No Way To Die by Tony Kent

The latest book in a favourite series of mine is on the blog today and I couldn't be happier. No Way To Die is the fourth Dempsey/Devlin book from Tony Kent. Published by Elliott &Thompson, it was released in hardback and on eBook on 18th November. The paperback will be out next April. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my very handsome review copy.

The Blurb

When traces of a radioactive material are found with a body in Key West, multiple federal agencies suddenly descend on the scene. This is not just an isolated murder - a domestic terrorist group is ready to bring the US government to its knees. The threat hits close to home for Agent Joe Dempsey when he discovers a personal connection to the group. With his new team member, former Secret Service agent Eden Grace, Dempsey joins the race to track down the bomb before it’s too late. But when their mission falls apart, he is forced to turn to the most unlikely of allies: an old enemy he thought he had buried in his past. Now, with time running out, they must find a way to work together to stop a madman from unleashing horrifying destruction across the country.

 

My Review

I'm always excited for a new Tony Kent novel because, having now read three of the four (need to go back for number two), I know I'm in for a treat. 

Joe Dempsey is in the airport waiting to fly to London to see his dearest friends when he finds out about the murder of a patrolman and heads to the crime scene instead. There is a possibility radioactive material has been handled there, hence the interest of Joe's International Security Bureau. But this is just the beginning of a race against time which not only involves the ISB but also several other law enforcement agencies and someone very unexpected from Dempsey's past...

This is a fairly hefty tome coming in at just short of 500 pages but it never feels it. Short, sharp chapters and a whole heap of excitement meant I powered through this in two days. This is a book that hits the ground running and doesn't pause for breath until the end. It's action packed and super tense. 

Joe Dempsey is the hero we all need. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, always calm and ready for absolutely anything. Fear never stops him. We learn a little about him when he was younger in this book, which was welcome, just adds to his character.  There is a personal angle for Joe in this book and I really liked that. And I love Eden Grace, Dempsey's most recent recruit, who we met in the last book. She's pretty awesome. In fact, women feature heavily in this story which you wouldn't necessarily expect from such an action packed thriller. Aside from Grace, O'Rourke was the standout from these. From the remaining cast of characters, which is quite large, Vega broke my heart. 

This is the first book I've read that's tackled the Covid 19 pandemic head on. Others have touched on mask wearing and hand washing but Kent has cleverly incorporated it into the plot without ever making the story about it,  if you know what I mean. I know from the acknowledgements that he started out writing a very different book but the pandemic changed that. But the book he ended up writing is fabulous, focusing on a domestic terror threat, which I'm sure is a constant and very real worry for the US. 

No Way To Die is everything you could want from a thriller. It's explosive, action packed and tense. It's full of shocks and surprises. It pulls you in from the first chapter and keeps you there. You won't notice the time passing, I promise you. Tony Kent has delivered all that and done it with heart. There were moments amidst the chaos and shooting that I found really quite moving. In case you are still wondering, I loved this book! 

The Author

Photo by Neil Spence Photography

Tony Kent is a practising criminal barrister who draws on his legal experience to bring a striking authenticity to his thrillers: Killer Intent, Marked for Death, Power Play and now No Way To Die. Ranked as a ‘leader in his field’ Tony has prosecuted and defended in the most serious trials during his twenty years at the Criminal Bar - specialising in murder, terrorism, corruption, kidnap and organised crime. His case history is filled with nationally reported trials and his practice has brought him into close professional contact with GCHQ, the Security Service and the Ministry of Defence. He has also defended in matters with an international element, involving agencies such as the FBI. Tony also appears as a criminal justice expert on a number of TV shows, including Meet, Marry, Murder (coming soon to Netflix), My Lover, My Killer and Kill Thy Neighbour (both Channel 5). Prior to his legal career Tony represented England as a heavyweight boxer and won a host of national amateur titles. He lives just outside of London with his wife, young son and dog.

 

When The Dead Come Calling by Helen Sedgwick

I read this book a while back and really enjoyed it so I'm delighted to share my review of When The Dead Come Calling by Helen Sedgwick as part of the blog tour. Many thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

 

The Blurb

In the first of the Burrowhead Mysteries, an atmospheric murder investigation unearths the brutal history of a village where no one is innocent.

When psychotherapist Alexis Cosse is found murdered in the playground of the sleepy northern village of Burrowhead, DI Strachan and her team of local police investigate, exposing a maelstrom of racism, misogyny and homophobia simmering beneath the surface of the village.

Shaken by the revelations and beginning to doubt her relationship with her husband, DI Strachan discovers something lurking in the history of Burrowhead, while someone (or something) equally threatening is hiding in the strange and haunted cave beneath the cliffs...

My Review

Well, I'll open by saying I enjoyed When The Dead Come Calling enough to buy my own paperback copy. It took me a while to get into this book but it's one I was thinking about long after I'd finished it. And it was always going to be a bit of a winner for me - there's a character called Suze in it! 

The book opens with a very atmospheric first chapter with someone hiding out in a cave before the action moves into town and the discovery of a body, someone known well by one of the small police team, in the children's playground. The investigation that follows throws up some disturbing findings...

Not really sure what I thought of main character DI Georgie Strachan. She has an interesting back story and I liked the way information about her was teased out throughout the book, with maybe more to come in future books. I  didn't warm to her like I wanted to, even by the end. Her husband Fergus, I just wanted to shake though! Simon broke my heart and it was team member Trish that I could relate to the most.

We don't know who anyone is at the beginning which I found a bit disorienting, especially with the sharp change in tone and scenes in the first three chapters. Things jump about a bit and the story is told from various viewpoints but once I got into it I was OK with that. Although in the two or three chapters from the point of view of outsider DS Frazer, drafted in from the city to support Georgie's unit, the police team are referred to by rank and surname whereas first names are used elsewhere. I understand why that was done but it didn't work for me.  I really liked the interesting chapter headings (which, of course, make more sense in context). Some examples are  'What Wednesdays Used to be Like', 'The Shapes of the Evening' 'and The Darkness Surrounding Mrs Helmsteading'. 

 
I loved the author's world building and how the landscape and weather played such a large part in the story. But also, the indoor spaces were described really well. Her descriptions are wonderful, my favourite thing about this book. The bit about the cave mentioned at the beginning hooked me in:

'a cavern the width of my arm span and the height of a block of flats - emptied for demolition but left standing, to rot, repainted on the inside with bird shit. Shouldn't have left those windows open.'

And there are many more examples: 

'But her words are snatched by the wind, to be coated in salt and preserved for the apocalypse.'
'... with the cold moving past his wrists, past his elbows and curling around his chest.'
'The human croak of the roundabout as it turns. The ache of it.'
‘The wind is singing a grit-song now, spitting sand at my eyes.'

The nod to the supernatural, something otherworldly - I really didn't expect that and it knocked me off balance a little at first. But it's that that I keep coming back to, keep thinking about.

When The Dead Come Calling is an easy to read, effective police procedural which is also emotive and evocative. It touches on some difficult subjects and has some tragic moments. Its hint of otherworldliness was a really interesting surprise and one I liked.  But for me, the book's strength is how beautifully descriptive it is. Enjoyed it. 

The Author

Helen Sedgwick is the author of The Comet Seekers and The Growing Season, which was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year in 2018. The opener to her Burrowhead Mysteries crime trilogy, When the Dead Come Calling, was published in 2020, followed by Where the Missing Gather in 2021. She has an MLitt in Creative Writing from Glasgow University and has won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Before she became an author, she was a research physicist with a PhD in Physics from Edinburgh University. She lives in the Scottish Highlands.

The Hostage by John Ryder

Wishing a very happy publication day to author John Ryder as I share my review of his brand new action thriller, The Hostage, out today. Many thanks to Noelle Holten at Bookoutre for inviting me on to the blog tour and for my review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

The Blurb

“You get us what we want. Or your wife dies. And we will make it hurt.”

Jerome Prentice is a good guy. Loyal to a fault, he always stays on the right side of the law.

But everything changes the night he is awoken by the sound of masked kidnappers entering his home. Holding him at gunpoint, they drag his beloved wife Alicia out of the house with a promise to kill her if he goes to the police. Their demand: betray the company he’s worked for his entire adult life.

They think he’ll do anything to save his wife. But they don’t know that they’re messing with the wrong man. Because Jerome might be a good guy. But betrayal doesn’t come easily to him. And he’s not a man who will go down without a fight.

What’s more, he will hunt the people who’ve taken Alicia to the ends of the earth. And if they’ve hurt even one hair on her head, he’s going to make them pay…

This utterly page-turning, jaw-dropping thriller is perfect for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci and Mark Dawson.

The Hostage is published by Bookoutre and is out today.


Buy Links

EBook:
https://geni.us/B09DPZCZ2Nsocial

Audible:
UK: zpr.io/C9Y7JxMtkpH3
US: zpr.io/G2nPDjSvkMRA

My Review

Having enjoyed John Ryder's previous books (First Shot, Final Second, Third Kill, The Witness) I was delighted to have the opportunity to read his new standalone. Like the others, this one is set across the pond in the US.

Jerome and Alicia are happy. Crazy in love and with plans for a future that involves kids and pets. But all that is threatened one night when masked gunmen enter their bedroom and kidnap Alicia. They have specifically targeted her because they want Jerome to carry out a task for them - a very big, illegal and dangerous task. He does this, they will release Alicia. If they are telling the truth...

Jerome is a regular guy. He goes to his job, which he's very good at, goes home to his wife. He's good looking, but not too handsome. He's fit, but not a gym bunny. Doesn't own a gun, doesn't really know how to fight although did some combat sports at college. He's loyal. In other words, he's just a normal, stand up guy. Until his wife, the most precious person in his life, is kidnapped. Then we start to see a different Jerome. He is willing to fight for her, go to prison if necessary, even die, if it means she'll survive. He really, really loves this woman.

I loved following Jerome over the most traumatic days of his life. From the initial, overwhelming fear and incomprehension about the whole situation to the anger that followed then working out what his limited options are to secure Alicia's release. We see him make decisions he hates and do things that he never believed he could do. And although he doesn't really want to, he involved his good friend Ed, who works in computing and who Jerome hopes will help him carry out the task he's been set but also help him find out more about what's going on. Jerome is very relatable even though some of his actions are maybe questionable.  His love for his wife shines through. This may be fiction but I'm sure most of us would do whatever we could to save a loved one in trouble. And Alicia is not someone that can be written off - she's tougher than she first appears. 

This is not a book with a high body count nor too much violence. But that does not make it any less tense and exciting. I whizzed through it in a couple of days. It's fast paced and Ryder makes even the scenes in Jerome's office, and all the tech stuff - the moments when, in different hands, the story could have lagged - seem exciting. It's a fast, breathless book because of the speed of the action. We are picked up and swept away with it. I might have got a wee bit lost with all the financial stuff but that took nothing away from my enjoyment of the story. 

The Hostage is a tense exciting action thriller, one that really draws you in and keeps you close. The writing is great and the characters believable. There was really nothing I didn't like as evidenced by my quick read time. Another great book from John Ryder - I look forward to more in the future! 

The Author

John Ryder is a former farmworker and joiner. He’s turned his hand to many skills to put food on the table and clothes on his back. A life-long bibliophile, he eventually summoned the courage to try writing himself, and his Grant Fletcher novels have drawn inspiration from authors such as Lee Child, Tom Cain, Zoe Sharp and Matt Hilton. When it comes to future novels, he says he has more ideas than time to write them.

When not writing, John enjoys spending time with his son, reading and socialising with friends. A fanatic supporter of his local football team, he can often be found shouting encouragement to men much younger and fitter than he is.


Author Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnRyderAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRyder101
Website: https://johnryderauthor.com/

Poetic Justice by Mark Tilbury

Regular visitors to the blog will know I'm a Mark Tilbury fan. Usually we see the twisted thrillers that have earned him his nickname, but in Poetic Justice he's turned his hand to poetry and short stories. I was intrigued ... Thanks to Mark for inviting me and for my review copy. I've since purchased a copy.

The Blurb

Five twisted tales of murder and revenge.

Time doesn’t heal; it just incubates old wounds.

Last Orders – Jeff Tully’s wife has left him. Trying to run his pub single-handedly, he increasingly turns to his barmaid, Alyson, for help. But when Alyson tells him of her own troubles, they hatch a plan to get rid of Alyson’s violent, abusive husband. But will Jeff live to regret he ever got involved with his barmaid?

Lucy’s Return – No one remembers Lucy at the school reunion, but she remembers them. Especially one boy who made her life hell, and now she’s going to do the same to him.

Private Museum – Retired nurse Mandy Rostron never thought she’d find love again after her husband died, but in Anthony Mallard she’s found the perfect gentleman. Or so she thinks. Mallard has some very dark secrets in his basement, or his Private Museum as he calls it, and Mandy is about to discover the truth about the man of her dreams.

Ballad of the Unsung Hero – Retired shopkeeper Jennifer Price is at her wits end. Her husband Kenneth thinks more of his fishing than he does of her. But when she meets the man of her dreams at a spiritual church, Jennifer is hell-bent on getting her man – whatever it takes.

The Tallyman – Donna is in debt, and the loan shark is making her life unbearable, with increasingly vile demands when she can’t make her payments. But her elderly neighbour, Elsie, has the perfect solution to get rid of the tallyman once and for all.

My Review

Poetic Justice comprises of five short stories, each one loosely based on a poem also written by the author. Many of you will know that I love a bit of poetry and I was very interested to read those produced by Mark. Unsurprisingly, they are pretty dark but beautiful. Here's just a couple of lines from Last Orders to give you an idea:

'Tell me what's your poison, son, what's your chosen brew?

We've fine fermented tears, squeezed from a bleeding heart'

The stories are also dark, and as we've come to expect, fairly twisted, but not as much so as recent books have been, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. 

The characters inhabiting the tales are all well drawn. We clearly see Jeff's desperation after his wife disappears from the pub in Last Orders and Jennifer's mounting frustration at boring husband Kenneth in Ballad of the Unsung Hero. The scene setting is excellent whether we're in the pub, the spiritual church or one of the various homes we visit along the way. And the less said about the basement in Private Museum, the better - super creepy! 

I had a couple of favourites. I loved Lucy's Return because it went in a very unexpected direction, at least for me. And hurrah for Malcolm although he's maybe a little too perfect. And I found The Tallyman really sad in places but it also made me smile afterwards - felt like I 'd been through the emotional wringer a bit. But I loved Elsie, for ALL the reasons! 

So, Mr Tilbury has proven he can turn his hand to something new. Poetic Justice is a great collection of entertaining short stories but I particularly loved the poetry & would like to see some more of that in the future. Who knows, only time will tell! But I'm sure he'll be back with a dark slice of something before too long! 

The Author

Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.

He's always had a keen interest in writing and after being widowed and raising his two daughters, Mark finally took the plunge and began self-publishing. Mark's writing has earned him the name #TwistedTilbury due to the dark and twisted nature of his books. He's published 11 thrillers to date.

When he's not writing, Mark can be found playing guitar, reading and walking.

Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten, the fifth in the DC Maggie Jamieson series (After Dead Inside, Dead Wrong, Dead Perfect and Dead Secret). Thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book on the Bright Side Publicity and Promo for the invitation and to The publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

'Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin on Dead Inside

A brutal murder…

When a burned body is found with its teeth missing, DC Maggie Jamieson discovers that the victim may be the husband of one of her probation colleagues.

A dark history…

As the body count rises, the team becomes increasingly baffled by how the victims could possibly be connected until a clue leads them to a historical case that was never prosecuted.

A terrible secret…

In order to catch the killer, Maggie must piece together what happened all those years ago before it’s too late.

My Review

I can't believe we're on the fifth Maggie Jamieson book already - how time flies! Maggie and the team are back, still shaken after events in the last book. And Dr Kate Maloney is returning to work part time with the team, offering her expertise and helping to build profiles of perpetrators. The story opens with a terrifying description of a crime taking place in the office of a probation colleague's husband. When the body is later discovered so are his wallet and keys... But this is just the beginning of a very difficult investigation for the police team, together with partnership colleagues in probation and social care.

The storyline covers a sensitive subject, and it might make hard reading for some. But Noelle handles it with sensitivity, and no sensationalism. Sometimes difficult reading nevertheless because, whilst this is fiction, there have been similar cases in real life. 

We see the crimes from the perpetrator's point of view and the descriptions of them are quite graphic - prepare yourselves! As are the descriptions of the scenes once the crimes have been discovered. But it's all in keeping with the story and also enables us to learn a little of the killer's thinking and their motivation and it makes for uncomfortable reading. 

Maggie and the team have a lot to be getting on with as the investigation progresses and we see them stumble down a few blind alleys before seeing the way though. It's great to see them all back again and working strongly together - I like the interpersonal relationships. There are a lot of minor characters to keep track of - I actually got a bit confused but that may well have been me. 

Dead Mercy is a tense, effective police procedural which deals with a difficult subject sensitively and makes you stop and think about justice, revenge and taking the law into one's own hands. It considers how events from the past can still have an effect many years later. A great edition to the series.

The Author

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.


Author Social Media Links

Subscribe to Newsletter: http://ow.ly/cgww50BkBtt
Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/
Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/
Instagram: @author_noelleholten
Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk
Bookbub Author page: https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB

The Quiet People by Paul Cleave

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Quiet People by Paul Cleave. This is my first book by this author and I think I held my breath through most of it because it's super tense! Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

Cameron and Lisa Murdoch are successful New Zealand crime writers, happily married and topping bestseller lists worldwide. They have been on the promotional circuit for years, joking that no one knows how to get away with crime like they do. After all, they write about it for a living. So when their challenging seven-year-old son Zach disappears, the police and the public naturally wonder if they have finally decided to prove what they have been saying all this time… Are they trying to show how they can commit the perfect crime? Multi-award winning bestseller Paul Cleave returns with an electrifying and chilling thriller about family, public outrage and what a person might be capable of under pressure, that will keep you guessing until the final page…

The Quiet People is published by Orenda Books and will be out next week, on 25th November.

 

My Review

Zach Murdoch is generally a happy kid but sometimes he can be a bit difficult, has meltdowns and can be tough for his parents to handle. When he goes missing, attention focuses on Cameron and Lisa with the press honing in on their various speeches at festivals where they said, jokingly, that they could get away with the perfect crime. Suspicions are high and life for the Murdochs will never be the same again. 

This book opens with a bang. The prologue is exciting, tense, heart racing then heart stopping. And those moments just kept coming right until the end of the book. I finished the book in a couple of days and felt like I hadn't taken a breath the entire time. There is a sense of dread and foreboding which builds and doesn't go away. There is a moment early in the book when Cameron thinks 'The Bad that populated my books just whispered my name and stroked a finger down my neck.' Which, firstly, I thought was just a great sentence and,  secondly, kind of describes how I felt reading this book. Honestly, I couldn't put it down. 

Told mostly, but not exclusively, from Cameron's point of view, and in him Cleave has given us a character that we can't help empathising with. At least until doubt is placed in our mind. I spent a lot of the story not knowing quite who or what to believe and I think I went through every emotion possible! But these are all characters we care about in one way or another.

The Quiet People is a story of doubt, desperation, disbelief and determination. A mission to find out the truth, one way or another. It has things to say about the press, and about society's tendency to judge people without knowing the facts, without knowing if we're right or wrong  It was a book that kept me on edge - I'm a parent and whilst my kids are grown up now, when they were younger one of them disappearing was my worst nightmare. My emotions were tossed and thrown all over the place as the story raced from one nail biting incident to the next. I thought one thing one minute, then another the next. Believed one person, then another. It's jam packed full of action, very tense and will absolutely keep you glued to the page. Loved it. 

The Author

Paul is an award-winning author who divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where most of his novels are set, and Europe. He has won the New Zealand Ngaio Marsh Award three times, the Saint-Maur book festival’s crime novel of the year award in France, and has been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Barry in the US and the Ned Kelly in Australia. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. He’s thrown his frisbee in over forty countries, plays tennis badly, golf even worse, and has two cats – which is often two too many. Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulCleave, and his website: paulcleave.com.

The Devil's Cut by Andrew James Greig

After enjoying his debut book, Whirligig, I was delighted to have the opportunity to read the new one from Andrew James Greig, The Devil's Cut, and today I'm sharing my review as part of the blog tour. My thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

When a distillery owner’s body is discovered on a remote Scottish mountain, forensics confirm that he died of natural causes. DI Corstorphine’s concerns are raised, however, when the dead man’s eccentric sister receives a message, apparently from beyond the grave.

The police are dismissive until it appears that the devil itself is intent on attacking other family members. Why is his daughter kept locked and sedated in her room in the baronial mansion? Who or what is stalking his son as he scatters his father’s ashes on lonely summits? And what insanity is behind the horrific attacks in their small Highland town?

DI Corstorphine and his team don’t know what they’re really facing until it’s too late.

From the author of Whirligig: Shortlisted for The McIlvanney Prize 2020, Longlisted for The CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger.

The Devil's Cut was published on 28th October 2021 by Fledgling Press.


Buy Link

https://www.fledglingpress.co.uk/product-page/the-devil-s-cut

My Review

This is the second outing for DI James Corstophine and his team following last year's impressive Whirligig and again Andrew James Greig has delivered a well written, interesting crime thriller. 

When distillery owner Jack McCoach is found collapsed near the top of a mountain, a heart attack is deemed the cause. But the man's eccentric sister thinks differently, and then things start happening. The team are stretched to their limits trying to solve this case whilst still trying to deal with everything else going on in their patch. 

Corstorphine is a character you can't help but like. A straight up, moral, decent guy who still misses his late wife. He heads up just a small team and is assisted by Frankie MacKenzie, a capable young woman forging her way in the police force and who isn't afraid to use her own initiative. The two complement each other. He brings some interesting specialist help in this time too....

The story itself is satisfyingly complex and sends the team down a fair few blind alleys. It's also unexpectedly sad. But the author doesn't compromise on violence with a couple of quite creative crimes and you'll need a strong stomach for those sections! The writing is great, very descriptive, and we see what's going on in the minds of the characters. Phoebe's sections are particularly clever - I would be interested to know about the author's research for that character. 

The Devil's Cut is a well written, complex, exciting, emotional and occasionally violent story centred around a dysfunctional family with a whole load of secrets. Very enjoyable.

The Author

'My home is in Scotland, which inspires my writing.'

Website: https://andrewjgreig.wordpress.com

Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver

Some of you may have noticed I have been quite quiet in recent weeks. Unfortunately, events have overtaken me a bit lately, leaving little time for reading and blogging. But back to business today.

I'm always excited to see a new book from Will Carver because I never know what to expect but I do know it'll be exciting. I'm delighted to share my review of Psychopaths Anonymous as part of the blog tour. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. Can't wait to buy a paperback copy to add to my collection!

The Blurb

When AA meetings make her want to drink more, alcoholic murderess Maeve sets up a group for psychopaths.

Maeve has everything. A high-powered job, a beautiful home, a string of uncomplicated one-night encounters. She’s also an addict: a functioning alcoholic with a dependence on sex and an insatiable appetite for killing men.

When she can’t find a support group to share her obsession, she creates her own. And Psychopaths Anonymous is born. Friends of Maeve.

Now in a serious relationship, Maeve wants to keep the group a secret. But not everyone in the group adheres to the rules, and when a reckless member raises suspicions with the police, Maeve’s drinking spirals out of control. She needs to stop killing. She needs to close the group. But Maeve can’t seem to quit the things that are bad for her, including her new man…

Will Carver returns with the electrifying and original Psychopaths Anonymous, a scathing, violent and darkly funny thriller about love, connection, obsessions and sex – and the aspects of human nature we’d prefer to hide.

Psychopaths Anonymous is out on November 25th and is published by Orenda Books.

My Review

Well, Maeve is quite a handful, I can tell you! I wouldn't want to cross her, blimey! 

Maeve is attending a variety of AA meetings when we meet her. The twelve step programme isn't really working for her, though. The first thing she does after work is pour a glass of wine and the first thing she does after an AA meeting is pour a glass of wine. Unless she's found someone to have sex with, in which case she'll do that whilst drinking. But she attends more and more meetings and the programme inspires her to start a group herself, but this one's not for alcoholics... As well as being a heavy drinker and lover of casual sex, she's also a killer. One with no regrets. 

I couldn't help but like Maeve. I normally struggle to engage with characters who have no empathy but there's something about Maeve and the way Carver has written her. There's a (very) dark humour running throughout the book and I couldn't help smiling at some of the situations she found herself in. I liked that she is fearless and unapologetic for her behaviour and actions. Having said that, she is also very chilling. I don't know how much research the author did but  inside Maeve's head  - the book is written in the first person - is a very uncomfortable place to be. She feels nothing, with one notable exception she's completely emotionless. I was going to say she just does the things that make her happy, but I'm not sure she'd know what that was. She has adapted and knows how to behave when she has to, at work, for instance, but otherwise... She's absolutely fascinating. And very frightening. 

Seth is an interesting character. A seemingly regular guy, there is something about him that attracts Maeve, and causes her to feel emotion, or something akin to it, anyway. I loved watching their relationship develop, seeing Maeve guess at how someone behaves in a relationship,  but can't help feeling just a little anxious for Seth...

The first half of the book sees Maeve working through some of the steps in the AA recovery programme and the second half, putting new steps in place for her and the other attendees of her Psychopaths Anonymous group. And what a collection of guys they are. I love that all we see if them is all that they share in a meeting. We don't know their real names or what they do (in some instances), their background or their full level of psychopathy is. Carver leaves us to wonder at this... But we see Maeve carrying out her version of the programme step which says (paraphrasing here) 'make amends with anyone you have harmed.' She had an interesting take on it. 

As I've come to expect from Will Carver, this is quite an angry book, although written in a less in-your-face style than Nothing Important Happened Today. He rails against organised religion, society in general and social media, which is clearly something he feels strongly about. It's also violent, I mean, we are talking about psychopaths here! And while some of the violence is 'off screen', much of it is in your face.

Psychopaths Anonymous is a hard book to review, as Will's always are! It's dark, angry, funny and violent. And it's challenging. Maeve exhibits characteristics and behaviours that most people don't. Do we not have that side to us, or do we just keep it hidden. Something to ponder... Brilliantly written, it's a book that makes you think. Really think. I re-read sections, not quite believing what I'd just read! And, as always, I can't help but wonder what else lies in the dark recesses of Will Carver's mind! Loved it. 

The Author

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Will’s latest title published by Orenda Books, The Beresford was published in July. His previous title Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in the Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.