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Aug 24

The Wedding Party By Tammy Cohen

The Wedding Party By Tammy Cohen‘The Wedding Party’ is the latest book by Tammy Cohen.

Lucy has dreamt of her wedding day for as long as she can remember. And now the day is almost here. Her nearest and dearest are gathered on an idyllic Greek island and she just knows it’s going to be perfect. It has to be. But even the best-laid plans can go horribly wrong. Why are her parents behaving so strangely? Why won’t the rather odd lady from the airport stop hanging around? Who is the silent stranger her sister brought as a plus-1? And then they find the body.

t’s been a while since I’ve read a Tammy Cohen book and set against the Greek skyline, this thriller made for addictive reading.

Lucy has been planning her wedding since she was a child and now the big day has come and she wants it to be perfect. But with drama, arguments, money problems plus a murder, it’s turned into the wedding from hell!

The story is seen through multiple narratives, primarily females in the story Lucy, her sister Jess and mother Hazel as well as Lucy’s bridesmaid Shelley. Lucy is a stereotypical bride, stressed, overspent and easily riled especially when it comes to her younger sister Jess and longing to finally be accepted by her new mother in law. Jess is a free spirit who doesn’t conform to society, bringing a virtual stranger to her sister’s wedding as her plus one and befriending Vivian, a nosey elderly woman who is also staying at the same hotel and has a strange interest in the comings and goings of the wedding party. Hazel, the bride’ mother is dealing with her unhappy marriage whilst Shelley who is Lucy’s best friend is desperate to keep Lucy happy and the wedding ticking over. Whilst Nina, the wedding planner is desperately trying to get money together to paid of the man she borrowed from.

If you enjoy a good domestic noir, then look no further. Tammy has all the boxes ticked with this story, fast paced, flawed and unreliable characters and suspense that builds more with each page.

I loved the multiple narratives in the story, all giving an insight into the people. There was also the inclusion of police statements filtered through the story and this helped build up to the moment that the incident happened and also helped piece together crucial information.

Terrifically written and riddled with claustrophobia and tension from the start, ‘The Wedding Party’ is a gripping thriller set in a picturesque setting with a fascinating line up where everyone is a suspect.

You can buy ‘The Wedding Party’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Feb 1

2018’s Quick Reads Titles Are Here…

Quick Reads 2018

Six enticing Quick Reads titles from well-loved authors will be released by The Reading Agency on 1 February 2018. The selection of titles written by bestselling writers Fern Britton, Dorothy Koomson, Mark Billingham, Kit de Waal, Tammy Cohen and Vaseem Khan span the globe from Mumbai to Ghana, from Cornwall to inner cities and explore a wide range of themes including friendship, secrets and lies, marriage and the horror that losing your phone can bring.

Quick Reads was founded by Baroness Gail Rebuck DBE in 2006 to provide shorter, easier to read, accessible fiction for less confident adult readers. Now in its 12 th year, the programme has distributed over 4.8 million books since it was launched and introduced hundreds of thousands of new readers each year to the joys and benefits of reading.

One in six adults in the UK struggles with reading, 1 whilst one in three does not read for pleasure; 2 Quick Reads are designed to break down the barriers that prevent people from picking up a book. 95% of literacy practitioners report that using Quick Reads has been effective at raising learners’ confidence in reading, whilst 91% say that the books have been effective at improving readers’ literacy skills.

The Quick Reads titles for 2018 are:

Cut Off by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown):
A punchy, taut urban thriller about that moment we all fear: losing our phone! For Louise, losing hers in a local café takes a sinister turn. Billingham has sold five million copies of his novels and has twice won the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Award for Crime Novel of the Year.

The Great Cornish Getaway by Fern Britton (HarperCollins):
As the sun sits high in the sky over Cornwall, and the sea breeze brings a welcome relief to the residents of the seaside village of Trevay, a stranger arrives in need of a safe haven. The former presenter of This Morning, Britton is now a Sunday Times bestselling author and this story is full of her usual warmth and wit.

Clean Break by Tammy Cohen (Transworld):
A dark and twisty portrait of a marriage coming to its bitter end, from the mistress of domestic noir. Can Kate rid herself of her jealous husband before it’s too late? Cohen’s acclaimed novels include ‘The Mistress’s Revenge’, ‘The War of the Wives’ and ‘Someone Else’s Wedding’.

Inspector Chopra and the Million-Dollar Motor Car by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton):
An enchanting Baby Ganesh Agency novella from the bestselling Khan set in the bustling back-streets of Mumbai. Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick have two days to solve the mystery of a missing – and very costly – car for its gangster owner, or there’ll be a heavy price to pay.

The Beach Wedding by Dorothy Koomson (Arrow):
A gripping short read featuring a wedding, family drama, and old secrets. Tessa is thrilled when her daughter arrives in Ghana to get married but memories of the last time she was there haunt her; can she lay the ghosts of the past to rest or will they come back to haunt her daughter’s future? Koomson is the bestselling author of 12 novels including ‘The Ice-Cream Girls’, ‘My Best Friends’ Girl’ and most recently ‘The Friend’.

Six Foot Six by Kit de Waal (Viking):
A charming novella from Costa First Novel Award shortlisted author de Waal about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places. Everything changes for Timothy, a 21 year old with learning difficulties, when local builder Charlie calls on him for help. De Waal worked in criminal and family law and was a magistrate for many years before her international bestseller, ‘My Name is Leon’ was published.

Baroness Gail Rebuck, DBE, Founder, Quick Reads, says: “Since the Quick Reads programme launched 12 years ago, it has brought the pleasures of reading to millions of adults. Once again, I am delighted to announce, alongside The Reading Agency, six more inspiring reads for 2018. Books that will entice, entertain and unlock new worlds; this selection of titles by bestselling writers is ideal for adults who may be low in reading skills, confidence and time.”

Fanny Blake, Commissioning Editor, Quick Reads, says: “This year, I’m proud to introduce a very strong and varied new collection of Quick Reads for 2018 that has something for everyone. We have a gorgeous escapist tale by Fern Britton, set in her beloved Cornwall, Dorothy Koomson’s shock wedding drama played out in a Ghanaian beach resort, Vaseem Khan’s latest Inspector Chopra mystery set in Mumbai, a punchy thriller from Mark Billingham, a twisty portrait of a marriage from Tammy Cohen and a charming novella about an unlikely friendship from Kit de Waal. I hope lots of people will read and enjoy them!”

Sue Wilkinson, Chief Executive of The Reading Agency, says: “This is an exciting, varied list of titles which we hope will inspire people across the country to pick up a book, whether they lack confidence with reading or just want a light, easy read for their commute. At The Reading Agency we believe that everything changes when we read. Evidence shows that Quick Reads are a powerful tool in encouraging adults to read for pleasure.”

Mark Billingham, 2018 Quick Reads author, says: “I am thrilled to be part of the Quick Reads initiative. It’s hugely important to support literacy and to encourage those for whom picking up a book does not come quite so naturally as it does to others. Reading a book is stepping into another world and anything that nudges that door open should be welcomed. It’s an honour to be a Quick Reads author.”

Fern Britton, 2018 Quick Reads author, says: I had one, much older sister as I was growing up so no siblings to play with. Finding books was my greatest joy. Fairy stories with lovely colourful drawings, Enid Blyton adventures and then The Chronicles of Narnia really shaped my imagination. The Quick Reads initiative is enormously important and offers great stories for anyone.

Tammy Cohen, 2018 Quick Reads author, says: “I was lucky enough to grow up in a house filled with books so I’ve always known how a book can be friend, teacher, comfort, inspiration, conversation-starter, table-leg-propper-upper; how it can fill long journeys and even longer nights. I can’t even begin to imagine a life without reading, which is why I was so delighted to take part in the Quick Reads scheme. If I can help just one adult discover the life-changing joy of books, I’ll consider it one of my proudest achievements.”  

Vaseem Khan, 2018 Quick Reads author, says: “I firmly believe that reading is the foundation for learning. Growing up as someone from a less economically advantaged background reading was both my escape and my inspiration. Today I am a writer because of reading. But reading doesn’t come naturally for everyone. Quick Reads’ great insight is to realise that even those who find reading a challenge hanker for exciting, well-written stories that are simple to read. I am delighted that Quick Reads has given me the opportunity to inspire others by providing at least one such story.” 

Dorothy Koomson, 2018 Quick Reads author, says: “I am thrilled to have written The Beach Wedding for Quick Reads 2018. I’ve been a long-term supporter of this scheme, which helps people who aren’t confident readers or who have got out of the habit of reading for pleasure. I believe reading is very empowering and I support all things that encourage people to build their ability with it.”

Kit de Waal, 2018 Quick Reads author, says: “It’s a real privilege to be asked to write something for Quick Reads.  There were no books in the house I grew up in. I only started reading and writing later in life and discovered how important books are and that everyone, no matter what your ability or circumstances, can enjoy reading and have that sense of accomplishment when you turn that last page.  Books can change lives – sometimes for a minute, sometimes for a lifetime. Quick Reads can be part of that change and I hope I have been part of it too.”

Nov 9

Tammy Cohen Writers Tip

Tammy CohenStamina, without a doubt. You can have all the writing advice and classes you want but they’re worth nothing if you haven’t got the discipline and stamina to sit down and actually write day after day after day until finally you’ve got a book.

Oct 20

Tammy Cohen

Tammy CohenTammy Cohen was born in Ibadan, Nigeria and then attended school in both Sierra Leone and California before moving to London. After taking an American Studies degree at Manchester University she taught English in Madrid. While working as a secretary back in London, she started writing features and hand-delivering them to the magazine publishing house around the corner. Tammy’s first book ‘The Mistress’s Revenge’, was followed by three more contemporary fiction titles under the name Tamar Cohen,’ The War of the Wives’, ‘Someone Else’s Wedding’ and ‘The Broken’. In November 2014, her first crime novel, ‘Dying For Christmas’ was published under the name Tammy Cohen, followed by ‘First One Missing’ a year later, her latest book is ‘When She Was Bad’ and has just been optioned for television. Tammy has just revealed that she will be writing a new book in a new genre for her called ‘A Dangerous Crossing’ under a new name

  1. To the readers of the blog, that may not be familiar with you or your writing, can tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into writing?
    I always wrote, even as a very young kid. My poor parents were used to being presented with home-made books tied together with string that they had to dutifully enthuse over and declare brilliant. After uni I did a few odd jobs then fell into journalism after getting a job as a secretary in a marketing magazine. So I wrote features for newspapers and magazines for over twenty years, until print journalism went into decline starting around 2008 and the work started drying up. By 2010 I was angsting so much about money that I stopped sleeping for a while. And it was during this bout of insomnia that I wrote ‘The Mistress’s Revenge’, which became my first published novel. When life gives you lemons and all that stuff…
  2. Where do you get your ideas for your stories?
    It always surprises me when people ask that because the better question would be where don’t you get your ideas. Every situation you get into, every person you meet, every newspaper you read, could be the starting point for a story. As novelists, we just take reality that one step further. So, for example, when my partner and I found ourselves dragged into our friends’ messy divorce, that became the starting point for The Broken. I just added into that already toxic situation a character with psychopathic tendencies, and suddenly I had the basis of a thriller. Similarly my latest book ‘When She Was Bad’, which is a psychological thriller set in an office, was inspired by a job I had years ago in a magazine office where a new, very divisive boss, caused relationships among the staff to unravel spectacularly.
  3. You have written both crime and women’s contemporary fictio novels. Is there one genre you prefer more than the other?
    I suspect you might call my first three books, which were very classed as dark women’s contemporary fiction, the antithesis of romance. In those books I explored the dark underbelly of marriage and relationships – a married woman driven crazy by the break up of her affair, who stalks her ex lover’s family, two women who discover at their husbands’ funeral that they’ve unwittingly been married to the same man. When I decided to start writing psychological crime, it actually wasn’t that big a leap from there.
  4. Was there a book that you read that didn’t live up to the hype?
    I must be the only person in the world who couldn’t even glance at ’50 Shades of Grey’. Everything I heard about it made me feel like I’d need to have a jolly good wash if I picked it up – not because of the sex, but because of the unhealthy power dynamics.
  5. What’s your favourite book of all time?
    I have so many favourite books – from childhood ‘Anne of Green Gables’, the first adult book that really engaged me ‘Catch 22’, but I think the book that’s had the most powerful effect on me is ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’, by Lionel Shriver which is all about the very darkest side of family life. That’s the book that made me think, I want to write like this.

    6. When She Was Bad

  6. What do you think makes a good crime book?
    Strong, believable characters and, most of all, a motivation that feels convincing. There’s nothing more irritating than investing time and energy in reading a book only to discover the driving reason behind the crime, the thing that underpins the whole book, is flimsy and un-realistic.
  7. From books and films, who has been your favourite bad guy?
    Voldemort is a great bad guy because even while he’s immensely powerful he’s also fallible. He has weaknesses and insecurities, and that’s what keeps us on our toes as readers throughout a very long drawn-out series.
  8. If you were to start your own bookclub, what authors would you ask to join?
    All the brilliant crime writers I know like Amanda Jennings, Clare Mackintosh, Marnie Riches who are such good fun. Also, I’m in a group called Killer Women which consists of sixteen brilliant female crime writers including Alex Marwood, Paula Hawkins, Louise Millar, Erin Kelly, Colette McBeth and loads more, so they’d all definitely get an invite.
  9. If you were stranded on a desert island, which three books would you bring with you to pass the time?
    ‘Apple Tree Yard’ by Louise Doughty, ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ by Lionel Shriver and ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ by John Kennedy Toole.
  10. What area do you suggest a budding writer should concentrate on to further their abilities?
    Stamina, without a doubt. You can have all the writing advice and classes you want but they’re worth nothing if you haven’t got the discipline and stamina to sit down and actually write day after day after day until finally you’ve got a book.
  11. When sitting down to write, what is the one item you need beside you?
    Coffee!
  12. And finally Tammy do you have any projects or releases on the horizon which you would like to share with the readers of the website?
    I’ve just started writing a new psychological thriller set in a private psychiatric clinic. And there’s a secret project coming out next spring, which is a major departure for me. Watch this space!

Follow Tammy Cohen on Twitter Tammy Cohen for updates or check out her website at Tammy Cohen

You can buy When She Was Bad from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Jun 22

When She Was Bad By Tammy Cohen

When She Was Bad‘When She Was Bad’ is the latest book by Tammy Cohen.

Amira, Sarah, Paula, Ewan and Charlie have worked together for years – they know how each one likes their coffee, whose love life is a mess, whose children keep them up at night. But their comfortable routine life is suddenly shattered when an aggressive new boss walks in. Now, there’s something chilling in the air. Who secretly hates everyone? Who is tortured by their past? Who is capable of murder?

This is the first book that I’ve read by Tammy and it was a gripping introduction to the new author as her chilling tale made a boring bus journey very interesting indeed.

The story flashes between the past and present and is primarily seen through the eyes Anne Cater, a child psychologist who has been given a difficult child abuse case to work on. She has to observe Child L, a girl who was exposed to abuse and sees how the little girl has been affected. The story moves between Anne working with Child L and the present when a court case is brought to Anne’s attention and she is reminded of someone from her past.

Another side of the story is when a group of people get a new boss and she throws the department into chaos with her quick temper and manipulation as she plays the employees off each other and everyone becomes unsure as to who is their true friend. The team consists of six people, Charlie, Ewan, Chloe, Paula, Sarah and Amira and Rachel, the new boss who makes everyone feel uneasy in their jobs as she makes changes in the department.

The story flows across two continents as Anne watches the court case unfold from her home in America and the case brings her back to a time that she’d rather forget. Anne’s a gentle person, who’s primary concern is the welfare of Child L, an oblivious child to the abuse she was exposed to.

The book flows at a quick and snappy pace and with the clever interaction between the characters, it provides smart sub stories that make for addictive reading. An intense and suspenseful story that keeps the reader on their toes, the book is filled with many twists and turns that makes all the characters a suspect in the twisted tale. ‘When She Was Bad’ is a fantastic thriller that was a great introduction to Tammy Cohen and I look forward to reading more of her books.

You can buy When She Was Bad from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.