The Holdout by Graham Moore

I am delighted to share my review of legal thriller The Holdout today for my stop on the blog tour. Thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb:

One juror changed the verdict. What if she was wrong?

'Ten years ago we made a decision together...'

Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar fortune, vanishes on her way home from school. Her teacher, Bobby Nock, is the prime suspect. It's an open and shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed.

Until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, persuades the rest of the jurors to vote not guilty: a controversial decision that will change all of their lives forever.

Ten years later, one of the jurors is found dead, and Maya is the prime suspect.

The real killer could be any of the other ten jurors. Is Maya being forced to pay the price for her decision all those years ago?

The Holdout was published by Orion (in the UK) on 20th February 2020 and is available from all usual retailers. Why not visit your local independent bookshop? Or online you could try Bert's Books, The Big Green Bookshop, or Hive (which will link to the nearest participating indie bookshop).


My Review:

It's been ages since I read a legal thriller so I was excited to read this. It begins with a cracking scene - it's not part of the main story but it's one heck of an opener. A legal.case with a 'What the...?' moment.

Anyway, on to the main story. Maya is a lawyer now but ten years earlier she was a member of the jury for a huge murder case. In the jury room she was the only one who thought the accused was not guilty. Eventually, she talked everybody else round. In the following years, some of the others regret that decision.

On the tenth anniversary of the trial a TV company is making a documentary about it. Maya initially refuses but her boss encourages her to take part, for good publicity for the firm. But before the filming begins one of the jurors is found dead. And Maya is the prime suspect. To save herself she must look at the trial again, and investigate her fellow jurors - any one of them could be guilty.

Told over a dual timeline, Maya, whilst on bail, visits the other jurors whilst we see the events around the trial ten years earlier from each of their points of view. Maya also visits other key players from the trial in her efforts to find the truth, and a little more of the back story is revealed with each visit.

I loved Maya. She's strong, tenacious and determined, and willing to push to find the truth, even if it means putting herself at risk. And she doesn't waiver in what she believes to be the truth.

This is a detailed story, with lots of characters so I needed to stay alert to keep up. But that wasn't difficult as I couldn't wait to find out what happened, both in the present day and also ten years ago. It is fast moving, tense, and exciting, going off at tangents throughout. It kept my attention throughout and I didn't anticipate the ending at all. I really enjoyed this and would happily recommend it.

The Author:

Graham Moore is a New York Times bestselling novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.

His screenplay for The Imitation Game won the Academy Award and WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2015 and was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.

His first two novels, The Last Days of Night (2016) and The Sherlockian (2010), were published in 24 countries and translated into 19 languages. The Last Days of Night was named one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the American Library Association. The Sherlockian was nominated for an Anthony Award. His third novel, The Holdout, will be published by Random House on February 18, 2020.

Graham lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Caitlin, and their dog, Janet.


Be sure to check out all the other awesome bloggers taking part in the tour! 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Today is my stop on the tour for this brilliant new book from  Lucy Foley. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb:

Guests are called to a remote island off the Irish coast to celebrate the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules and Will. Everything has been meticulously planned, the scene is set, old friends are back together. 

It should be the perfect day. 

Until the discovery of a body signals the perfect murder. 

A groom with a secret.
A bridesmaid with a grudge.
A plus one with motive.
A best man with a past. 

It could be any, it could be all . . . But one guest won’t make it out alive.

The Guest List was published on yesterday by Harper Collins and is available from all usual retailers. Why not visit your local independent bookshop? Or online you could try Bert's Books, The Big Green Bookshop, or Hive (which will link to the nearest participating indie bookshop).

My Review:

Can I just open by saying how much I like the cover? Simple, sleek and eye-catching. Foley's previous novel, The Hunting Party, had a similarly attention-grabbing cover - both great designs.

Online magazine editor Jules is marrying action man and TV celebrity Will. The perfect couple. It's a huge coup for wedding planner Aoiffe that they've picked the folly she and  husband Freddy have restored as their venue. Especially as the folly is on an otherwise deserted island off the coast of Ireland.

The main wedding party arrive on the island by boat the day before the wedding with the remainder of the guests arriving on the morning of the big day itself. But the weather is fair closing in.

For about two thirds of the book we don't actually know the details of what has happened or who the victim is. The tension is built up as we hear from the points of view of most of the key players throughout the evening before and the day itself. Truths are unearthed and old resentments surface.  There are several OMG moments, huge devastating ones, as character flaws are revealed.

It was really interesting, and effective, to see the story unfold from several points of view. It was like seeing photographs of the same scene taken from various angles, so it looks different in each one. It enabled me to form a full picture of the unfolding drama. From the fairly unlikeable cast of characters, Hannah and Olivia stood out for me. Both carry burdens, neither particularly wants to be at the wedding and they bond as a result. Olivia's vulnerability particularly is beautifully described. But I also found Johnno unexpectedly affecting.

We learn so much about this unhappy group of people as the story progresses, and so many have motives for one reason or another. There is so much anger and hatred that has been bubbling under the surface...until now.

The island itself plays a huge part, as does the weather. The wedding party, guests and staff are the only people on the island, and the folly the only intact building. Craggy, unwelcoming, exposed to the elements and steeped in history and folklore, the island is a character in itself. And the approaching storm just makes it scarier. The darkness and rising threat of the storm mirror the rising tension and ugly mood amongst the wedding guests.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Cleverly plotted, weaving stories of individual characters across two days, tension builds throughout. There are some real shocks and whilst I worked out (well, suspected anyway) part of it, I didn't expect the reveal. And despite not liking most of the characters, I found myself caring about what happened to them, and that's down to good writing. A great read.


The Author:

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry, before leaving to write full-time. The Hunting Party, an instant Sunday Times and Irish Times no.1 bestseller, was Lucy’s debut crime novel, inspired by a particularly remote spot in Scotland that fired her imagination. Lucy is also the author of three historical novels, which have been translated into sixteen languages. Her journalism has appeared in ES Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Grazia and more.

Her Last Breath by Alison Belsham

I loved the Tattoo Thief, the previous book in this series, so was super excited to read this Her Last Breath. And it didn't disappoint. Huge thanks to the publisher for my review copy of the book.

The Blurb:

The body count is rising...and the clock is ticking.

When a young woman is attacked and left fighting to survive in hospital, the police are pulled into a race against time to save her life. But just 24 hours later, she dies and a deadly tattoo is discovered on her body.

And when another young woman disappears, Detective Francis Sullivan and his team fear a serial killer walks the streets of Brighton.

His team identify a suspect, Alex Mullins, son of Francis's lover, Marni. Can Francis forget their shared past and save the next victim before it is too late?

Her Last Breath was published by Trapeze on 6th February 2020 and is available from all usual retailers. Why not visit your local independent bookshop. Or online you could try Bert's Books, The Big Green Bookshop, or Hive (which will link to the nearest participating indie bookshop).

My Review:

It's great to see Marni Mullins again! I know Francis Sullivan is the main man, but I'm delighted that Marni is back too.

This is the follow up to The Tattoo Thief (you can see my review here) but can easily be read as a standalone. It's set in one of my favourite places, Brighton, and has a character called Suze (great name) in it - what's not to like!

Seventeen year old Tash Brady storms out of a nightclub following an argument with her boyfriend and heads towards home. Hours later he finds her with horrific injuries and a tattoo on her back. Her death sparks a murder investigation headed up by DI Francis Sullivan. And the chief suspect is Tash's boyfriend, Alex Mullins, who just happens to be Marni's son. And Marni and the DI have history.

Sullivan is a really interesting character. Promoted young, he's not always popular with his subordinates, particularly Rory. He has a solid Catholic faith and a strong moral compass. But tattoo artist Marni gets him hot under the collar.

I love Marni. She's feisty, fierce and full of attitude. She has a fair amount of baggage, some of which is teased out here in a charged sub plot. She has a pretty low opinion of the police and her feelings about Sullivan are...complicated. But it's fair to say she's far from impressed when the team get her son in their sights.

Is it wrong that I have a thing for Thierry? I've had it since the first book - I think it's the bad boy/French accent combo that does it!

As well as the current action, we see a few snapshots of a young girl growing up in the 80s and 90s, which I found really intriguing. Sad too. Back in the present, the team struggle to get ahead, not helped by a bit of in fighting. And Francis is distracted by things happening away from work. Tension builds as they start to put clues together. I was rooting for the team, although at times I wanted to give Rory a good shake!

Her Last Breath is nerve-racking throughout. Quite gruesome in places - Belsham doesn't shy away from the bloody details - and a bit icky in others. The denouement had me holding my breath, I just couldn't read fast enough, and whilst I was thinking along the right lines, the reveal was a shock for me.

This story is chocked full of action, with added spadefuls of jeopardy. And it's all done with brilliantly drawn characters who have real emotional depth.  Characters that I'd like to have a drink and chat with. That's skilful writing. I devoured this book and just can't wait for the final part of the trilogy.

The Author:

Alison Belsham initially started writing with the ambition of becoming a screenwriter--and in 2000 was commended for her visual story telling in the Orange Prize for screenwriting. In 2001 she was shortlisted in a BBC Drama Writer competition. Life and children intervened but, switching to fiction, in 2009 her novel Domino was selected for the prestigious Adventures in Fiction mentoring scheme. In 2016 she pitched her first crime novel, The Tattoo Thief, at the Pitch Perfect event at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival and was judged the winner. The Tattoo Thief is out now, the sequel is coming soon and she's currently working on the third book in the Francis Sullivan trilogy, Death's Needle. Alison lives in Edinburgh, and when she's not writing she spends her time visiting tattoo conventions.

To learn more about Alison and her books, visit her website  or follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Beast (Six Stories 4) by Matt Wesolowski

Next up today I'm just thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Beast by Matt Wesolowski, one of my most anticipated books for this year. Thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me. I read and reviewed my own bought copy.

The Blurb:

In the wake of the ‘Beast from the East ’ cold snap that ravaged the UK in 2018, a grisly discovery was made in a ruin on the Northumbrian coast. Twenty-four year old vlogger, Elizabeth Barton, had been barricaded inside what locals refer to as ‘The Vampire Tower’, where she was later found frozen to death.

Three young men, part of an alleged cult, were convicted of this terrible crime, which they described as a ‘prank gone wrong ’. However, in the small town of Ergarth, questions have been raised about the nature of Elizabeth Barton’s death and whether the three convicted youths were even responsible.

Elusive online journalist Scott King speaks to six witnesses – people who knew both the victim and the three killers – to peer beneath the surface of the case. He uncovers whispers of a shocking online craze that held the young of Ergarth in its thrall and drove them to escalate a series of pranks in the name of internet fame. He hears of an abattoir on the edge of town, which held more than simple slaughter behind its walls, and the tragic and chilling legend of the Ergarth Vampire…

Beast was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 20th December 2019 and in paperback on 6th February 2020. You can buy it from the publisher and all usual retailers. Why not visit your local independent bookshop? Or online you could try Bert's Books, The Big Green Bookshop, or Hive (which will link to the nearest participating indie bookshop).


My Review:

Regular visitors to this blog may recall that I read and reviewed the first three books in this series, Six Stories, Hydra and Changeling, at the beginning of last year and pretty much ran out of superlatives to describe Matt's writing. Six Stories was was one of my books of 2019 but, in reality, all three could have been on the list - I just picked Six Stories because of the impact it had on me, having read nothing like it before. So it was fair to say there was a lot of anticipation for Beast. I downloaded it on the day it came out (I prefer real books but just couldn't wait for the paperback release) and it was my first read of the year. And did Wesolowski deliver again? Oh yes, he certainly did.

Beast is the fourth book in the Six Stories series. There are some references in this book to things that happened in Changeling, but it can certainly be read as a standalone. However, you should read the previous books in the series because they are freaking awesome (you can read my reviews by clicking through on the book titles above).

As with the previous books, this is presented as a podcast looking at a true crime. The podcast consists of six episodes - stories - each with a different interviewee, who had some connection with the crime. After the aforementioned events in the previous book, presenter Scott King isn't as elusive as he used to be, and now visits the crime scene and his interviewees personally.

Young upcoming vlogger Elizabeth Barton was apparently murdered, by three men she knew, during the cold spell known as the 'Beast from the East' in 2018. Ergarth is a town on the coast in the North East of England which doesn't seem to have much going for it, particularly in winter. Elizabeth was well known and popular, encouraged charitable acts and was on the verge of launching a foundation to help those less fortunate. But was she all that? And is there a connection between her killers and the Ergarth Vampire?

As with Matt's previous books this is so real. I went to Google  many times to check things out. Ergarth is so typical of a crumbling seaside town - there are very few jobs, no investment, empty buildings, nowhere for the kids to go, and the people living there feel abandoned - it could be so many places. And the descriptions of Tankerville Tower and the woods surrounding it are hugely atmospheric and creepy - I certainly wouldn't want to visit. I think having Scott King visit the places discussed and meeting folk face to face has really  added to the sense of place - it's allowed the author to be even more descriptive. For example,

'... the wind is even stronger and colder than on the high street, where it screams around the boarded-up shops with a sharpened blade.'
'... a stream that gurgles beside us, its voice carrying above the skeletal shopping trolleys sitting in the water.'

I have never watched anyone talking on YouTube about their shopping, gifts they've been sent or challenges they've accepted, but Matt's portrayal here strikes me as scarily accurate - excerpts from Elizabeth's vlog are presented between episodes. I could be watching them, they are so real. The same with the episodes themselves and the interviewees - the voices all sound different. Wesolowski writes dialogue so well - the pauses, stumbling over words, correcting as we go, the emotion in our voices - we all do it, and it's done here so it feels authentic. I can hear the voices, I am listening to the podcast. I find reading Matt's books a totally immersive experience.

As with previous books, Matt has weaved in folklore into a very contemporary and cautionary tale. I loved the story of the Ergarth Vampire. As we progress through the episodes we learn that perhaps not all is as it first seemed as the tale, and some people's reputations get twisted around. The story is a disturbing one with a hint of horror, and there are some tense moments. Shocking ones too.

This is a sober reflection on our society and our obsession with, and addiction to, social media. The importance we place in the number of followers we have. The desperate need for likes and shares. There are some political statements here too, I think - the abandonment of small towns miles away from Westminster, the lack of mental health care. Things that are happening all over the country now.

Once again, Wesolowski has delivered a stunning book - original, gripping, creepy, thought provoking and relevant. He is just going from strength to strength, and I can't wait to see what's next!


The Author:

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK and US based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more. His novella, The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick, and film rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller.

Death Deserved by Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger (translated by Anne Bruce)

It's been a quiet start to 2020 for me, but things are beginning to get busier, starting today, as I'm on the tour for two fabulous new  Orenda books. First up, I'm delighted to share my review of Death Deserved written by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for my review copy.

The Blurb:

Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrøm
never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrøm’s home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number ‘one’ has been pinned to the TV.

Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrøm soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated … evidence of a bigger picture that he’s just not seeing…

Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flair for the dramatic, and thirst for attention.

Trouble is, he’s just got his first taste of it…

Death Deserved was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 31st January 2020 and will be released in paperback on the 20th of this month. You can buy/pre order it from the publisher and all usual retailers. Why not visit your local independent bookshop? Or online you could try Bert's Books, The Big Green Bookshop, or Hive (which will link to your nearest participating indie bookshop).


My Review:

I loved Thomas Enger's Inborn and was excited to read this, the first in a new series, written with fellow author Jørn Lier Horst. And I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed!

I'm starting at the end. Right at the back of the book with the authors' acknowledgements. I always read the acknowledgements in a book because I'm a curious (ie. nosy) soul, but I know not everybody does. Well, if you fall into that group, I urge you to read these, because they had me giggling. Quite unlike any others I have read.

Anyway, on to the serious stuff!

The story opens in 1999 with rookie police officers Alexander Blix and Gard Fosse attending a reported shooting, where things don't go quite according to plan. We then jump forward to the present day - Blix is divorced and his daughter, who he doesn't see enough of, is beginning to forge her own way in the world.  Fosse is now his boss, he has a new partner, and is still haunted by that incident nineteen years earlier.

Meanwhile, young online blogger and journalist Emma Ramm is desperate to get the scoop on sporting celebrity Sonja Nordstrøm on the publication day of her explosive memoir. But arriving at Nordstrøm's home Emma finds no sign of her, but definite traces of a disturbance and calls the police. This kicks off an alarming series of events.

At the heart of this story are the people. I warmed to Blix immediately but felt he was a lonely man. Dedicated to his work, he's willing to flout the rules if necessary. And he carries with him the ghosts of his past. I enjoyed reading the dynamic between him and his former best friend Fosse, and also with Sofia Kovic, his new partner, as they begin working together. Emma is young, enthusiastic and keen to make a bigger name for herself in the world of journalism. But she also has her secrets...and an inner strength that she must call upon. The developing trust between her and Blix is a joy to read.

But, of course, it is so much more than that - I just can't tell you much for fear of spoilers! What I can tell you is that the story is clever, taut, thrilling and perfectly paced. Full of twists, turns and dead ends, it builds and builds until I found myself holding my breath at the tense, edge-of-the-seat conclusion. It has much to say about celebrity, both its appeal and its dangers. Reality TV too and the appetite for that.

I am always fascinated when two writers come together for a project - the mechanics of it all and who does what. But however these two work, the result is seamless, complemented by excellent translation from Anne Bruce.

Part police procedural, part thriller and with two fresh, interesting protagonists, Death Deserved has it all. I loved this book and it's a really strong start to a new series.


The Authors:

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 internationally bestselling William Wisting series. A former investigator in the Norwegian
police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense. Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark has become a darkly gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer. Death Deserved is Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger ’s first co-written thriller.


Be sure to check out all the other awesome bloggers on the tour!