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Feb 6

My Other Husband By Dorothy Koomson

Songs In Ursa Major‘My Other Husband’ is the latest book by Dorothy Koomson.

Cleo Forsum is a bestselling novelist turned scriptwriter whose TV series, ‘The Baking Detective’ is a huge success. Writing is all she’s ever wanted to do, and baking and murder stories have proved a winning combination. But now she has decided to walk away from it all – including divorcing her husband, Wallace – before her past secrets catch up with her. As Cleo drafts the final ever episodes of the series, people she knows start getting hurt. And it’s soon clear that someone is trying to frame her for murder. She thinks she knows why, but Cleo can’t tell the police or prove her innocence. Because then she’d have to confess about her other husband.

When I delved into Dorothy’s latest book, I knew I was in for a rollercoaster of a story. I read it in two sittings, this book was impossible to put down.

The story is seen through the narrative of Cleo and is seen from the past and present. Cleo is the writer behind a successful crime series and has just called time on her marriage and has cancel her television series. All around her people are upset and confused by her behaviour but she’s doing it all to keep those close to her safe. The past narrative is about Cleo, whilst at university she meets Heath, an intense man who falls for Cleo. Their relationship are passionate, fiery and in the end Cleo decides to end it. Now years later, Cleo finds herself being questioned for crimes that are happening to people close to her.

I loved this story, it’s fast-paced, gripping and with short chapters, it’s easy to get absorbed into the story. Cleo is an intriguing character, she’s a well established woman but she’s letting her world fall down around her to keep others safe. She’s kind, brave and has an interesting relationship with her niece Lola, another brave and outspoken character who’s quick to speak her mind.

This story has all the makings of a great psychological thriller, complex characters, suspicious scenarios and twists throughout. Cleverly crafted and focusing on love bombing, toxicity and unhealthy relationships, ‘My Other Husband’ is another compelling and dramatic story from Dorothy that is grippingly good!

You can buy ‘My Other Husband’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Oct 26

The Prisoner By BA Paris

The Prisoner‘The Prisoner’ is the latest book by BA Paris.

THEN: Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a career for herself in the magazine industry, she meets, and agrees to marry, Ned Hawthorne. NOW: Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

Fans of BA Paris, you are in for a treat with her new book called ‘The Prisoner’.

Like BA’s previous books, it starts right at the key moment that something major has happened and in this book, it’s when Amelie and her husband Ned are kidnapped. The story then flows in the past and present tense leading up to the moment. With Amelie in a darkened room listening to her husband scream for his life and the time leading up to it, meeting Ned and falling for his charms but realising he’s not the man that he had lead people and the media believe. And when people question his behaviour, they disappear.

BA’s debut novel called ‘Behind Closed Doors’ is one of my favourite books. It’s pacy with easy to absorb with short chapters and ‘The Prisoner’ was no different. I read the book in one sitting, it was that addictive. The moments leading up to the kidnapping are intense reading as Amelie sees a side to her new husband and life that she terrifies her whilst the claustrophobic setting of the darkened room where food is delivered and nothing is said is equally intense.

Dark, chilling and wonderfully gripping. ‘The Prisoner’ is an addictive thriller with intriguing characters and a cunning twist that will delight you!

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

Sep 20

The Butcher And The Wren By Alaina Urquhart

The Butcher And The WrenThe Butcher And The Wren’ is the debut novel by Alaina Urquhart, co-host of the popular podcast, ‘Morbid’.

In deep Louisiana, a serial killer with a taste for medical experimentation is completing his most ambitious project yet. The media call him ‘The Butcher’ – and, so far, he’s proved impossible to catch. With her encyclopaedic knowledge of humanity’s darkest minds, and years of experience examining their victims, forensic pathologist Dr Wren Muller is the best there is. The longer the Butcher’s killing spree continues, the more determined she is to bring him to justice. And yet, he continues to elude her. As body after body piles up on Wren’s examination table, her obsession grows. Pressure to put an end to the slaughter mounts. And her enemy becomes more brazen.

Who better to write a book about serial killers than Alaina Urquhart, co-host of ‘Morbid’, a podcast about serial killers. With her extensive knowledge, of personality and characters, I figured that ‘The Butcher And The Wren’ would be a fascinating and addictive story and it certainly was!

The story is seen from the narrative of Jeremy and Wren. Jeremy is a sociopath who works a normal office job inputting data but also enjoys kidnapping people, torturing them before leaving their bloodied bodies for Wren to look after. As the bodies mount up in the most gruesome manner, as a forensic pathologist, Wren is one of the last people to see the victims and figure out what became off them. But as Wren tries to get into Jeremy’s mind who the media have named ‘The Butcher’ due to the slain victims. She tries to find out what pushes a person to become a serial killer and Jeremy begins his killing spree a bit closer to home.

I loved this story, I’ve always had an interest in serial killers and criminology and have subscribed to a few murder podcasts and I’ll most certainly be adding ‘Morbid’ to the list.

The story is an in-dept exploration of the human mind and behaviours and it’s fascinating to see the narrative of Jeremy, who appears emotionless and completely stable in his actions. Reading the narrative of both characters, gave a cat and mouse vibe story, which was almost like a countdown to whether Jeremy would ever be stopped and I found myself rapidly devouring the book, as Wren got closer to Jeremy.

Although the story is wonderfully dark and atmospheric, with the swampy, humid Louisiana air and the unfortunate people that Jeremy preyed upon, there is an element of humour in the story that balances the goriness of the victims as well as the procedures that Wren performs.

With intense characters, storyline and short, snappy chapters that were easy to absorb, ‘The Butcher And The Wren’ is a fantastic debut, cleverly written, thoroughly researched and slightly reminiscent of ’Dexter’, a must for all fans of crime!

You can buy ‘The Butcher And The Wren’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Jul 22

Lies At Her Door By AA Abbott

Lies At Her Door‘Lies At Her Door’ is the latest book by AA Abbott.

Lucy Freeman struggles to find satisfaction in life. Trapped in the shadow of her rock star brother, the thirty-two-year-old craves more than her days at home caring for her terminally ill mother. But her routine takes a turn for the horrifying when a giant sinkhole collapses the earth outside their house and reveals a skeleton. Shocked to discover the bones belong to a former member of her sibling’s band, Lucy’s worst nightmare comes alive when police suspect her of the killing. And as she turns to her dying parent’s diaries in a desperate search for vindication, she’s entangled in a dark and complicated truth. Will unearthing long-buried wrongs prove lethal?

‘Lies At Her Door’ is an intriguing story with a fascinating protagonist that kept me on my toes with her mystery and innocence.

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of Lucy, a woman who lives with her parents and cares for her mother. One day, a sink hole appears at their house and a body is discovered. The detectives Neil Slater and Sheridan Duffy are investigating the case and Neil knows Lucy from a former life.

Lucy is a complex character, she’s lived in older brother’s shadow for years, a member of a successful boy band called Dr. Sweet. She has a naivety about her, a simple sweetness that makes you warm to her. There is also the perspective from Neil and this give the police procedural slant to the story, as himself and Sheridan played good cop/bad cop whilst interesting the residents of Jackson Crescent. An influential area that is shocked by the discovery of a dead body.

I really enjoyed this story, it’s really relatively short with quick chapters so could easily be consumed in one sitting. I think the main reason I really enjoyed the story, was the complexity of Lucy and how unpredictable of a character she was. ‘Lies At Her Door’ is a cleverly crafted story with underlying suspense and tension threaded throughout.

You can buy ‘Lies At Her Door’ from Amazon.

Jul 21

The Hive By Scarlett Brade

The Hive‘The Hive’ is the debut novel by Scarlett Brade.

Charlotte Goodwin looks directly at the camera and reveals a chilling truth to the thousands watching her Instagram Live broadcast. She has killed her ex-boyfriend’s new partner in cold blood. But she is not finished yet. The viewers must now vote to decide whether he should live or die. The public display sends shockwaves rippling through the online community and the numbers of viewers skyrockets. But as Lincoln’s past is revealed, how will he be judged?

This debut has got to be one of my favourite books of 2022. With a sizzling storyline and strong females, this topical story certainly packed a punch and kept me gripped throughout.

The story is seen through the perspective of Charlotte and starts in the present time, when she’s live broadcasting the death of her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend and how she has got to this moment in her life.

The story then travels back to the past when Charlotte first meets Lincoln, a successful boxer and influencer, Charlotte is an admin assistant and she falls for Lincoln’s charms and good looks hard. But when tragedy strikes and they break up, Charlotte finds it hard to move on especially when Lincoln moves on with a new woman and has his new relationship flaunted in her face.

This story is a powerful and triggering story that certainly makes for thoughtful and topical reading, as we join a woman on a journey to breaking point.

Charlotte is a fantastic lead, she’s strong and passionate and as her relationship and life unravels around her, so does her sanity and this truly is a sad reading. She is supported by a strong network of friends, who have all been there for each other during the hardest of times, whether that’s drugs, abuse or loss, they are always there to help.But they are struggling to help Charlotte particularly, as the life that she could have had is always there to be seen on ‘The Hive’ the social media platform that is rife with gossip and updates and keeps Charlotte informed of Lincoln’s news. Charlotte becomes addicted to social media and is consumed with passion to help put her life together but ‘The Hive’ is always there to catch her at her worst.

The story is topical in that it focuses on social media and life in the limelight. Nothing is private and everyone has an opinion, whether it’s good or bad and the author cleverly included social media posts about the rise of Lincoln and demise of Charlotte. I absolutely hated Lincoln, a narcissist, vain and he constantly gaslit Charlotte and made her double think everything.

Powerfully written, thought-provoking and packed with attitude, ‘The Hive’ is a fantastic thriller about the strength of the sisterhood, the toxicity of social media and the determination to seek vengeance and all these factors made this uniquely written and gripping debut impossible to put down!

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

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