One by Eve Smith

Happy publication day to Eve Smith for One, out today from Orenda Books. I'm sharing my review for my stop on the blog tour. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. Eve has delivered another speculative nightmare with One, and you can find my reviews of her previous books, The Waiting Room and Off Target, here on the blog. 

The Blurb

ONE LAW • ONE CHILD • 7 MILLION CRIMES

A catastrophic climate emergency has spawned a one-child policy in the UK, ruthlessly enforced by a totalitarian regime. Compulsory abortion of ‘excess’ pregnancies and mandatory contraceptive implants are now the norm, and families must adhere to strict consumption quotas as the world descends into chaos.

Kai is a 25-year-old ‘baby reaper’, working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. If any of her assigned families attempts to exceed their child quota, she ensures they pay the price.

Until, one morning, she discovers that an illegal sibling on her Ministry hit-list is hers. And to protect her parents from severe penalties, she must secretly investigate before anyone else finds out.

Kai’s hunt for her forbidden sister unearths much more than a dark family secret. As she stumbles across a series of heinous crimes perpetrated by the people she trusted most, she makes a devastating discovery that could bring down the government … and tear her family apart.

My Review

One is set in a scary near future. Climate change has caused disasters across the world - floods, fires, etc, and the whole world is in chaos. The UK is controlled by a single government party, the ONE party, and they have implemented a law which limits each family to one child only. The law has been in place for years. Kai's ministry job entails visiting families attempting to break the law to remind them they must book for an abortion or there will be consequences. It's a miserable job, but she fully believes in the ONE party, their policies and The work she's doing. Until one day through the details coming up on her computer she discovers she has an illegal sister. She needs to confront her parents, find her sister and try to protect herself and them. But what she discovers puts everything she's ever believed in doubt...

The scariest thing about One is that, even though this is speculative fiction, it's easy to imagine something like this happening in our near future. We've been destroying the planet for a while now and are already seeing dangerous climate changes, floods and wildfires. And the less said about our government the better, at least in my opinion. But it has certainly tried to control TV and media, and made awful decisions around immigration. The one child policy has been seen abroad in the recent past so it's easy to think it could happen again. All of this means, One feels very real and, as a result, very frightening. 

The world building that Smith has done is wonderful. The all controlling government, the formality within Kai's work (which brought to mind a communist state), the humanlike androids and the landscapes away from the cities that have been destroyed by weather, nature and looters. And the rebels reminded me of the underground groups in films such as Mad Max, Total Recall and Demolition Man, shunned by the mainstream, rejected, outcast. But this group is determined to make people listen. 

The storyline is shocking. The one child policy is just the beginning. We discover the continued abuse of women; decisions about their bodies and health taken out of their hands and so much more. And we sense the confusion, shock and horror that Kai feels when everything she believed in is turned upside down, both through her work and closer to home, and we sense the very real danger she's in. 

There is so much to unpack in this novel but I am fearful of straying into spoiler territory. One is a powerful novel set in a scary and all too easy to imagine near future, which shows us one way things could go if we don't get our collective sh!t together and start looking after our planet, its resources and each other. A tale of  climate disaster, government corruption, bad decisions, awful secrets, fear, family, love, hope and, ultimately, fighting for what's right.  Really enjoyed it.

The Author

Eve Smith writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as ‘an exciting new voice in crime fiction’, Eve’s debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was a Book of the Month in the Guardian, who compared her writing to Michael Crichton’s. It was followed by Off-Target, about a world where genetic engineering of children is routine. Eve’s previous job at an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places. She lives in Oxfordshire with her family.

The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson (translated by David Warriner)

I was a latecomer to Johana's Gustawsson's Castells and Roy series but binged on Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, and enjoyed them all immensely. It was a long wait for The Bleeding and I missed last year's hardback blog tour but bought my own copy and finally got the time to read it this year. It did not disappoint one bit. And now it's out in paperback so I'm delighted to help mark the occasion by sharing my review for the blog tour. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation.

The Blurb

Queen of French Noir, Johana Gustawsson returns with a spell-binding, dazzlingly dark gothic thriller that swings from Belle Époque France to 21st-century Quebec, with an extraordinary mystery at its heart… First in a spell-binding new series

1899, Belle Époque Paris. Lucienne’s two daughters are believed dead when her mansion burns to the ground, but she is certain that her girls are still alive and embarks on a journey into the depths of the spiritualist community to find them.

1949, Post-War Québec. Teenager Lina’s father has died in the French Resistance, and as she struggles to fit in at school, her mother introduces her to an elderly woman at the asylum where she works, changing Lina’s life in the darkest way imaginable.

2002, Quebec. A former schoolteacher is accused of brutally stabbing her husband – a famous university professor – to death. Detective Maxine Grant, who has recently lost her own husband and is parenting a teenager and a new baby single-handedly, takes on the investigation. Under enormous personal pressure, Maxine makes a series of macabre discoveries that link directly to historical cases involving black magic and murder, secret societies and spiritism … and women at breaking point, who will stop at nothing to protect the ones they love...

The Bleeding is published by Orenda Books and came out in paperback on 6th July this year.

My Review

Those of you familiar with the Castells and Roy (who gets a shout out here) books will know that each is written in a dual timeline. Johanna has gone one further in The Bleeding and we follow events in the lives of three different women in three different times and two different countries, France at the end of 19th century and Canada in 1949 and 2002. We open with Maxine in 2002 investigating an apparent murder by her former schoolteacher and move between her story and those of Lucienne in 1899 who is trying to contact her missing children, who are presumed dead, with the help of a spiritualist, and Lina in 1949, a bullied schoolgirl who is befriended by an elderly woman in the asylum where her mother works. The main part of the story is told in 2002 we move frequently between Maxine's point of view and those of the other women as we learn more about them all.

All of these women are struggling in some way. Lucienne is trying to find a way of dealing with the disappearance of her daughters and Maxine is grieving the death of her husband and trying to bring up a teenager and baby alone. But it was teenage Lina who pulled at my heartstrings the most. Viewed as an outcast by other girls in her class and constantly tormented by them, she is forced by her widowed mother to go straight to the asylum where she works once Lina has finished school for the day. It's such a sad and miserable existence for a young woman and with no real friends of her own it is no wonder she is comforted by the championship. of an asylum resident. I also really liked psychologist Professor Ginette (Gina) Montminy who treats everyone she comes across with kindness, compassion and respect.

As the novel progresses, the author teases us with how these three women are linked. It's incredibly well written, clever and these intricately woven threads come together perfectly. I can't tell you much about the individual stories without revealing spoilers but I will say this is a dark, deliciously dark, novel. It talks of black magic and murder, truly heinous crimes. There is grief and sadness too. And women not always being able to speak up for themselves in a way they would like to, which is still an issue today.

The Bleeding is beautifully written even in its darkest, most chilling moments, and the scene setting is fabulous, always atmospheric and often claustrophobic. I read this with a mounting dread as the pieces began to fall into place but I did not foresee the shocking, heartbreaking ending - that was a bit of a 'wowser' moment! This is an incredible, hard hitting book, one which I have thought of often since I finished reading it. I loved Blood Song. I love this at least as much, if not more, and it's definitely a favourite for this year so far.


The Author

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte,Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in 28 countries. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding – number one bestseller in France and the first in a new series – will be published in 2022. Johana lives on the west coast of Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.

You Can't See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (translated by Victoria Cribb)

Wishing a very happy publication day to Eva Björg Ægisdóttir for You Can't See Me, out today from Orenda Books. I am sharing my review for my stop on the blog tour. My thanks to Anne Cater for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’s remote Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social-media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he’s the boyfriend of Petra’s aunt, but he’s struggling to avoid alcohol because he knows what happens when he drinks … Humble hotel employee, Irma, is excited to meet this rich and famous family and observe them at close quarters … perhaps too close…

As the weather deteriorates and the alcohol flows, one of the guests disappears, and it becomes clear that there is a prowler lurking in the dark.

But is the real danger inside … within the family itself?

My Review

Members of the glamorous, well known Snæburg family, including partners and children are gathering at a remote, state of the art hotel on the lava covered Snæfellnes Peninsula. It's an annual gathering to celebrate the birthday of an ancestor, but the first in this hotel and the weather is threatening to close in. The hotel is modern, clean cut and full of well trained staff including Irma, who seems to have an unhealthy interest in the family. Over the course of the weekend tensions surface and secrets are uncovered...

The Snæburg family are a large group (I had some difficulty keeping up with who was who) and are not really close. Many of them drink too much, maybe take drugs, some are unhappy, some more dysfunctional than others. They can be critical of one another and are not always welcoming to the newcomers in their group. They are not particularly nice people and it's telling that my two favourite characters, Tryggvi and Maja, are both outsiders. I really struggled to warm to any of the family members but enjoyed the dynamic between Petra and cousins Steffý and Viktor. I probably found Lea the easiest to sympathise with but was uncomfortable with some of the storyline around her, whilst acknowledging it highlights the very real dangers of social media. 

The hotel, landscape and weather are all characters in this novel. The hotel seems very cold, impersonal and the author does a great job in emphasising its isolation, giving the story a claustrophobic feel. I loved the descriptions of the lava fields and the black pebble beach. The weather too, always cold but otherwise changeable from sunshine to snow.

I liked how we touched on the troubles of several of the family members and partners, some of which were peeled back further and further throughout the course of the book. This succeeded in ramping up the tension.  I wasn't entirely surprised by the denouement but enjoyed seeing the various story threads coming together to reach that point. 

You Can't See Me is a story of family, betrayal, love and grief. It shows that wealth and privilege can't shelter you from those things, indeed, perhaps they make them worse. Well described with a real sense of claustrophobia, isolation and tension, this is a good slice of Nordic Noir. 

The Author

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir studied for an MSc in globalisation in Norway before returning to Iceland to write her first novel. Combining writing with work as a stewardess and caring for her children, Eva finished her debut thriller The Creak on the Stairs, which was published in 2018. It became a bestseller in Iceland, going on to win the Blackbird Award. Published in English by Orenda Books in 2020, it became a digital number-one betseller in three countries, was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Awards in two categories and won the CWA John Creasey Dagger in 2021. Girls Who Lie, the second book in the Forbidden Iceland series was shortlisted for the Petrona Award and the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger, and Night Shadows followed suit. With over 200,000 copies sold in English alone, Eva has become one of Iceland’s – and crime-fiction’s – most highly regarded authors. She lives in Reyjavik with her husband and three children.

 

The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)

Today sees the paperback publication of The Moose Paradox, the madcap follow up to The Rabbit Factor, by Anti Tuomainen and translated by David Hackston. To help celebrate, I'm delighted to reshare my review, originally posted in October last year. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation.

The Blurb

Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears – and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands. Why won’t Toy of Finland Ltd sell the new Moose Chute to Henri when he needs it as the park’s main attraction? Meanwhile, Henri’s relationship with artist Laura has reached breaking point, and, in order to survive this new chaotic world, he must push every calculation to its limits, before it’s too late. 

My Review

Actuary Henry's life is ruled by mathematics. Every decision is made after careful calculations, every problem dealt with in the most efficient way possible. He thrives on logic and order. All of that was thrown into chaos when he inherited an adventure (not amusement) park from his late brother, together with its quirky employees. His early adventures here are described in The Rabbit Factor. Six months on he has settled into his time and the park is running well. But to beat their competitors and increase visitor numbers, the park needs new equipment. Specifically, the Moose Chute. But Henri finds his previously good relationship with supplier Toy of Finland has soured since it was taken over by three new owners. And that's not how only problem. There are threats to him and threats to the park, a face from the past and rebellious staff. And a relationship to navigate. It's a lot.

I love, love, love Henri. He'd never admit it but he is just as quirky as his park employees. I love his ability to apply maths and logic to everything he faces, even the ridiculous. And how that calm, organised approach can get him out of the stickiest of situations. And, without realising it, he's very funny! So brilliant from Tuomainen. His description of being caught short when out an about, and also his parents' joint funeral are very chucklesome, especially when the latter really shouldn't be. But what I really love is his burgeoning relationship with artist Laura Helanto. Every mention of her includes both her first name and surname. Henri is new to the vagaries of love and we see him struggle with telephone conversations and text messages, which I agree are a total minefield! And his description of love making is... well, read it for yourself! 😂 But the effect Laura, and her art, have on him is beautiful to read. Time spent with her is 'fuller and denser than usual.' He's such a carefully created character and it feels like this was done with a real affection for him. Laura, of course, is another character I love, and amongst the park employees I have affection for Kristian, an eager young puppy, keen to learn, taking courses to improve himself, although not, it should be noted, Henri's course on 'The Fundamental Principles Of Adventure-Park Mathematics, and Head of Security Esa, who I suspect might be as mad as a box of frogs! 

But it's not all love and fun. Threats to YouMeFun come from every direction and Henri finds himself in some absurd, and dangerous, situations. He has to make some difficult, but always calculated, decisions and must decide how honest to be with DI Osmala, a big man with tiny feet! The descriptions of all these encounters are so entertaining, brilliantly written. 

This book is brilliatly written and skilfully translated by David Hackston. Amongst the giggles are some beautiful descriptions:

'...it's light was like an endless cascade of white gold and silk.'

'Outside it is dark, save for the illuminated windows of the building opposite, which seem to be floating in mid-air. Golden, multicoloured, dim, bright floating squares in a sea of black or in an endless universe, all set in soothing, regular formation.'

The Moose Paradox is madcappery and mayhem, with some genuine peril thrown in. Add to that an awkward love story and one of my favourite protagonists ever and it is everything I could ask for. Loved it! 

The Author

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland was an immense success, with Marcel Berlins (The Times) calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’. Little Siberia (2020), was shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger, the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Awards and the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The Rabbit Factor (2021), the first book in Antti’s first ever series, is in production by Amazon Studios with Steve Carell starring. The Moose Paradox is the second book in the series.

 

Penitent by Mark Leggatt

I'm absolutely delighted to be opening the blog tour for Penitent, The new book from Mark Leggatt. It's great to have a new book from him, it's been a while - he last featured on the blog in 2018! And the best thing is that Penitent is a cracker, and has been longlisted for the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize for Crime Fiction, so that's really exciting. Huge thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

Justice can be outwith the law.

Meet Hector Lawless. As a brilliant Edinburgh lawyer, Hector has a reputation for untangling the cases that no other lawyer can handle. But the obsessive-compulsive behaviour that’s made him a master of the law has also left Hector a pariah amongst his peers – a social outcast with crippling anxiety. The man with the perfectly ordered desk, the pristine notebooks, the strictly regimented working day and rituals that make sense only to him.

When Hector is approached by his boss, Lord Campbell, with a highly sensitive case that reaches from one of Edinburgh’s most exclusive private schools to 10 Downing Street, he relishes the chance to bring true evil to justice. But when he is betrayed and framed for murder, Hector must call on every one of the skills he has cultivated over a lifetime of being an outsider to survive.

Retreating into the shadows, Hector begins a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the police and MI5. They think they’ve got him cornered. But no-one really knows how far he will go for revenge. Justice will be served. The Penitent must accept their penance. As Hector’s enemies are about to discover, it really is the quiet ones you have to worry about.

PENITENT is a compelling, immersive thriller from Mark Leggatt, author of the acclaimed Connor Montrose series.

It's out on Thursday and you can pre-order/buy it here.

 

My Review

As I mentioned above, since I read it, Penitent has been longlisted for the prestigious McIlvanney Prize, the winner of which will be announced at the opening of the Bloody Scotland festival on 15th September. I am delighted, and think Penitent definitely deserves its place on that list. 

This is a hard book to talk about without giving spoilers! Hector Lawless - fabulous name for a lawyer - is completely rule and ritual driven and has been for a very long time. He's meticulous, organised and very good at his job. He has no friends. But was in love once. He is tasked with a highly important and very secretive assignment by his boss. An investigation that could rock parliament. And Hector is the man for the job because he is so thorough. He is also a planner, and this serves him well when things turn against him. The level of his planning will take your breath away. Well it did mine, anyway, maybe because I'm always so disorganised and chaotic it's a wonder I make it through the day! Hector is not like that. 

I like Hector. I'm always drawn to the quirky characters, and he's definitely one of those. He's a loner. Goes to work, comes home. Rinse and repeat. He doesn't socialise with colleagues - they don't like him, he's not bothered about them. He's fine as he is but he carries some sadness too. There is a moment with a pillow that I found quite heartbreaking - I know that sounds weird but you'll know exactly what I mean when you read it. He is so rigid in his thoughts and actions but fully fleshed out and beautiful described. I think he's fab. But I wouldn't want to wrong him. We see what happens when people do...

Also worth mentioning is DI Davey Gilfeather. Hardworking, determined but fair and with a decent sense of humour too. Someone else with a sense of humour is Eilidh, who might well be my favourite character, just the right level of sass. Lord Campbell invoked such a sense of anger in me, that had he been real, DI Gilfeather might well have been arresting me! And DC Fairbairn sounds vaguely familiar...

Considering this begins as a story of an obsessive compulsive man who does nothing other than go to work and home again, it's very tense and exciting as Hector is tested and we learn his hidden depths. There are plenty of humorous moments, although not often from Hector himself, and loads of twists and turns. And it is all beautifully written. Early on there is a devastating description of an abandoned church which probably says something about the author's opinion of organised religion. But what really stood out for me were the descriptions of Edinburgh, especially those of the city on a dark, wet night. Very atmospheric. 

Penitent is a totally immersive tale that just sweeps you along. I think I read it in two days. You will be confused by Hector, irritated maybe, but then you'll be rooting for him every step of the way. It's beautifully written and very original. I'd love to see it as a movie! It's great to have Mark back with a new book and even better that it's a brilliant one! 

The Author

Mark Leggatt is an author who’s twice topped Blackwell’s bestseller list. He’s the author of five books and is represented by literary agent Jon Wood at RCW. When Mark is not being an author, he is a freelance literary consultant and editor for several of the UK’s leading literary consultancies, providing editorial reports and manuscripts assessments. He has appeared at literary festivals in the UK, US and the EU. His earliest memory of writing was in Primary school, where the teacher handed out a random photo to each of the class and told them to write a story. Mark had a photo of a red phone box. Thirty minutes later, he’d worked out an entire saga and hadn’t even started the story. He was very angry when he was told to stop. He still is.

The Fascination by Essie Fox

This isn't a book I was likely to pick up, although it is beautiful - just look at the cover - but it comes from the ever dependable Orenda stable so it was worth taking a chance on. And, boy, an I glad I did! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Fascination by Essie Fox. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

 

The Blurb

Exploring universal themes of love and loss, the power of redemption and what it means to be unique, The Fascination is an evocative, glittering and bewitching gothic novel that brings alive Victorian London and darkness and deception that lies beneath…

Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn't grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father's quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’.

Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name.

Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.

But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a dark web of deceits, exposing unthinkable secrets and threatening everything they know…

The Fascination will be published on 22nd June 2023 by Orenda Books. 

My Review

I mentioned in my intro that this isn't a book I'd naturally gravitate to. Regular visitors to this blog will know that I favour crime thrillers but have been reading more historical crime recently. The Fascination, set in and around Victorian London, was not billed as a crime thriller but I think I could argue that it is. It's certainly as dark in places as many crime novels I've read. What we have here, ladies and gents, is a gorgeous slice of gothic noir. 

Keziah and Matilda, or Tilly for short, are twins. Identical in every way except Tilly is the same height as she was when she was five. And we meet the twins when they are 15 years old, on the cusp of womanhood. The sisters are very close but living a miserable life with their awful father, touring fairs as he tried to sell his elixir. It is at such a fair that Theo first encounters the twins and is bewitched by them. Shortly afterwards, all their lives are changed: the girls are sold to the 'Captain' and Theo is disowned, disinherited and thrown out of the house with nothing by his evil grandfather. It is another five years until the three cross paths again. And here their lives change once again. 

Keziah and Tilly are gorgeous. Innocent, lovely, and devoted to each other. I was worried when they were sold to the Captain, fearful that they would become exhibits in some freak show, but he shows them kindness and care. He's such an interesting character - handsome, mysterious, caring but carrying much sadness. Theo too carries sadness, but also anger towards his grandfather when he and the housekeeper, Miss Miller, are cast out. But Miss Miller looks after Theo and finds him work in London with Dr Summerwell with his museum and shop. The museum is a tad macabre but Theo shows a talent for maintaining and improving the exhibits. But his thoughts often wander somewhere darker, recalling a traumatic childhood moment. All our main characters are troubled in some way and are written so beautifully that you will care what happens as you journey with them. I must also mention Martha and Alexski, both so wonderfully described I could easily picture them. And finally, Lord Seabrook. If this was a panto, he'd be the one we'd all be hissing and booing at. I was as invested in what happened to him as I was Keziah, Tilly and Theo, but for very different reasons!

This is a really immersive novel, rich in detail and the author's passion for this era shines through. Reading her notes at the end of the book, it's clear she has done detailed research and uses examples of real people, places and situations . It also focuses on the Victorian's love for a freak show. And here is where the book gets very dark, sometimes a little uncomfortable to read. But well worth persevering. 

The Fascination is a sumptuously written, descriptive and atmospheric, beautiful even in the horror. There are twists throughout and and a few surprises. It tells of the depravity of some people and the compassion of others. It tells of loss, grief, friendship, love and acceptance. It says it's OK to be different. And, most of all, that family is not always the one you're born into. Loved this book and now I'm off to find a copy of the Memoirs of Fanny Hill! 

The Author

Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire, which inspires much of her writing. After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, and then book publishers George Allen & Unwin, before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, set in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian. She has lectured on this era at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London.

The Clear Method by Carolyn Creel

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Clear Method by Carolyn Creel. It's a book which wasn't quite what I was expecting but I enjoyed it and found it helpful. More on all of that below. Big thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review paperback.

The Blurb

The Clear Method is here to shake (and vac) up the way we have lived our lives for years - so much more than a book on cleaning your house; it will help you shift stuck energy and get into the flow.

On a practical level, it declutters the chaos of life. Energetically it helps you focus and see more clearly. Emotionally it helps to shift outdated ways of thinking that have kept you stuck in a rut.

Author Carolyn guides you through her tried and tested methods to Clear, Let go, Energise, Act and receive in all areas of life.

The Clear Method is published by Unbound Press and came out on 21st March 2023.


Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3zq39Af

My Review

The Clear Method appealed to me because my house is a bit of a disaster and my life isn't much better! 😂 I thought a book that showed me how to declutter my chaos and find my sparkle was exactly what I needed. When I said in my intro that it wasn't quite what I expected, I didn't know beforehand that as well as being a cleaning whizz and successful business woman, Carolyn is also clairvoyant and speaks to Spirit and brings that side of things into the Clear Metihod.  Now, full disclosure here - this is something I've always been more than a little sceptical about. But I went into this with an open mind and found it an enjoyable and beneficial read. And Carolyn herself said that although she is 'woo', she's only one woo, not two, which made me smile. 

The Clear Method is a book for everybody but particularly women, I think. It certainly appealed to me and I appreciated the section on the menopause. It's written in a very personal way, as if the author is just chatting to you.  This isn't just an instruction manual on cleaning your house, although that's certainly part of it, but more aimed at every area of your life - physical space, family and friends, relationships, job and finances.  The book is divided into five main sections - C, for Clear, Cleanse and Clarity, L is for Letting Go, E for Energise, Embody, Embrace and Empower, A for Action, Assessment and Alignment and R for Receive. The author refers to the process as a dance, with each area of our lives perhaps at a different part of the process and is also with us moving backwards and forwards. 

Amongst the talk of chakras and chi, which I'm not dismissing but which weren't a focus for me, there are fun quizzes to see where you're at, really helpful suggestions how you might be able to make improvements across all areas of your life and keeping a record of your progress. Also great ideas for breath work, meditation and general relaxation. There are certainly parts of the book I shall go back to and try to apply in my own house and my life more generally. There is mention of spirit guides and angels which is not my thing, but I must admit there is a certain appeal to screaming out for help to the universe and seeing what comes back to you. You never know, maybe this old cynic will try it yet! An interesting read. 

The Author

Carolyn Creel is the creator of The CLEAR Method, a Clairvoyant CLEARer and Spiritual Declutterer, bringing years of experience from her multimillion-pound commercial cleaning company and her clairvoyant and intuitive abilities to The CLEAR Method.

A down-to-earth, practical Yorkshire woman, Carolyn loves to help people declutter, clean and clear their lives. The CLEAR Method came into being when Carolyn saw that to access our intuition and inner knowing, we need to CLEAR ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Now she helps others declutter the chaos of life through her book and coaching sessions.

www.carolyncreel.com