary.

What follows is life-and-death hunt for a notorious former concentration camp-commander, a man responsible for the deaths of thousands, a man as yet unpunished.

 

 

I read this a few years ago even though it was originally published in 1972. I must admit that I’d always I considered anything by Frederick Forsyth to be very male orientated and something I wouldn’t enjoy reading. Well I was very pleased to be proved wrong, as it was a brilliant thriller with such an unexpected twist.

First Line Friday

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firstlinefriday, meme, paperback, thriller

 

“The man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath.”

My choice for this week is from I See You by Claire Mackintosh, a psychological thriller that’s on my summer reading list.

“You do the same thing every day.

You know exactly where you’re going.

You’re not alone.

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it’s there. There’s no explanation: just a website, a grainy image and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it’s just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .

I See You is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning psychological thriller from one of the most exciting and successful British debut talents of 2015.”

 

What about you, would this first line draw you in?

 

 

 

Book Review: The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn

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@bookblogger, @TripFiction, book review, bookreview, Norway, thriller, travel

Allis a former television presenter finds herself as a housekeeper for Bagge, a moody secretive man living in a forest near a fjord. He tells her his wife will be away for sometime and he needs her to took after the garden and house for him. Allis has her own shameful secrets that weigh her down as she gets to grips with her new position, home and employer.

So begins this incredibly tense thriller set in Norway and the tension does not let up at all. This is a beautifully written and translated book that hooked me from the first page. I was desperate to know the secrets that Bagge was keeping from Allis. Where was his wife? Why was he so moody? Why did he only speak in mono syllables when he did speak?

The setting of the house in a forest on the edge of the fjord is perfect and becomes another character in this moody atmospheric story.

It’s only a short book and so I thought I would whizz through it, but I had to take a breather every now and then as the tension was just too much. Perfect for lovers of psychological thrillers.

Thank you so much to TripFiction for my paperback copy which definitely added to my reading experience

Standalone Sunday

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crime, Elmore Leonard, meme, Standalone Sunday, suspense, thriller

Standalone Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by  Megan@bookslayerreads. Standalone Sunday was created to let others know about all the standalone books you have loved, but maybe don’t get the attention they need. Megan created the banner as well and anyone joining in can use it too. Why not check out her blog too

My choice this week is Mr Majestyk by Elmore Leonard a short but punchy read that’ll hold your attention for the full 150 pages.

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

“Once, Vincent Majestyk crashed through a jungle with an M-15 and a sack of grenades. Now he works under the open skies of the American Southwest, growing melons on his farm. But a strong-arming punk came to Majestyk’s fields and set off a violent chain reaction that left Majestyk without a friend in the world except for one tough, beautiful woman.

Heading to prison, Majestyk finds himself shackled beside a notorious Mafia hit man. And now a man who’s been searching for peace and a man who’s been looking for an angle are about to be set free by a violent breakout: making the farmer and the hit man each other’s only hope and worst possible enemy.

Mr. Majestyk is vintage Leonard, an edgy, dark, fiendishly compelling tale of a quiet man making a whole lot of noise….”

 

 

Blogging from A-Z Challenge – S

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Blogging from A-Z Challenge 2017, challenges, Chris Ewan, crime, Isle of Man, thriller

I’m taking part in the Blogging From A-Z Challenge April 2017 with the theme of books. I’ll be blogging about the books on my Goodreads shelf that I’ve read or want to read.

Today’s letter is S and the book I’ve chosen is Safe House by Chris Ewan, a thriller set on The Isle of Man in the UK. This hooked me right from the first page. There are lots of twists and turns and shady characters that you don’t know if you can trust or not. It kept me guessing for a long time, making it a very satisfying read.

Here’s the Goodreads blurb:

“When Rob Hale wakes up in hospital after a motorcycle crash on the Isle of Man, he is told that Lena, the woman he claims was travelling with him, doesn’t exist. The woman he describes bears a striking resemblance to his recently deceased sister, Laura, but has he really only imagined her?

Convinced that Lena is real, Rob sets out to find the answers to who she is and who is behind her disappearance. He is aided in this by Rebecca Lewis, a London-based PI, who has come to the island at the behest of his parents to investigate his sister’s suicide. But who is Rebecca really and how did she know his sister?

Together Rob and Rebecca follow the clues to discover Lena’s fate. In doing so they realise that even on an island where most people know each other, everyone hides a secret, and sometimes your best option isn’t to hide but to stay and fight.”

What do you think of my choice for the letter S?

What would you have chosen?

Blogging From A-Z Challenge – O

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Blogging from A-Z Challenge 2017, challenges, london, thriller, William Boyd

I’m taking part in the Blogging From A-Z Challenge April 2017 with the theme of books. I’ll be blogging about books on my Goodreads shelf that I’ve read or want to read.

 

 

Today’s letter is O and the book I’ve chosen is Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd,  a fantastic thriller set in London. I really enjoyed reading this after visiting London, making some of the places mentioned much easier to picture as I was reading. You’ll enjoy this if you like books by Robert Harris.

Here’s the Goodreads blurb:

“One may evening in London, as a result of a chance encounter and a split-second decision, a young climatologist called Adam Kindred loses everything – home, job, reputation, passport, credit cards, mobile phone – never to get them back.
Adam has no choice. the police and a ruthless hit man are after him. so he goes underground, joining ranks of the disappeared that throng London’s lowest levels as he struggles to understand how his life has unravelled so spectacularly. his journey of discovery will take him along the river Thames, from affluent Chelsea to the sink estates of the East End. On the way he will encounter aristocrats, prostitutes, evangelists and a policewoman – and version after new version of himself.
William Boyd’s electric follow-up to Costa Novel of the Year Restless is a heart-in-mouth conspiracy novel about the fragility of social identity, the corruption at the heart of big business, and the secrets that lie hidden in the fifthly underbelly of every city.”

 

What do you think of my choice for the letter O?

What would you have chosen?

Blogging from A-Z Challenge – G

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Blogging from A-Z Challenge 2017, challenges, Gallipoli, ghost story, thriller, Turkey, WW1

I’m taking part in the Blogging From A-Z Challenge April 2017.

Today’s letter is G and the book I’ve chosen is Ghost of Gallipoli by Margaret Whittock.  A ghost story and a thriller told in dual time frames.

“Two young people leave Ireland for Turkey, eighty years apart: for one, Private Jack Callaghan, newly enlisted in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, a bitter parting from his fiancée; for the other, Jack’s great-niece, Ellie McKnight, the promise of an exciting new life.

1915: a world engulfed in war. While Jack, in the carnage of Gallipoli, dies violently on V Beach, his spirit survives. For decades this vengeful revenant has bided his time, determined to avenge the needless deaths of himself and his comrades.

The 1990s: a rapidly modernising Turkey. Jack’s helpmate has finally arrived: his great-niece, travelling to Istanbul to wed her diplomat lover, Harry. As Ellie struggles with diplomatic life, her great-uncle gradually reveals himself in a series of chilling incidents. Initially disbelieving, Ellie finally accepts that Jack is not merely a figment of her imagination. Shocked by his story, she becomes his accomplice in his search for retribution.

Set against the fabulous background of Istanbul, Ghost of Gallipoli is part thriller, part ghost story … and part love story. Above all it is a tale of betrayal and revenge, and of how the sins of the fathers may be revisited on their descendants, regardless of time or place.”

What do you think of my choice for the letter G? What would you have chosen?

Book Review: The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

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book review, debut, london, netgalley, thriller

“The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances is a gripping and chilling debut psychological thriller, based on the fall-out following an unforgivable lie. It looks at the potentially charged relationship between girlfriend, boyfriend and his mother, which most women can identify with, and locates it in an extreme but believable setting. A girl. A boy. His mother. And the lie she’ll wish she’d never told. Laura has it all. A successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband, and a twenty-three year-old son, Daniel, who is kind, handsome, and talented. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young, beautiful and smart but she hasn’t had the same opportunities as Daniel. And she wants Laura’s life. Cherry comes to the family wide-eyed and wants to be welcomed with open arms, but Laura suspects she’s not all that she seems. When tragedy strikes, an unforgivable lie is told. It is an act of desperation, but the fall-out will change their lives forever.”

 

A very clever story with not particularly likeable characters in it. It was a bit slow to begin with but as I kept reading it got more twisted. My loyalties kept changing between the main characters, one minute I felt sorry for them and the next I despised them. I could image this working well as TV series or a film. I definitely recommend this if you enjoy psychological thrillers. I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for my digital copy.

Standalone Sunday

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audiobook, AustismAwarenessMonth, christianaudio, crime, fairytale, fantasy, favourites, German, historical fiction, Ireland, library book, meme, Standalone Sunday, thriller, translation

Standalone Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by  Megan@bookslayerreads. Standalone Sunday was created to let others know about all the standalone books you have loved, but maybe don’t get the attention they need. Megan created the banner as well and anyone joining in can use it too. Why not check out her blog too

 

 As April is Autism Awareness Month I thought I’d pick The Unbreakable Boy by Scott LeRete for my choice this week.

Like any other teenage boy, Austin loves pizza, movies, dancing, and girls. But unlike most other eighteen year olds, he has a rare brittle-bone disease, was locked in a mental ward as a child, and is autistic. Yet Austin doesn’t let any of that stop him. His is a world where suffering a broken back is a minor inconvenience and the quest for the ultimate strawberry shake just might be the best day of his life.
Written with remarkable candour by Austin’s father, Scott, and New York Times best-selling author Susy Flory, The Unbreakable Boy weaves the beautiful and often humorous tale of how Austin teaches his father—and everyone else he encounters—to have faith in God and trust that one day life’s messes will all make sense.

Austin’s journey dares us all to believe that miracles are possible, that hope does spring eternal, and that we can find joyous moments to celebrate every day.

I really enjoyed this heart-warming memoir by Scott Michael LeRette. I don’t have any personal experience of autism, so it was a real eye opener listening to his journey and his family’s. It thought it might be a struggle to listen to, but actually it is very funny in places and it filled me with admiration for anyone who has a special needs person in their lives. I listened to the audio version in which Lloyd James narrates this book perfectly and drew me into the adventures and stories the author took me on. There were a lot of life lessons in this audio but not cringey or embarrassing, but profound and definitely worth another listen sometime. I definitely recommend this audio to anyone who wants to listen to a really uplifting book, it’ll make you appreciate the simple things in life as extraordinary, especially when you see them through Austin’s eyes!