Geneva

by Richard Armitage 

Geneva was our Buddy Read Book Club choice for September. It isn’t a book that had been on my radar beforehand, but I really enjoyed it in the end.

If I’m honest I did find it a bit slow to start, but I soon found myself invested. My heart went out to Sarah Collier. A brilliant scientist facing early onset dementia. I can only imagine. It must be terrifying!

I could understand Sarah’s interest in a potentially life-changing new treatment. I could understand her reluctance to endorse it without knowing exactly what it involves though. I could understand her husband being desperate to go to Geneva in the hope of this new technology being what might save his wife. It was always going to be a challenging trip for them though.

Little did I know.

As the story progressed, I was desperate to find out what was going on and I was praying for Sarah the whole time. I had an uneasy feeling as I turned the pages, but I had no idea why. As I started to realise, I felt a bit sick. Honestly, it’s shocking how deceitful some people can be and the lengths they are prepared to go to get what they want.

A good read!

Our September Buddy Read Book Club pick, Geneva by Richard Armitage, chosen by @the_bookshelf_2023

Read along with –

@beth.booksandblankets

@readswithdanii

@northyorkshirereader

@read.crochet.coffee

@mrs_n_reads

When you have it all
Sarah Collier has been lucky: she’s got a glittering scientific career and a husband who loves her more than anything.
And you start to lose it
But now she’s showing signs of early Alzheimer’s, and the only hope for a cure is in a controversial new technology being unveiled in Switzerland.
You’d go anywhere for help
In Geneva, as events turn dangerous and her memory loss worsens, Sarah has to decide who to trust: the people around her – or, despite her symptoms, herself.

Happy reading!

The Intruders

by Louise Jensen 

Wow! This is an excellent read!

Cass and James make a lovely couple. When an opportunity arises for them to live rent free for a while, giving them a chance to save for their own place, it seems too good to be true. These things often are! The house has been unoccupied for many years after a home invasion resulted in the previous owners losing their lives. Cass and James are to be caretakers of the property for a short while. I’m not sure I’d want to live there, but it does seem a shame when a house sits abandoned.

It isn’t long before weird things start happening. The tension Cass feels, particularly when she’s on her own in the property, is palpable. James seems more inclined to find rational explanations for the window that seems to keep opening itself amongst other things. I was with Cass, something wasn’t right with that house and as creepy as it is I couldn’t stop reading. As the story progresses things become even more disturbing, fast-paced, and jaw-dropping. The chapters seemed to get shorter and the need to find out where the story was heading more urgent. I would never have guessed it in a million years! Absolutely brilliantly written. I loved it!

This was our Instagram Buddy Read Book Club pick for July, chosen by @katies_cosy_reading_corner

Excellent choice, Katie!

Read along with @afsa.ahmed @readswithdanii @erin_reads_alot @fiction_book_reviews @the_bookshelf_2023 @lollysbooknook @mrskp_reads @northyorkshirereader @mrs_n_reads @yorkshire.bookworm & @booknook.mama

** I purchased a paperback copy for the purpose of the buddy read **

They were told to leave. They should have listened.

The perfect opportunity…

A manor house available rent-free to house-sitters is an offer too good to miss for Cass and James, who have been saving for a deposit on their own home for so long.

Although it had been abandoned for almost thirty years, after a home invasion left almost all the inhabitants dead, it is an amazing chance for them to build their future.

But is it worth the price?

Shortly after moving in things take a sinister turn. Objects disappear and turn up in odd places, the clock always stops at the same time, the house is strangely oppressive and sometimes it feels like Cass and James are not alone.

Newington House may have bad energy, and a dark reputation. But surely there’s no reason for history to repeat itself, is there?

Treat yourself

I.C.Y.M.I

Happy reading!

Unspeakable Things

by Jess Lourey 

Unspeakable Things is a disturbing but engaging read. There’s a palpable tension throughout which made me feel very uneasy about the direction the story was going to take. I was gripped!

I worried about Cassie, her sister, and their mother, the whole way through. Her father is a very controlling and unpredictable character. He made my skin crawl, as did more than one of the other characters in this book. These are not nice people!

When local boys start going missing, I was dreading how things were going to go but I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know.

I didn’t realise until now that this book is inspired by a true story. That makes it even more harrowing!

If you love a good psychological thriller than I’m sure you will love this one.

** According to Amazon I purchased the Kindle edition of Unspeakable Things on the 1^{st of} December 2019 **

Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.

Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

Happy reading!

Fragile

by Sarah Hilary

Not long after we meet Nell, she recognises there is a job opportunity at Starling Villas which might just be the first step in turning her life around. She convinces the man of the house, Robin, to take her on as his live in housekeeper. Being a runaway from her foster home this feels like a huge step up for her and she begins to settle. Although the house sounds really creepy to me so I’m not sure I’d want to live and work there. As Nell starts to make progress with the house Robin’s wife turns up throwing a cat among the pigeons (to put it mildly!).

Nell is a fascinating character. I couldn’t help but feel for her, especially as the story progresses. She’s done things she isn’t proud of, just to survive. Her relationship with Joe is a complicated one, especially given their shared secrets. A secret that underpins the whole story, maintaining the tension throughout. Their foster ‘mother’ is quite the piece of work!

This is quite an unsettling read. I felt on edge, wondering what might happen next and what truths might be revealed. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement. The creepy, tense, atmosphere created is quite addictive. An extremely clever psychological thriller.

Brilliant!

** My paperback copy of Fragile was a Wishlist gift from one of my very lovely Bookstagram friends **

Nell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperately trying to keep, all Nell wants is to find a place she can belong.

So when a job comes up at Starling Villas, home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder, she seizes the opportunity with both hands.

But her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees he is hiding secrets of his own.

But is Nell’s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be – and how easily they can be to break . . .

Happy reading!

Collateral Damage: A Disappearing Inc. thriller

by Mick Williams

Mick Williams has done it again! How he keeps coming up with such great story ideas I’ll never know. He’s one of the most versatile writers I know. Everything I have read of his has been brilliant so I knew this would be too.

This book begins with Jason, hiring Katy (along with her sister, and colleague, Marsha) to find his sister. I’m not sure I’d be as quick to hand over a chunk of money to a company I’d never heard of before, but he’s obviously desperate. When they start looking into this sister though it’s soon obvious that this isn’t a straightforward missing person’s case. Far from it! And Jason isn’t who he first appears to be.

There’s not much else I can say without spoiling it for you lovely people who haven’t had the pleasure of reading it yet, but I can tell you that this story has some kick@ss female characters!! Katy and Marsha are instantly likable. Ambra grew on me. Others not so much.

There are a few other interesting characters, maybe not so likeable, but interesting all the same and integral to the plot. A plot which is full of action, intrigue, fantastically choreographed fight scenes, and an explosive conclusion!

** Many thanks to Mick Williams for my advance review copy **

“Disappearing Inc. – do you want them lost or found?”

When private investigator Katy King agrees to help Jason Cooper locate his missing sister, the case seems simple—at first. But as dead ends pile up and Jason’s story unravels, Katy realizes she’s been pulled into a web of lies far darker than she imagined.

With no time to retreat, Katy finds herself hunted on two fronts: the head of an Albanian kill squad seeking revenge from a previous meeting, and a ruthless assassin determined to fulfill her deadly mission.

As these forces converge, Katy must unravel the truth behind Jason’s secrets while staying one step ahead of killers who won’t stop until she’s dead.

Treat yourself….

Happy reading!