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Sarah Shaw is a nurse on duty when the police arrive to tell her that her husband is dead. They had only been married a few months and had met while she was nursing his dying first wife. It appears that William has been murdered and the investigating police officer is Sarah’s ex…

The Nurse’s Secret is a mix of crime/police procedural and psychological thriller set in the UK.

Sarah is newly widowed and her husband died in suspicious circumstances. She moves in with a colleague but is unsettled by Kathleen’s overbearing attitude. However, she shows little emotion as she is numb from the devastating news and the worry about the police investigation. The couple had not been married long and his first wife had only died a few months earlier.

The book is written from three third person perspectives: Sarah, Nick and Charlie. The latter two are detectives and Nick was formerly in a relationship with Sarah which was kept a secret from his friend and mentor Charlie.

Secrets are hinted at throughout the book and gradually revealed. I had forgotten the prologue for the first third of the book and then my brain started racing trying to work out how the events and characters link together. Charlie and Nick have been keeping secrets from each other and this threatens the whole investigation.

I really enjoyed the police procedural elements of the book and felt included in the case thanks to two of the perspectives. There is the forensic detail of the post mortem which is very graphic and may upset some readers. The detectives are affected by this experience which shows us their softer side. In contrast, Sarah’s viewpoint focuses more on the psychological elements as she evaluates her relationships.

The Nurse’s Secret is a well plotted novel with plenty of secrets to reveal.

I have previously reviewed The Secret Mother and The Next Wife by Liz Lawler.

Author Bio:

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Helen’s husband Paul is presumed dead after he disappeared whilst skiing five years ago. She has moved on with her life, building a new career and ready to marry again. A job opportunity she can’t turn down just happens to be in the same mountains where she last saw Paul…

Forget Me Not is a psychological thriller and domestic drama novel centred around a marriage and a disappearance.

Helen and Paul’s relationship was ready to change forever as she had just discovered that she was pregnant. The next day he vanished in an alpine storm and was assumed to be buried in the snow. Helen went on to give birth and find new love but cannot properly move on until the seven year deadline has passed.

The book is written in the past and present from two perspectives. The big twist occurs about a third of the way through and was pretty obvious. However, I loved how the narration builds the layers of the characters’ stories and was totally engrossed in the plot from start to finish.

I had absolutely no sympathy for Paul’s character. He is utterly selfish and this helped to make me like Helen even more. She goes through so much as a result of his choices and now finally has a chance of happiness with her new family as well as getting her dream career which she previously had held off due to Paul’s work.

Finally I’d just like to mention the geographical setting and the detail on skiing. The plot really came to life against the backdrop of the mountains and the author clearly knows about winter sports. This made the whole book more authentic in my opinion.

Forget Me Not was an engaging and entertaining thriller.

I have previously reviewed The Second Wife by Miranda Rijks.

Buy Links – https://geni.us/ew9QzY

Book Blurb

Five years ago, Helen lost her husband. Now she may lose her life.

Five years ago, Helen’s husband Paul went missing while skiing in the Swiss Alps. His body was never found, but he is presumed dead because no-one could have survived a night on that freezing mountainside.

It took Helen a long time to get over her loss, but now she has pulled her life back together – she is an acclaimed interior designer in a loving relationship with a new man.

Even better, Helen has just been offered her dream project, renovating a luxurious chalet in an idyllic location. There’s only one catch – it’s right next to the resort where Paul went missing.

She decides to take the job anyway, convincing herself that a visit to the scene of her great tragedy will actually be good for her, that it will give her a chance to lay old demons to rest.

But soon after she arrives, she makes an utterly shocking discovery and finds herself caught up in a nightmarish web of treachery and deceit where nothing is as it seems.

Only one thing is certain – the mountains want to claim another body…

Author Bio

Miranda Rijks is a writer of psychological thrillers and suspense novels. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre. She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex, England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.

Follow her at:

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Website: https://mirandarijks.com/

1812 France. Max Fould is called upon by Napoleon himself to fight in Russia. The mission is a disaster and as Max lays dying he makes a pact with a raven. The raven is the deity Kutkh and Max becomes immortal as long as the raven lives…

Death and Mr Fould is an historical novel with a supernatural element.

Max is an immature young rich man when he is summoned to take part in the Russian invasion. He catches and saves a talking raven who is a deity. They make a contract which saves them both but Max quickly discovers the evil side to the bargain. The second part of the book moves forward to England in the 1870s where Max falls in love. This plotline was just wonderful and had vibrant characters and much more emotion. The final part of the book is set in the early 1900s as war looms.

Being a history graduate, I appreciated the level of research that must have taken place to bring the plot and characters to life. The detail of the three different time periods was really effective for creating the backdrop to Max’s story. I liked the way that the author used big historical events and real figures as well as fictional personal relationships to drive the plot forward and allow Max’s characters to develop.

Max has to undergo some horrific events as his family and friends are targeted by the vindictive raven. There is enough emotion to tug at the heartstrings but Max forges on through his sadness which means we don’t linger on it either. Max has a fabulous relationship with Death as they consider how to outsmart the raven. Death is portrayed as a kindly being, safely guiding souls to the afterlife. I liked the idea of him having paperwork!

Death and Mr Fould is an engaging and fascinating book.

Buy Link – https://geni.us/7JbkXVB

Book Blurb

A stunning gothic historical hybrid genre story perfect for Halloween!

Max Fould, an aristocrat from the Fould banking family, goes off to war under the leadership of Napoleon.

While stranded in Russia, he encounters a creature that sets his life on an unimaginable path based on Russian folklore.

Follow Max Fould from post-revolutionary France to the First World War, where his past and present come full circle

Author Bio

Alan Derosby, a Maine native, has spent the past several years focusing on his passion: writing.  Alan has created original and spooky short stories, having several published in a variety of anthologies. MAN OF CLAY is his debut novel.

When not writing, Alan is teaching history at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, Maine, spending time with his wife and daughter, or watching the New York Mets suffer through another disappointing season.

Allison has married for money not love. When her husband dies, she has mixed emotions but could she also be hiding a terrible secret…?

The Widow is a psychological thriller set in London.

The majority of the book is set in present day London from Allison’s thrid person perspective. Allison is desperate to improve her life and marry for money. Peter sweeps her off her feet with champagne and expensive dinners. Their marriage is perfect to the outside world but she resents his behaviour. His sudden death brings relief but also fresh problems.

Other parts of the book are also set in the present but show us Jo’s point of view. She wants revenge on Allison for something in their past. She carefully plans to inveigle herself into Allison’s life but her exact motive and intention remains unclear. This raises the tension as we imagine the link between the two women.

Both women are compelling and convincing. I really didn’t know who to trust as both are unpredictable and untrustworthy narrators. In the final third of the book there is a situation which unites them in an extraordinary way and I had no idea how the shocking circumstance would resolve itself.

Some chapters also show a first person view of the past and a dreadful childhood trauma. This has a huge emotional hold on me as we see a child suffer at the hands of their own actions but also bullying by other children. I did feel that the ending and explanation of the relationship between the women was easy to predict but this did not spoil my enjoyment at all. There were twists right up until the final page so read and enjoy!

The Widow is a tense and twisty thriller that I loved!

I have previously reviewed The Housewife and Secrets Between Us by Valerie Keogh.

The Widow

Grieving or guilty?

When Allison’s wealthy and charming husband Peter is found dead, she appears distraught, devastated….delighted?

Because despite an apparently picture-perfect marriage, Allison knows it was all built on a bed of lies.

And as the truth regarding Peter’s life and death are revealed, Alison must try to keep her own dark past buried.

Because if Peter was keeping secrets, then his widow is too…

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3C6Owoc

Author Bio –

Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound. She originally comes from Dublin but now livesin Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years. Her first thriller for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valerie-keogh

A group of 6 teens decide to use a ouija board at the site of a school massacre. They unleash a powerful dark demon…

Ouija is a horror novel centred around spirits, demons and possession.

Let’s just say that I would never have gone near a ouija board even before reading this book! There is something so dark and unknown about them and this book plays into all the worst fears we may have. The teens unwittingly release a demon but there is a link to the fatal incident a year earlier. There are some flashback chapters to show us the events of the past.

The first part of the book has a brilliant tension and I felt that I was with the characters in the deserted school as they used the ouija board. I was relieved that I was reading in daylight as I would have been seriously spooked at night! Later the demon stalks the teens and this was soooo sinister but also had an emotional level as they react to the aftermath of the demon attacking their friends.

This is quite a quick book to read and the tone feels more like a late teen/young adult novel due to the age of the characters. It reminded me of the Point Horror books that I LOVED as a teen although the horror was more graphic and intense. I was left with some questions but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel as a whole, plus there is a great cliffhanger (sequel potentially???)

Ouija was an enjoyable horror novel, great for the lead up to Halloween. Don’t read it at night unless you are very brave!

Buy Links – https://geni.us/3vA33F

Book Blurb

The only thing for certain is the deaths were no accident.

Rayner High School once a prestigious school stands in ruins after such a terrible event.

A year later, a group of friends return to the abandoned school and their nightmare begins.

Something wants to get out and won’t take NO for an answer…

Author Bio

Zoé O’Farrell grew up in Watford but left the town life to live by the sea down at the White Cliffs of Dover.
She spends her days working with numbers before escaping in the evening to the world of words and movies. Her go-to relaxation is watching a scary movie or reading a terrifying book!

She is a book blogger and tour organiser just to keep her extra busy. When she is not reading or writing, you can usually find her watching Watford FC or at a gig. Failing that she can be found rolling her eyes at her husband as he acts the same age as her spitfire of a Mini-Me whilst separating her two cats.

Ouija is her debut novel.

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Website : https://zooloosbookdiary.co.uk/