I am absolutely OVER THE MOON to be joining in with Mel Sherratt’s Tick Tock blog tour with Avon! 🙂

If you haven’t read this yet, you really should!

My review…..

OH MY GOODNESS!! Gripping would be an absolute understatement!

Having read and loved all of Mel Sherratt’s books, most recently Hush Hush, I knew I was in for a treat when starting Tick Tock.

It has been great catching up with Grace once again, although I don’t envy her circumstances. This book starts with the murder of a local teenage girl, left dead in a field whilst out cross-country running with her class at school. You don’t get much more hard hitting than that! As the mother of two teenagers I can only imagine the devastation. You trust that they are safe when at school, but it just goes to show that anything is possible when you have someone determined to cause others harm. The most terrifying things is, these things actually happen.

When another victim is discovered just a few days later, the two don’t seem to be connected in any way. Surely there aren’t two different killers on the loose in the same week, but nothing is adding up. It’s only when a third victim is targeted that things start to fall into place, but it’s going to be a race against time to catch this killer before anyone else gets hurt. Grace and her team work flat out, as always, to avoid any more heartache for anyone, but it’s no easy task as I’m sure you can imagine.

Tick Tock is such a brilliantly written fast-paced police procedural and one which is extremely difficult to put down. It kept me up late in to the night as each chapter makes it impossible to not read the next!

I love that it’s set in Stoke-on-Trent. I was born and raised here (well, Newcastle-under-Lyme, just outside of Stoke) and I love that I recognise all the places mentioned. My Dad & Step-Mum live not far from the Cafe Nero on the three roundabouts in Smallthorne and I have enjoyed more than one visit to The Quarter Cafe. I will be going again next week with my friend, Gayle 🙂

I also love that we get to learn a little bit more about Grace from a personal perspective too. I enjoyed the relationship she is building with Simon and the difficulties she faces with his teenage daughter not wanting to accept her as his partner. For me, these aspects really make these books stand out from some other crime thrillers which might have excellent plots, but not as much focus on the characters. Mel Sherratt knows how to write characters! Most are instantly likeable but, of course, some not so much, but equally fascinating and all entirely believable.

Overall though this is a chilling story and it made my blood run cold on more than one occasion.

I highly recommend!

Many thanks to the author & publisher for my review copy.

Get clicking…..

About the author…..

My novels take you to the heart of the crime. I write police procedurals, psychological suspense and crime dramas – fiction with a punch. Shortlisted for the prestigious CWA (Crime Writer’s Association) Dagger in Library Award, my inspiration comes from authors such as Martina Cole, Lynda la Plante, Mandasue Heller and Elizabeth Haynes.

Since 2012, I’ve sold over one million books. All eleven of my crime novels have been bestsellers, each one climbing into the Kindle UK top 10 and I’ve had several number ones. I’ve also had numerous Kindle All-star awards, for best read author and best titles.

My latest book, HUSH HUSH is the first in a new series featuring DS Grace Allendale. It’s a police procedural which finds Grace returning to her hometown of Stoke-on-Trent and coming face to face with her estranged family during her first murder investigation. It’s a story of ‘is blood thicker than water’ and being stuck between a rock and a hard place. And there’s a serial killer on the loose…

SHE DID IT is a standalone psychological thriller, and my first novel set in London. I wanted to write about a character who was nice to everyone using one persona but out for revenge with another side to her that she tries to keep hidden away. The reader knows exactly what she is up to – but not the reason why.

TAUNTING THE DEAD is my best selling book. It’s part police procedural/part psychological thriller. It was standalone for two years but I have now written two more books with Detective Sergeant Allie Shenton as the main character to create a trilogy. FOLLOW THE LEADER is book two and ONLY THE BRAVE is book three.

THE ESTATE SERIES is a mix of psychological suspense and family life with a sprinkling of grit and a dash of menace – where drama meets crime. There are four books, available individually or you can read the first three as a box set.

DETECTIVE EDEN BERRISFORD works in a community intelligence team and helps to gather information and intel for investigations. THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR is the first book, followed by DON’T LOOK BEHIND YOU.

WATCHING OVER YOU is another standalone psychological thriller. It’s dark in places, light in places, disturbing in places too – where obsession and friendship turn into murder.

I also write women’s fiction under the pen name of Marcie Steele. Stirred with Love, The Little Market Stall of Hope and Heartbreak and The Second Chance Shoe Shop are out now.

I live in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with my husband and terrier, Dexter (named after the TV serial killer) and make liberal use of my hometown as a backdrop for some of my books. You can find out more at my website http://www.melsherratt.co.uk or I’m on Twitter at @writermels

***Not tried The Estate Series yet? For a limited time, you can grab a copy of the ‘behind the scenes look’ at the series, Secrets on The Estate. Just copy and paste this link into your browser for your free book: http://bit.ly/1fFPgmD ***