TRIGGER WARNING: contains rape and sex trafficking
Odeta is keen to follow her heart and her lover to England, leaving her rural Albanian life behind. But her dreams don’t come true and she faces the horrific truth…
Girl Out Of Sight is a tense crime thriller novel set in Albania and the UK.
Odeta works in the family shop when she meets a man who woos her with stories of a better life in England. She believes his lies and follows him onto the plane. But once they land he snatches her passport and hands her over to his contact. Odeta is forced to confront her abandonment as well as the sexual expectation forced upon her.
Meanwhile, living next door is Kate. She has problems in her family life but has no idea of the horror in her street. Her choices lead her into danger as well… I liked the idea that we never know our neighbours especially as we live increasingly insular lives and the idea of community diminishes.
I wanted to shouted at Odeta to stay home, that Kreshnik was lying to her and danger was looming. The developing realisation of her situation and the sexual violence are dreadful to read. The book is vividly written and this brought the characters to life. I felt emotionally invested in Odeta and Kate’s lives and concerned for the threats they face.
Girl Out Of Sight is a book that deals with a truly terrible concept but it has an important message about the dangers of modern slavery and exploitation.
Book Blurb
How well do you know your neighbours?
Odeta’s life has shrunk to a daily round of drudgery, running her father’s grocery store in a remote Albanian village. One day, an enigmatic stranger from Tirana turns up, promising her an exciting career in London. Odeta’s life is about to change, but not in the way she expected.
Kate, a journalist, lives on a quiet London street, but her seemingly perfect life is filled with anxiety for her son, Ben. The boy is obsessed with online gaming but struggles to make friends. Kate sets out to create a simpler life for her family, disconnects them from the internet, and tries to build a community on her street.
On a visit to her home village in Wales, Kate is forced to confront a secret from her past. But even greater danger lies where she lives. Perhaps her neighbours are not the friendly community they seem at first glance…
Author Bio
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense and suspense thrillers and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Look out for ‘Girl Out of Sight’ coming soon from Darkstroke Books. It’s a second edition of a prize-winning title from 2017 After Leaving the Village.
Psychological suspense mystery The Girl in the Van’ was published earlier this year by Darkstroke Books and has been longlisted in the prestigious 2022 Pageturner Book Awards. It’s a chilling page-turner that touches on serious and complex themes including individual grief and vulnerability, as well as societal responsibilities towards the disadvantaged and dispossessed.
Previous books include ‘Facade’ twisty noir about tragedy, guilt and revenge in a family where ‘silence echoes louder than truth’ and ‘Lies Behind the Ruin’ domestic noir set in France.
Helen is an ambassador for the charity Unseen UK and available to give talks at festivals, author events and to local groups about the themes in her novels.
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2016: Queen Elizabeth II is 90, a mother, a monarch and majestic. She is also a keen crime solver! A member of the aristocracy goes missing and their hand is discovered near Sandringham. The Queen uses her influence to investigate…
Murder Most Royal is a charming murder mystery set in the recent past. It is the third book in the series but the first that I have read (now urgently need to find the earlier books!)
The members of the Royal Family are represented in an affectionate and respectful way and I felt that this book was a fitting tribute to her late Majesty. There is a gentle humour and the family relationships felt authentic. Prince Philip is just as irascible and blunt as he appeared to be from newspaper reports. I enjoyed the mildly disparaging references to political figures (Boris and Trump!)
The case itself centres around an old family friend who goes missing and their hand washes ashore. It is the Queen herself who identifies the owner of the hand thansk to a signet ring and therefore kickstarts the case. She then proceeds to steer the case with the help of her assistant Rozie. Her Majesty uses her wit and wisdom to speak to a whole host of characters and uncover the truth.
Murder Most Royal is an enjoyable murder mystery and a lovely nostalgic view of the late Queen’s energy and dedicated service.
Christmas, 2016.
A human hand and a bag of drugs are found washed up, separately, on a beach next to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham
The Queen identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring. But the search for his killer is not so straightforward. Suspects include the Queen’s horse groom, a shady land agent, an aristocrat neighbour, as well as the victim’s many cousins and relations.
The investigation leads the Queen – and her trusted assistant, Rozie – to a local pigeon racing club, back to London, and to the ancient, moated Godwick Hall. But how do the seemingly disparate pieces of the puzzle fit together? And who is the next victim?
The third book (which can be read as a stand-alone), in the delightfully clever mystery series following Queen Elizabeth II as she secretly solves crimes alongside her royal duties.
S.J. Bennett holds a PhD in Italian Literature from the University of Cambridge and was a strategy consultant and startup manager before turning to writing. She has published ten books for teenagers, winning The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2009 and the RoNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2017. The Windsor Knot is her first novel for adults. She lives in London.
You can find her at SJBennettBooks.com and on Twitter @sophiabennett and @SJBennettbooks Join the conversation using #MurderMostRoyal
TRIGGER WARNING: infant death, Nazi brutality
1942, Paris: two Jewish refugee girls are captured by the Nazis. Their elder sister hides at the request of her Resistance lover who is the father of her unborn child. She heads to the Ritz to the American woman she hopes can save them all…
The Orphans of Berlin is an historical novel set in the 1930s and 40s. It begins in 1942 showing us the dire circumstances that the Jewish Landau family find themselves in. It then moves back in time to show the terrible situation they escaped in Germany as well as the sadness of Kay who helped them escape.
Both Kay and Rachel face dreadful emotional circumstances. The Jewish girls experience shocking cruelty from other children as well as adults. I found this very upsetting especially as I awaited physical abuse to follow. Kay’s mother’s emotionally bullying behaviour was so awful and I didn’t blame Kay for wanting to strike out on her own.
The book is written from the alternating first person viewpoints of the main two women. Both narratives made me emotionally involved with the events that were depicted. The women had an energy and devotion to family that transcended their terrible experiences. I felt that the epilogue rounded off most of the character arcs and concluded the plot effectively.
The Orphans of Berlin is an emotional historical novel about the personal and international troubles caused by social and political unrest in the 1930s.
The Orphans of Berlin
A heartbreaking World War 2 novel that tells the story of two women’s fight for love, family and hope, as the world crumbles around them. Based on the true story of the Kindertransport rescue from Nazi-occupied Europe.
Berlin, 1936. The Landau family are at the heart of their community, running a music shop in Berlin and just trying to survive. But their lives are unravelling as Hitler’s power increases and the treatment of Jewish families deteriorates. Eldest daughter, Rachel, fears for her sisters’ future and will do anything she can to keep them safe. Will she find hope in the darkness?
Paris, 1936. As whispers of war travel over from Europe, American debutante Kay escapes her mother’s grasp and travels as a reluctant spy from Paris to Berlin. But a chance meeting with the Landau family will change her life forever. Kay is determined to give Rachel and her sisters a fighting chance in a society where the youngest are paying the ultimate price, even if it means making dangerous enemies along the way…
As the world marches toward war, these brave women will find strength in joining forces to save the ones they love. But they will need the support of one another more than they will ever realise in order to survive…
A gripping and heart-wrenching historical novel about hope, tragedy and two women’s limitless courage. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and My Name is Eva.
Author Bio –
Jina Bacarr is a US-based historical romance author of over 10 previous books. She has been a screenwriter, journalist and news reporter, but now writes full-time and lives in LA. Jina’s novels have been sold in 9 territories. Her first novel with Boldwood is called Her Lost Love.
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Celebrity Natalie Somerson has made a career out of other people’s secrets and when she returns to her former school she confronts new and old enemies. It isn’t long before Natalie is found dead and obituary writer and amateur sleuth Eve Mallow is on the case.
Mystery at Southwood School is the 9th book to feature Eve as she combines researching for an obituary with investigating murder.
Almost the first quarter of the book is devoted to setting up motives and introducing us to potential suspects. Natalie has plenty of enemies from her school days as well as the present day. She has a habit of getting into trouble but now someone puts a stop to it for good. I felt torn between liking her rebellious spirit and disliking her cruel streak.
The book is set in a prestigious boarding school and it looks likely that one of the inhabitants could be responsible although Natalie did have a string of past and current lovers. However Eve finds it difficult to believe that the staff or students could commit murder. She needs to investigate the various characters especially as the police suspect her own boyfriend Robin who has his own secrets to protect.
The book maintained my curiosity and every time I thought I was sure of the culprit, there was a twist or clue that made me suspect someone else. I enjoyed meeting up with the characters again and can’t believe it is the 9th book in the series already!
Mystery at Southwood School is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery set in a traditional English boarding school.
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Book: Mystery at Southwood School
Author: Clare Chase
Pub Day: Nov 10th 2022
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About the Book:
Eve Mallow’s going back to school! But when a former student is murdered, Eve must discover who taught her a deadly lesson…
Eve Mallow is delighted when she’s asked to cater Founders’ Day at Southwood School. It’s the best – and most secretive – school for miles around, and Eve can’t wait to see what it’s really like. But when she arrives, the atmosphere is far from scholarly. Natalie Somerson, ex-pupil and professional gossip, is the guest of honour, but nobody seems to want her there… especially when her speech stirs up an old scandal about a secret love affair. So why was she invited?
The next morning, Natalie is found dead in a locked attic room. To make matters worse, Eve’s boyfriend Robin becomes the police’s prime suspect. Determined to prove his innocence, Eve starts to investigate everyone with a stake in the school. Is it the prudish principal, worried about Natalie’s influence? Her former teacher, whose life Natalie made miserable? Or the head girl, who seemed to hate Natalie one day and adore her the next?
When strange letters arrive at the school and Eve finds a bottle of Natalie’s perfume in the most unexpected place, she senses time is running out to save Robin’s good name. Eve had better study her suspects and unmask the real killer… before they give her a fatal mark!
An utterly delightful and page-turning English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, J.R. Ellis and Agatha Christie.
Author Bio
Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.
Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.
Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.
As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.
You can find Clare‘s website and blog at www.clarechase.com
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A serial killer hones his skills and prepares to create his soulmate from his next choice. Lucy goes about her everyday life, unaware that a killer has her in his sights…
The Cellar is a graphic serial killer novel set in the UK, on the border between England and Wales.
The premise of this book is fascinating. A killer wants a woman to join him on his killing spree and he has chosen artist Lucy. There is a distinctly sinister and ominous tone to the first part of the book as he stalks his prey and kills other women in the meantime. The danger becomes more threatening as he seizes Lucy and holds her captive in the cellar, preparing to indoctrinate her in his heinous ways.
A word of warning: this book is not for the faint hearted. It contains explicit depictions of dismemberment, mistreatment of dead bodies, body disposal and sexual gratification from killing. However, despite the gruesome content, I was completely hooked: revolted by Gove, fearful for Lucy, and totally absorbed in the plot and characters.
Gove has obviously been damaged by his past which would initiate our sympathy if he had not chosen the path of killing others. I was firmly on Lucy’s side as she faces the unthinkable in order to survive. The plot develops as a speedy pace and was tense throughout. I felt that the ending was perhaps a little rushed but it was certainly dramatic!
The Cellar is a disturbing but enthralling serial killer thriller.
The Cellar
Dark, disturbing and gripping. This is not for the faint of heart.
Nurse. Protégé. Murderer.
Marcus Gove has been all these things. He’s reached the pinnacle of his art and now it’s time for him to take a protege. Lovely Lucy is perfect for the role, or she will be . . .
Artist. Teacher. Daughter.
Lucy Williams is just like everyone else. She’s had some success as an artist, not so much success in love, but she’s getting by. But soon she’s going to have to become something else if she wants to be a survivor.
Detective. Ex-husband. Underdog.
Ray Lewis’s career isn’t heading anywhere. But he’s a solid detective and he’s determined to find Lucy no matter what the upper brass throw at him.
Three people. Ten days. Who will live and who will die?
Author Bio –
John Nicholl is the bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers and detective series, previously published by Bloodhound, and inspired by his real-life experience as an ex-police officer and child protection social worker. Boldwood will be publishing the next title in his Galbraith series and a new psychological thriller in autumn 2022, and will be reissuing his bestselling backlist from May 2022.
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