Crow Moon by Suzy Aspley

I'm always excited to read debut novels. Particularly crime ones. And particularly ones set in Scotland. And as the author has the same name as me (my Sunday version, anyway) and is also an English woman who now calls Scotland her home, like me, how could I resist? Welcome to my blog tour stop for Crow Moon by Suzy Aspley. Many thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…

Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.

Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back… When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows.

As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha…

Crow Moon is published by Orenda Books and came out on 14th March 2024. 

My Review

Well, what a debut! Sinister and creepy throughout, The tension is ratcheted right up! Crime and witchery all in one place. 

Martha and her teenage son Dougie live in the village of Strathbran with ex partner Jamie close by. The family have been rocked by tragedy following a house fire a couple of years earlier that injured Jamie and killed their two young boys. Martha is just about keeping it together, and staying strong for Dougie. When the body of a close friend of Dougie's is found in local woods with a strange poem inked on his back, Martha's journalistic instincts begin to twitch but, also, she wants to make sure her son is protected and safe. She begins to conduct her own investigation, eventually teaming up with DI Derek Summers. But the discovery of Fraser's body is just the beginning of a spell of fear and darkness for Martha, Dougie and the people of Strathbran...

Oh, my heart ached for Martha! She carried so much grief, sadness and guilt, it's almost too much to bear. For this reader at least. And, oh goodness, the matchbox! (That last comment will make sense when you read the book, I promise.) So, despite the gruesome nature of her  investigation, I was glad she had something to sink her teeth into, to take maybe her mind off things a little bit. I felt for Dougie too. On the cusp of adulthood, he's already dealing with the loss of his brothers, then his best friend goes missing and ends up dead - it's a lot to deal with. He has his own grief and guilt to deal with. 

I loved the injection of folklore, local legends and witchcraft into the story. The crows, not so much! Whilst most of the story is told from Martha's point of view, we also hear from the perpetrator, and an unknown woman, whose identity becomes clear towards the end of the book. I did work out some of what was going on but not all of it, nor why it was all happening. It's certainly a dark story, and with much of it taking place in the woods near Strathbran, which at night feel dark and threatening, it's quite claustrophobic. The scene setting is great. And the tension never lets up from when Fraser goes missing to the frantic denouement. 

Crow Moon is a dark, tense story of love, grief, guilt, legend,  witchcraft and madness. A relatable protagonist, brilliant setting, genuine threat and a high level of tension. A very assured debut that I very much enjoyed. I'll probably look at crows differently now though! 

The Author

Originally from the north-east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in Scotland for almost thirty years. She writes crime and short stories, often inspired by the
strange things she sees in the landscape around her. She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted for the Capital Crime New Voices Award. In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Crow Moon was also longlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series, and when she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs , dreaming up more dark stories. She lives in Stirlingshire with her family.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour!

 

Save Me From The Waves by Jessica Hepburn

This was such an interesting read for me and I loved it. Wasn't sure I would, if I'm honest, but happily I did! Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my paperback review copy. Welcome to my blog tour stop for autobiography Save Me From The Waves by Jessica Hepburn.

The Blurb

An adventure story – with a difference

Jessica Hepburn is an unlikely athlete – she was labelled the ‘arty’ not the ‘sporty’ one in school. She hates exercise and believes the only reason to do it is for food, booze and box-sets on the sofa. However, in her forties, following a succession of hard and sad life experiences she started to try and exercise her way out of heartbreak. She has now become one of the world’s most extraordinary endurance athletes. The first and only woman (currently) on the planet to have completed the ‘Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ – which is to swim the English Channel, run the London Marathon and climb Mount Everest (which she calls Chomolungma – the mountain’s original Sherpa name). And possibly the only woman (although this can’t be officially certified) to have listened to eighty years and over 3,000 episodes of her favourite radio programme - Desert Island Discs.

Save Me From The Waves is an inspirational story of physical and mental endurance which starts on the streets of London and culminates on top of the world, fuelled by
song. It explores the redemptive power of music and mountains. How family and friends can be lost and found in the most unusual places. And encourages everyone to live big and bravely when life doesn’t go to plan. Because sometimes we all need saving from the waves. And whether it’s high and far away or closer to home and in your head, an adventure will always change your life for the better.

My Review

I was staying with my parents when I read this which meant a couple of things. I don't get as much h time to read, otherwise I might have got through this in a day, and I watch TV programmes that I wouldn't normally watch. One such programme was extolling the virtues of Somerset and visited the city of Bath during it's annual Jane Austen Festival - bear with me here - and I was struck by the level of enthusiasm and commitment, geekiness if you will (and I say this with affection) of the people taking part, full of admiration for them. It's not my thing but it was theirs, and they had embraced it wholeheartedly! But it brought to mind Jessica Hepburn and her love for Desert Island Discs, and her enthusiasm and commitment with spreadsheets, thousands of notes and cross references dedicated to the show. And that's before we even mention her walking! Or Everest/Chomolungma!

Desert Island Discs is Jessica Hepburn's favourite radio show. Having read this book, I doubt she's got time for any other programmes! After trauma, heartache and heartbreak she started to listen to episodes of the show, and took to walking, initially around London, listening all the while on her headphones. And found that the two together helped her process her emotions. Somewhere along the line, she got the idea she would climb Everest, so the walls for longer and further afield and she had time to listen to more Desert Island Discs episodes. And she casually mentions  that she ran the London Marathon and swam the English Channel! It's all a bit bonkers - again said with affection - and I am here for that. 

For anyone not from the UK or unfamiliar with Desert Island Discs, it's a long running radio programme featuring renowned people from all walks of life - arts, science, industry, sport, social enterprise etc. The guest has to imagine being stranded on a desert island, and asked to pick eight pieces of music to take with them (which are played for the listeners), one book (in addition to the Bible and the complete works of William Shakespeare) and one luxury item, whilst talking to the host about their life and the reasons behind their choices. Then at the end of the show, the guest must pick just one piece of music to save from the waves. I must confess I have never listened to a full episode (this book has made me want to though!) But Jessica has listened to 3000+ episodes. That's a lot of guests and a lot of music - hence the spreadsheets! I loved how she describes listening, as if she was walking along with the interviewee, having a conversation with them.  For example, about Paul McCartney she writes:

'However, we were together (Paul and I) in Glencoe in Scotland...For more Munro-bagging...Which is why I took him there.'

And just a page or two later, about actor Penelope Wilton:

'...she shared with me a love of walking...And I knew we were going to get on well.'

Her castaway friends give her advice, pass on wisdom and  share experiences. The author has found comfort listening to other women talk about being unable to have a child, as she herself has been. And the castaways have reminded her of music she loved and introduced her to music she's come to love. But I also loved her descriptions of all the different places she walked, in London and beyond, and the wee pubs she visited.. Was happy to see the Malvern Hills get a mention as I grew up in nearby Worcester (where I was reading the book) and was pleased to see she loved her visits to Scotland as that's now where I'm based. 

The book is split into sections where the author chooses her eight songs for different situations - songs of childhood, sad and happy songs, songs for climbing mountains etc - and shares the details of the Desert Island Discs guest that chose them and why, and discusses the memories or emotions they invoke in her. It's fascinating reading. Jessica Hepburn is the same age as me and I am astounded by all that she has achieved, more so given all the endurance stuff has only happened in the last ten years. But I'm also saddened by the amount of heartbreak, grief and trauma she has had to deal with, much of which is discussed here but some I got the sense she is still processing. Her ascent of Chomolungma, Mother Goddess of the World, a mountain which clearly means so much to her, was such an incredible achievement but even that was marred by injury and trauma. But Jessica is still standing, to paraphrase Elton John, and I hope still smiling, because I think she's pretty incredible. 

Save Me From The Waves is a pretty unique book, I think. A memoir with a difference. Definitely an adventure story, although that comes later, but a kind of diary of a healing process. I loved all the music references and will be looking a few up to listen to, and maybe some other episodes of Desert Island Discs too! Whilst there are sad and poignant moments along the way, I think this is a tale of overcoming and healing. Maybe she still has a way to go but Jessica Hepburn has achieved so much. I loved the geeky aspect of her list making and spreadsheets and was well up for the endnotes - think I checked every one - which she apologises for at the beginning. I might not want to climb Everest after reading this book, but I do want to start a spreadsheet to note all the pieces of music I now want to check out, and that's because of this book. Highly recommend. 

The Author

Jessica Hepburn is an award-winning author, arts producer and adventure activist, and one of the UK’s leading voices on fertility, family and endurance sport. The Pursuit of Motherhood (2014) and 21 Miles (2018) are under option to Erebus Pictures, adapted by rising star and novelist Anoushka Warden, and being developed for the screen with funding from the British Film Institute.

Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood

I'm delighted to share my review of Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood today for my stop on the blog tour. Many thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

Sophie King is missing.

Her parents, Harry and Zara, are distraught; for the last seventeen years, they've done everything for their beloved only daughter and now she's gone.

The police have no leads, and Harry and Zara are growing increasingly frantic, although they are both dealing with it in very different ways. Increasingly obsessed with their highly suspicious neighbour who won't open the door or answer any questions, they are both coming to the same conclusion. If they want answers, they're going to have to take the matter into their own hands.

But just how far are they both prepared to go for the love of their daughter?

My Review

Seventeen year old Sophie has been missing for seven weeks and her parents are distraught. According to their police liaison, everything possible is being done but they don't believe that's true. Zara is planning Sophie's birthday celebrations and taking too much diazepam. Harry is being as proactive as he can in looking for their day - quizzing the neighbours and beyond, leaving questionnaires when folk don't answer the door. But both are suspicious of the neighbour who never answers his door.  Very suspicious. As they become more distant from each other their fixation with the neighbour grows, leading to a drastic situation. 

I'm a parent. And if one of my kids went missing I'm pretty sure that I would do anything and everything I possibly could to try to find them. What would be the line I wouldn't cross? Well that's the million dollar question. Because I reckon logic and normal moral standards could easily go  out of the window if my kid was involved. So this was a super interesting premise for me and it's hard to imagine the agony Zara and Harry are going through in this book. 

I had every sympathy with both parents. As mentioned above I have no idea how I would react in that situation. I like to think I'd be proactive, like Harry, but as someone who has struggled with her mental health, I could just as easily be Zara. However, in both cases, some of their actions were dubious at best, risky at worst. But lots of empathy for them and I wanted them to find answers and see justice done. 

As the author is a barrister, I knew there would likely be a significant legal side to the story, and this part was just fascinating! It's hard to say too much without risking spoilers but I learned all about what would happen in a very particular set of circumstances - super interesting! It is all teased out very skilfully as we progress through the book. 

Finding Sophie is a well written, taut thriller with an intelligent plotline and two relatable main characters. It's full of surprises and has a brilliant legal angle. Hard to say any more without spoiling it for you but it's a very enjoyable,  meaty novel which I would happily recommend.

The Author

Imran Mahmood is a practising criminal barrister in England and Wales. His debut novel You Don’t Know Me was chosen by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice for 2017 and longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award, and the Glass Bell Award and was made into a hugely successful BBC1 adaptation in association with Netflix, reaching no.3 in the World and in the UK received a BAFTA nomination for best actor. His second novel I Know What I Saw was chosen as a Sunday Times crime novel of the month and reached no. 2 on the Audible charts. It was also long-listed for both the CWA Gold Dagger Award and Theakstons Crime Novel of the year. His third novel All I Said Was True was also long-listed for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023

His fourth novel Finding Sophie is to be released in the UK and in the USA in March 2024.

Imran was born and raised in Liverpool but now lives in London with his wife and 2 daughters.

The Collapsing Wave by Doug Johnstone

I'm always excited when a new Doug Johnstone book comes out because I've loved every one I've read so far. And I love that he seems to be able to turn his hand to anything. If anyone else had written this book, and The Space Between Us before it, I might not have picked them up - definitely not my usual reads. But I knew I was in safe hands. So welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Collapsing Wave by Doug Johnstone. Huge thanks to Anne Cater for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. I will be buying my own paperback. 

The Blurb

Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens' visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland's west coast.

Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities.

Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history.

When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…

My Review

I loved the first book in this series, The Space Between Us  (if you put Doug's name in the search box you can find my reviews of many of his other books) where Lennox, Ava and Heather first met Sandy (their name for him), a cephalopod alien who had been separated from others of their kind. In this book, the Enceladons (they come from  Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons that is covered by a giant ocean) are all together again having sought sanctuary on Earth. They are hive creatures, each separate but part of the whole, a connected collective. Unfortunately, the US military do not see them as refugees but as a threat, and take action accordingly, capturing Enceladons and experimenting on them. Lennox, Heather and Ava must do what they can. 

This is a tough one to review because the Enceladons are hard to describe! They are sea creatures although at least some can survive for a while on land, as we see with Sandy. They communicate with thoughts, nothing verbalised out loud, with each other and with some humans. It's clever stuff and I'm pretty sure I don't understand how it works. But that doesn't matter. Because, whilst this is a sci-fi book full of amazing aliens, it's just as much about humans, about how we treat others who are different from us. In this case, aliens, but we see it in real life with immigrants and refugees from war torn countries. To our shame, we don't always treat them well. 

There is a very definite good and bad in this book, and the US military don't come across well, but it could just as easily be soldiers from somewhere else, I think. It was brilliant to catch up with Lennox, Heather and Ava but, goodness, they got a lot going on. These are characters that I am very invested in. They are full of heart, kindness and a desire to do the right thing. Each of them has stuff to deal with and we feel their pain, feel their love. They are connected, to each other and the Enceladons. The supporting cast is big - Vonnie and Oscar were standouts for me. And for very different reasons Carson and Gibson. I love it when I'm fully invested in a baddie! That's down to great writing. 

The Collapsing Wave is a beautifully written, fast moving sci fi thriller with much to say about humanity. We see the best of it and the worst of it in this book. As I mentioned above, for me the Enceladons are like any other refugees (I mean, their not like them obviously because they are alien sea creatures, but you get what I'm trying to say!) seeking asylum and safety but hitting a brick wall. Or worse. This book might be about aliens but it's just as much about what it means to be human, to show kindness, to show friendship, to show love. And these are big, important things. I loved this book. And it made me cry. Actually, I think I've cried at all of Doug's books that I've read! This is a good thing. Anyway, I highly recommend The Collapsing Wave, there is much to enjoy here. 

The Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of fifteen novels, most recently The Opposite of Lonely (2023) and The Space Between Us (2023). Several of his books have been bestsellers, The Big Chill (2020) was longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, while A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015) were all shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club and has a PhD in nuclear physics.


Do check out the rest of the blog tour!

Death Flight by Sarah Sultoon

Today I'm sharing my review for Death Flight, the second novel featuring reporter Jonny Murphy, by Sarah Sultoon for my stop on the blog tour. As with her previous books, it's a hard hitter. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

Cub reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of victims of Argentina’s Dirty War, when a headless torso washes up on a city beach, thrusting him into a shocking investigation with harrowing echoes from the past…

Argentina. 1998. Human remains are found on a beach on the outskirts of Buenos Aires – a gruesome echo of when the tide brought home dozens of mutilated bodies thrown from planes during Argentina’s Dirty War. Flights of death, with passengers known as The Disappeared.

International Tribune reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of the missing, desperate to keep their memory alive, when the body turns up. His investigations with his companion, freelance photographer Paloma Glenn, have barely started when Argentina's simmering financial crisis explodes around them.

As the fabric of society starts to disintegrate and Argentine cities burn around them, Jonny and Paloma are suddenly thrust centre stage, fighting to secure both their jobs and their livelihoods.

But Jonny is also fighting something else, an echo from his own past that he'll never shake, and as it catches up with him and Paloma, he must make choices that will endanger everything he knows…

Death Flight is published by Orenda Books and comes out on 29th February 2024.

My Review

I was completely wowed by The Shot by Sarah Sultoon - it made my top three books of 2022, so was really keen to read something else by her. I missed the blog tour for Dirt, the first book featuring Jonny Murphy so caught up with  that recently before starting this one. 

After being based in Israel for the International Tribune in the first book, in Death Flight we find Jonny now in Argentina, having spent a year living in Buenos Aires, although he hasn't learned much of the language. He is working alongside photographer Paloma who puts him to shame with her fluent Spanish. They are working on a story about Argentina's financial crisis but it's all quite dry stuff. So the news of a body found on the outskirts of the city has caught their interest. Especially as the condition of the corpse is reminiscent of the bodies dropped from the so called Death Flights, 'los Vuelos de Muerte' of Argentina's Dirty War, which ended 15 years previously. It's a story Jonny can't resist following, a decision he might come to regret, if he lives that long...

Jonny is easy to like. He's keen to make a name for himself at the International Tribune, eager to follow the story. He has a conscience though, a strong sense of right and wrong, and of what should and shouldn't be reported. But he carries a lot of sadness and grief, after things that happened in his childhood, and during the last book, all of which is recapped here, so don't worry if you haven't yet read Dirt. I say yet, because you should! Anyway, as a result of all that, there is pretty much only one person in the world he trusts, and it isn't Paloma. Their relationship is an interesting one. They need each other - her pictures could  raise a piece of journalism to a whole other level, whilst his ability to sell a story means she gets paid. They work well together and care about each other, but they don't feel like a team all the time, there is definitely tension under the surface, especially from Jonny towards Paloma. But I enjoyed getting to know her. 

I knew woefully little about Argentina's Dirty War and found this book, whilst a work of fiction, very enlightening. I knew from the previous books I was likely to be educated, and I'm so glad I was, although it was a terrible time with thousands of people of all ages disappearing, and there are  some truly heart breaking moments in the book that reflect this. I found Jonny and Paloma meeting with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the Mothers of the Disappeared, identified by their white headscarves, who met every single week in the square from which they take their name, very affecting, but loved that the strength of these women comes through the pages. There is also a relatively short scene where they come across an elderly man doing his best to care for countless young children whose parents had disappeared. He had very little but did what he could for these children. I found that particular scene very moving. 

The book is fast moving with a palpable sense of rising tension as it becomes clear that Jonny's choice to pursue the story of the headless corpse has not gone down well with someone, and he risks more than his reputation by pursuing it. But he is a dogged, determined young man and Paloma, along with the reader, gets swept along with him. And all of this is happening against the backdrop of the exploding, or perhaps imploding, financial crisis in the country. There were moments I found I was unconsciously holding my breath, it's certainly exciting. 

Death Flight is a brilliantly written, hard hitting and fast moving novel. Uncomfortable to read in places, but truly worth it - it's impactful, as well as educational. Please do check this one out. 

The Author

Sarah Sultoon is a journalist and writer, whose work as an international news executive at CNN has taken her all over the world, from the seats of power in both Westminster and Washington to the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in conflict zones, winning three Peabody awards for her work on the war in Syria, an Emmy for her contribution to the coverage of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015, and a number of Royal Television Society gongs. When not reading or writing she can usually be found somewhere outside, either running, swimming or throwing a ball for her three children and dog … Her debut thriller The Source is currently in production with Lime Pictures, and was a Capital Crime Book Club pick and a number one bestseller on Kindle. The Shot (2022) and Dirt (2023) followed, with multiple award longlistings, including the CWA Daggers. Sarah currently works for Channel 4 News and lives in London.

The Descent by Paul E Hardisty

Today I'm sharing my review of the powerful and hard hitting new novel by Paul E Hardisty, The Descent, the prequel to last year's memorable The Forcing, as part of the blog tour. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher, Orenda Books, for my review copy of the book. The Descent comes out on 29th February.

The Blurb

A young man and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet to uncover the origin of the events that set the world on its course to disaster…

Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the world on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, now long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, The Forcing.

But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, he knows that it is time to find out for himself.

Determined to learn what really happened during his mother's escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku's father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.

My Review

Last year's The Forcing presented us with a near future when the world is in chaos. From the details in the blurb for The Descent I was confused how it was being marketed as the  prequel to that. But Paul Hardisty has done something clever here - given us both a prequel and a sequel within the same novel, which I loved. We find out what led to the events in The Forcing and the aftermath of them. You could read and enjoy this without having read The Forcing as it has plenty to say but for a more rounded reading experience and fuller picture I would suggest you start there. 

At the end of The Forcing, David Ashworth and his family arrived in Australia and decided to settle there. Some thirty years on this is still where we find his wife, his sons Kweku and Lewis, and their families. Events at their homestead encourages Kweku to take his family and head back out into the seas to explore what remains of the world and to discover some of his history. It is not an easy journey... We also hear from a woman calling herself 'Sparkplug' and she has a horrifying and shocking story to tell...

Through Kweku's journey we discover what is left of the world and it's a sad situation. There has been so much natural devastation, war, sickness, infertility, hunger, riots, looting and death. We humans have destroyed so much of the world, it's utterly heartbreaking. 

Through Sparkplug's transmissions we learn how things came to be this way. She was there. And it is her story that is truly terrible. It begins in an alternative February 2024. For a large group of powerful businessmen making money, and as much of it as possible, is all that matters. And they are leading the way across the world, influencing how people think, how they behave. For them, behaving appallingly is nothing if it turns a profit. Politicians are weak at best, corrupt at worst. Fear, illness and poverty become the norm. So, it's an alternative, parallel world but it's frightening how much of her story rings true. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the gap gets wider. Sound familiar? And in the process, the world is being destroyed. 

Forty years on, the Alpha Omega group are still active in places, still living in luxury in small pockets of the world. Reality for normal people, however, is very different as Kweku discovers. Food is in short supply, crime is rife, people are desperate. However, there is hope. Successful communities have grown up, where people are working in harmony with each other and with nature. Although living in some of these communities also means a price to pay, as the family discovers, in one memorable place. 

I was lucky enough to hear Paul Hardisty speak at the Bloody Scotland festival, together with two former journalists in a session entitled 'Ripped from the Headlines'. All three had turned to fiction in the hope people would start to listen in a way they don't when simply presented with facts. Paul is a respected environmental scientist who knows what he's talking about and I was really struck by his passion. This book, and The Forcing before it, might be fiction but they are firmly rooted in reality, facts and science. This could so easily be our future, and certainly our grandchildren's future. This should be a wake up call for us. We should be doing what we can individually to help the planet - I don't subscribe to the 'well, the planet's dying anyway so it doesn't matter if I recycle/reduce my food waste/buy second hand or whatever because the planet's already done' school of thought. If we all act mindlessly like that, our world will be definitely be destroyed. But alongside all of that, and more important, we need to be lobbying the people in power - councils, governments, leaders - to take affirmative action. I know there are a lot of issues going on in the world just now that need to be seriously addressed but this has to be one of them. 

I don't have the right words to describe this book, or enough of them. A novel for our time, The Descent has plenty to say about climate damage, greed, power and corruption, but does so in an engaging thriller full of tension and heartstopping moments. Please don't let anything I've said above make you think this isn't an exciting read, because it absolutely is. I just believe it's a very important one too. It will easily be one of my books of the year and I hope you will give it a try. 

The Author

Canadian Paul E Hardisty has spent 25 years working all over the world as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has roughnecked on oil rigs in Texas, explored for gold in the Arctic, mapped geology in Eastern Turkey (where he was befriended by PKK rebels), and rehabilitated water wells in the wilds of Africa. He was in Ethiopia in 1991 as the Mengistu regime fell, and was bumped from one of the last flights out of Addis Ababa by bureaucrats and their families fleeing the rebels. In 1993 he survived a bomb blast in a café in Sana’a. Paul is a university professor and CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The first four novels in his Claymore Straker series, The Abrupt Physics of Dying, The Evolution of Fear, Reconciliation for the Dead and Absolution all received great critical acclaim and The Abrupt Physics of Dying was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and Telegraph Thriller of the Year. The Forcing (2023) was a SciFi Now Book of the Month. Paul is a sailor, a private pilot, keen outdoorsman, and lives in Western Australia.


Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

All Grown Up by Catherine Evans

Another new author for me on the blog today and a change from my usual crime fare, although there is some dark stuff here! Today I'm sharing my review as part of the blog tour for All Grown Up by Catherine Evans. My thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me and to the publisher for my lovely paperback review copy.

 

The Blurb

Neveah is fifteen. A schoolkid. With a secret life.

She’s a digital freelancer, and is having an affair with her biggest client.

Giles is married. He thinks Neveah is twenty-two.

She’ll do just about anything to stop him from finding out her true age.

But secrets have a way of spilling out.

With devastating consequences.


Purchase Links

UK 
US 

 

My Review

Gosh, there is such a lot to unpack in this novel. It's a story of a middle aged, married man's affair with a much younger lover but it's so, so much more than that. 

Neveah is beautiful, confident, self assured and bright. She runs her own business very successfully, all the while doing well at school and taking care of herself and the house. For Neveah is only fifteen but seems so much older. Her mother is uncaring at best, neglectful at worst. Her father, a musician, is irresponsible. But Neveah is determined to make a success of herself, in spite of all these things. Her most recent, and now biggest, client is Giles, and they have fallen into a passionate affair, although there is clearly genuine feeling on both sides. Giles doesn't realise Neveah is underage... Things get messy, and along the way we meet Neveah's half sister, Giles's wife Christine and their daughter Serena, who is a similar age to Neveah. 

Neveah is a fantastic character, beautifully written. Confident, brave, caring and reliable, she is willing to use what she has to her advantage. But there is a vulnerability to her too. She is older than her years, having had to grow up quickly, but she's still a child, easily hurt. I was rooting for her all the way through. I wanted to bang her mother's head against the wall, she was so frustrating and, frankly, awful. Again this is great writing, because I detested her and really felt for Neveah. Her father deserved a good talking to as well and, in fact, it's his friend who is much more of a father figure to her. 

Giles is also a complex character. One might assume he is uncaring, and he is certainly no saint, but his family life is unsettled. His wife has been dealing with trauma for several years and this has, inevitably, affected their relationship. And he's parenting a teenager, which is not an easy thing to do at the best of times, but in this strained situation... There are all sorts of questions around his relationship with Neveah. He truly believes her to be of age - she looks and acts it, has her own business - so how wrong is his behaviour? If he doesn't know she's underage? 

In a related subplot we get to know Serena, who is dating a man a few years older than her, and feeling the pressure to move things on in their relationship. I was struck by the differences in her experiences and those of Neveah - how they behave and how they carry themselves. 

I have skirted around things because I feel going much deeper into the story will spoil it. But the author addresses some big issues here - race, sexual abuse, neglect, alcohol, drugs, underage sex, trauma, peer pressure and the dangers of social media. I have a love hate relationship with social media - it can be great but, equally, it can be so dangerous. There are all kinds of unhealthy influencers preying on everyone, but particularly young people, and it's so easy to make a private thing very public, just a click and it's done. There's enough pressure on them, they don't need that. I wasn't particularly bad or wayward (very tame, actually) but I'm very glad I lived my teenage years before social media was a thing. 

I'm rambling but what I'm trying to say is that All Grown Up is a timely, powerful and often brutal novel. The author should be commended for including these difficult topics and doing so in a way that will make you think. It's not a book you will forget in a hurry. 

The Author

Catherine Evans is an author and publisher. She’s the editor of fictionjunkies, which publishes book and short stories online by authors around the world and the co-founder of Inkspot Publishing which has now released four titles. She’s a trustee of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival, and lives in Oxfordshire. She’s married with a daughter and three stepdaughters.


Author/Publisher Social Media Links

Websites: www.cathyevans.com, www.inkspotpublishing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkspotpub  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inkspotpublishing 

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