Dead Secret (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 4)

by Noelle Holten

OH. MY. GOODNESS! What a cliff-hanger to end a book on!! I’m so glad I have book 5 ready to dive into! It has been published today!

Happy Publication Day, Noelle! 🙂

Dead Secret is book 4 in Noelle Holten’s Maggie Jamieson thriller series. It is an awesome series! I have loved all four books so far and I’m very much looking forward to getting stuck into Dead Mercy.

In this book Maggie, and the team, are faced with the murder of a young man with mysterious black dots on his cheek. At the same time her colleague, Lucy, is dealing with a domestic violence survivor with familiar, but worrying, behaviour. As if that isn’t enough to deal with, they discover one of their own is missing. Each case seemingly unconnected until evidence begins to suggest otherwise. It’s a race against time and I certainly felt the urgency throughout the police procedural aspects of this story. It must be so frustrating for police officers when nothing makes any sense. I wouldn’t be able to do their job for all the money in the world!

I love the characters throughout this book. Maggie is such a likeable character. I enjoy getting to know her a little bit more with each book. I don’t really understand what she sees in that reporter, if I’m honest, other than the obvious physical attraction. It would be nice to see her find happiness, or at least a bit of fun, with someone though.

The professional relationships the team share feel so genuine. I do always feel like I’m reading about real people. This is one of the many things I love about a series.

One character in this story is particularly terrifying. Wow! Hats off to Noelle Holten for this creation. It felt like my blood ran cold on more than one occasion. It also raises the question again of nature versus nurture.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It is fast-paced, full of suspense, and horrifying at times. I loved it!

buy now!

New to the series? start here….

ICYMI

#DeadInside by Noelle Holten @nholten40 #BlogTour #BookReview @KillerReads @BOTBSPublicity

Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten @nholten40 @0neMoreChapter_ #BookReview

Dead Perfect (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 3) by Noelle Holten @nholten40 @0neMoreChapter_ #bookreview

happy reading!

Poetic Justice: Five Twisted Tales of Murder and Revenge

by Mark Tilbury

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

Anyone who knows me well will know that I am a big fan of Mark Tilbury’s. I have read and loved everything he has published! I know I’m in for a treat when he has a new book out.

Poetic Justice is his first short story collection and a bit different to the novels we are used to from him, but just as brilliant! These stories aren’t quite as dark as some of his other books, but they’re hardly light-hearted either! I absolutely loved all five of them.

In each of these stories you will meet a character who is pretty much at their wits end. Their situations are desperate, and desperate times often call for desperate measures. You can’t help but feel for these people and I asked myself what I would do in their situations. There is literally no way of knowing unless you have faced the same problems. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t go as far as some of them, but who knows!

There are many unsavoury (to put it mildly!) characters throughout these stories. Some who made my skin crawl. I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of some of them.

Each one of these stories hooked me in immediately and all of them shocked and surprised me. Very clever writing!

I thought ‘Last Orders’ was particularly clever, and I found ‘Private Museum’ to be extremely chilling. All are equally compelling.

The poems at the start of each story are excellent also. There is no end to Mark Tilbury’s talent.

All the stars from me! I very much recommend!

**Many thanks to Mark Tilbury for my review copy**

Available now!

Follow, like, and share the book love with these awesome book bloggers….

happy reading!

This time last week I attended Heather Bourne’s book launch event, at Westport Lake Visitor Centre, for Tales of Marrduck. A children’s book with an important message for us all!

It was a very well attended, extremely busy event which was lovely to see.

I thought I’d share some photo’s with you.

There were lots of activities for children, and adults alike, to join in with. I had a go of higher or lower and won myself a keyring 🙂

Check out the poster competition, open to all!

https://www.facebook.com/TalesofMarrduck/

And don’t forget to look out for ‘More Tales of Marrduck’….

Why not gift a copy of Tales of Marrduck to someone you love!?

Hi, and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature!

On the first Friday of each month I like to have a little look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years, since starting my blog. November 2020 seems to have been a quiet month for me, although it does include the reviews I re-shared as part of an epic re-launch by Mark Tilbury.

Please do join in if you have the time. I’d love to see your posts 🙂

https://chataboutbooks.blog/2020/11/06/flashbackfriday-november-2020-bookreviews/

All are welcome to attend the launch event for Tales of Marrduck

Sunday 7th november 2021

10am-4pm

Westport Lake Visitor Centre

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 4RZ

Welcome to Marrduck, an ordinary looking garden pond where magic happens. Find out who and what live in and around the pond and the fantastic adventures they have. Travel through their journey with them and discover fabulous interesting facts about things that live above and below the water. Who is Taddy and what does he do? What do the children do to help the wee beasties and the environment? As you travel on the journey with the children, you will learn fascinating aspects of pond life and the role of each wee beastie. Tales of Marrduck will inspire children’s imagination and creativity as they read the story and colour in the lovely illustrations. It provides opportunities for initiating conversation around conservation issues both at home and at school. What can you do to help Taddy and his friends on their quest to save the local environment? Oh, and which way does your watch go?

From 10am till 4pm on Sunday 7th November. Heather Bourne (author) and Beverley Cooper (illustrator) will be at Westport Lake to sign books.

The Lord Mayor of Stoke is attending also.

There will be readings throughout the day and games for children.  There are also 2 competitions – a colouring one just on the day, and a design a poster one running until the 17th December.

The winner of the colouring competition will win a signed book with Tales of Marrduck goodies. The (2) winners of the poster competition will be characters in the next book.

Hope you can make it

Echoes Of Home: A Ghost Story

by M. L. Rayner

Echoes of Home is the perfect read for this time of the year, although I would have thoroughly enjoyed it at any time.

This is M.L. Rayner’s debut novel and what an excellent debut it is! As soon as I read the prologue I was gripped.

Leslie Wills had my sympathy from the very beginning. Finding himself the only son to stay at home, in Stoke-on-Trent, to look after his mother when his brothers had left the city long before to pursue dreams of their own without ever looking back or even keeping in touch. I could understand his resentment and I admired his loyalty to his parents.

When he finds himself alone in the world the last thing he expects is for the opportunity to start a new life in the Scottish Highlands. With nothing to keep him in Stoke any longer he gets in his car and starts the long journey north.

Nothing could prepare him for what he discovers when he finally arrives.

This is an unsettling tale which grabbed my attention immediately and held it to the very last page. It is full of mystery, suspense, and intriguing characters. It is incredibly atmospheric. I could easily visualise the setting. I could almost feel the cold and damp. It isn’t somewhere I would want to live, alone or otherwise, although I can appreciate the beauty of the place. I found it quite an emotional read, heart-breaking at times. It is a chilling read which gave me goosebumps on more than one occasion, especially towards the end!

I loved it!

If you’re looking for the perfect ghost story this Halloween, then look no further. I highly recommend!

Available now

About the author

Born and bred in the county of Staffordshire. Matt is a keen reader of classical, horror and fantasy literature and enjoys writing in the style of traditional ghost stories. During his working life, Matt joined the ambulance service in 2009, transporting critically ill patients all over the UK. After writing his first novel, Matt was welcomed into the family of Question Mark Press publishing and now dedicates his time on future releases. His hobbies include genealogy and hiking, and he enjoys spending time with his wife, Emma, his children, and his family.

happy reading!

Perfect for Halloween! By M. L. Rayner Echoes Of Home: A Ghost Story After accepting a generous opportunity to start afresh, Leslie Wills, a young man from Stoke-on-Trent, eagerly begins his long-distance journey to the Scottish Highlands of Elphin, a settled village that sits huddled amongst the dominating mountains. Its people are welcoming, and the […]

Perfect for Halloween! Echoes Of Home and Amongst The Mists by M. L. Rayner @M_L_Rayner — Bowen’s Book Publicity

The Daughter’s Choice

by S.D. Robertson

Having read, and enjoyed, If Ever I Fall and How to Save a Life by S.D. Robertson, I was looking forward to reading The Daughter’s Choice, and I wasn’t disappointed.

When we are introduced to Rose, she is due to be married and as a pre-wedding gift her father sends her, and her maid of honour, for a spa break. Her maid of honour gets called away to a family emergency though, leaving Rose to try to relax alone. It’s not quite the same as sharing it with your best friend but she endeavours to make the best of it and soon finds herself chatting to another lady who is there alone too. She doesn’t know this woman from Adam but soon finds she’s telling her all about herself. How do some complete strangers seem to have a way of putting you at ease enough to find yourself telling them your life story? I know I’ve done it before when chatting to random people (nothing like to this extent of course, but I can see how easy it would be when feeling relaxed in someone’s company, especially after a gin or two!).

I soon started to have my suspicions about this woman and wondered what an earth she was up to. I found myself worrying about Rose and wondering if this woman had some sinister reason for wanting to get to know her so badly. I was willing Rose to stop talking! I felt very uneasy about where the story was going and was desperate to find out what was going on. The chapters all end in a way that means you MUST read the next!

I did twig where the story was leading eventually but this didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all as I really wanted to know how it would all pan out. My heart went out to Rose, for more reasons than one. Such a lot of heartbreak, confusion, and deceit to process.

There is so much more I could say about the other characters in this book, but I don’t want to give anything away. It is so hard not to get carried away when talking about books like this.

This is such a unique and emotional story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend!

**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**

Available now….

happy reading!

http://bowensbookpublicity.com/2021/10/18/partner-pursuit-new-york-friendship-book-1-by-kathy-strobos-kathystrobos/