Shadows of Regret by Ross Greenwood

Today is my stop on the tour for Shadows of Regret by Ross Greenwood. A relatively new author to me, I had only read one previous book by Ross, so it was a pleasure to be able to read this one, about a woman's struggle to find her place in the world.  My thanks to Caroline Vincent at Bits About Books for inviting me to take part in the tour, and to Ross for providing my review copy.

The Blurb:

If your life was ruined, would you seek redemption or take revenge?

From the #1 bestselling author of Fifty Years of Fear, SHADOWS OF REGRET is the unforgettable story of a woman's struggle to rejoin society.

Katie committed a terrible crime. Sixteen years was the price she had to pay.  Once released from prison, she finds the world has changed. Her chances appear bleak, but Katie is a survivor.

Isolated and alone, she struggles to make sense of her new life. Starting again isn’t easy, especially after what she’s done.  Despite not feeling free or safe, Katie overcomes her fears and confronts the future.

But history won’t remain forgotten.  Gradually, memories of the past are revealed. When Katie finally exposes the awful truth and sees there are others who share the blame, she must choose her path.  Will she seek redemption, or will she take revenge?

You can purchase Shadows of Regret from Amazon.

My Review:

When I say yes to a blog tour, it's because the information about the book, the blurb,  is interesting, or intriguing, and I want to know more. But once I've agreed to a tour, I don't look at the information again, so when I come to read the book maybe weeks, or even months, later, it's completely fresh to me, and I have no preconceptions about it. Other people will do things differently, but this way works for me.

So that was the case with this book. When I started it, I couldn't remember in detail what it was about, just that I wanted to read it. And it drew me in immediately. It's written in the first person, from Katie's point of view, so it felt like I was in her head.

We join Katie as she is leaving prison after sixteen years, with just the address of a halfway house she's to go to, and the few possessions she owns.  We know nothing about her at this stage, other than her crime must have been serious, but from this point on I was rooting for her, cheering her on. She was young when she went to jail, so on her release, even after a tough time inside, there's a vulnerability, a naivety, about her, which comes across beautifully in the writing.

I loved reading as she grew in confidence and made new friends. Some of her decisions are bad ones, but I totally understand why she makes them. Life after jail isn't how she imagined it would be.  And some of what takes place later in the book is violent and bloody. I found it interesting that many of the people who helped her were foreign, maybe immigrants. I don't know if that was deliberate, but in the political situation we currently find ourselves in, it struck me as positive.

In between the chapters about Katie's current life, there are memories, some good, some bad, of her childhood and teenage years. And eventually, we learn what she did, and the circumstances surrounding it. Funnily enough, it was her happiest memory which broke my heart the most - you'll see what I mean when you read it.

We meet some colourful characters along the way, mostly with good hearts, even if their life choices are a little unusual. I loved Radic and his wife, but everyone is beautifully drawn by Ross - I could see them in my mind.  But I pray there aren't probation officers in the real world like the one described here. I don't know about Katie, but I wanted to do him physical harm! And that's testament to the great writing.

I was rooting for Katie right up to the bittersweet end, and the last line is beautiful. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by this author.

The Author:

Ross Greenwood was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until he was 20, attending The King's School in the city. He then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

Ross found himself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually, so he says “when things had gone wrong.” It was on one of these occasions that he met his partner about 100 metres from his back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. And, according to Ross, he is “still a little stunned by the pace of it now.”

The Lazy Blood book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then four years as a prison officer got in the way. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave the author the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep he completed it in the early morning hours.

Ross Greenwood’s second book, The Boy Inside, was picked up by Bloodhound Books, and in September 2017, Fifty Years of Fear was published. The year 2018 saw the publication of his next psychological thriller, Abel’s Revenge. All his books are thought provoking, and told with a sense of humour.

Author Links:

Author Website: www.rossgreenwoodauthor.com 
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/RossGreenwoodAuthor/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/greenwoodross
Amazon Author Page: Author.to/RossGreenwood
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/ross-greenwood GoodReads: bit.ly/RossGreenwood-GR