Dana and Sam have a whirlwind romance and plan to marry within six months. Everything seems perfect except for Dana’s feeling of unease around Sam’s mum Evelyn. A series fo events threatens to ruin the wedding but can her prospective mother in law really be trying to prevent the wedding…?
The Mother In Law is a domestic drama and psychological thriller set in the UK.
The prologue shows us a dramatic incident on Dana and Sam’s wedding day before we go back in time to see how the relationship unfolded. The book is written from Dana’s first person perspective. She is looking back at her romance with Sam and her relationship with his parents. She refers to mistakes she makes along the way, showing her perspective via hindsight.
Sam is an only child, living with his parents in his mid thirties. His mother Evelyn is quite overbearing but he sees it as caring rather than controlling. Dana struggles with snide and double edged comments from Evelyn and Tamara who is a childhood friend of Sam’s but implies it could have been more.
It was tricky to work out if Dana is just being sensitive and insecure or whether she is in actual danger. I liked Dana’s character and was desperate for Sam to stand up to his parents and put his fiancee first. The tension and drama develop over the course of the book and other family secrets or issues from the past are revealed.
The Mother In Law was an intriguing and enjoyable thriller that cleverly builds the tension.
Media Pack
Author: Karen King
Book: The Mother-in-Law
Publication Day: July 29th 2022
Description:
Today is my wedding day. And I don’t know if I’ll make it out alive…
As I put my beautiful white wedding dress on, I try not to ignore my fears. I look in the mirror and feel more beautiful than I ever have before. I know marrying Sam is the right choice. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I reach for my bright yellow roses, and I force myself to be as cheerful and sunny as those flowers. I won’t dwell on everything that’s happened recently – ever since we agreed to stay with his parents for the weeks ahead of the wedding.
Glancing down at my sparkling engagement ring, I pretend to myself I can forget about the ‘accidents’ I keep having, that I can’t believe are coincidental. Or about his mother’s barbed comments, and the dark looks she gives me.
And, just for today, while I walk down the aisle towards the man of my dreams, while I say ‘I do’, I’ll try to put the secret I know about the family I am marrying into right out of my mind.
Even though that’s one secret that – if I was my soon-to-be mother-in-law – I might just kill to keep…
An absolutely thrilling and gripping psychological suspense novel, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, Shari Lapena, and The Woman in the Window.
Author Bio:
Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. Currently published by Bookouture and Headline, Karen writes about the light and dark of relationships. Her eleventh romantic novel, The Spanish Wedding Disaster, has recently been published and her third psychological thriller The Mother In Law is out in July, with a fourth one in February 2023.
Karen has also had 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines published. Her thrillers The Perfect Stepmother and The Stranger in my Bed and her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became International Amazon bestsellers.
Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.
Author Social Media Links
An estate’s bad reputation deteriorates further when a cat comes home with a human foot. A body has been left rotting for weeks and Calladine is afraid that an old serial killer has returned to the streets…
Dead Real is the 12th book in Helen H. Durrant’s Calladine and Bayliss series. The personal storyline continues and makes reference to events in previous books but there are no spoilers about older cases.
Things are tense on the Hobfield estate as rival gangs try to claim control. The death of Noah brings things to a head as the police investigate. But no one on the estate wants to risk their safety by talking to the police. Tom Calladine finds himself frustrated as he seems to be thwarted at every turn by characters refusing to cooperate.
On the personal front, Tom has issues with his current girlfriend Kitty. Her work premises are attacked but she also doesn’t want to involve the police. Meanwhile Tom’s old flame is back in town and causing him to consider his true feelings.
The case has links to a murder spree from the past whilst also having the current concern of stolen goods and gang. This provides many plot twists as the investigation progresses. My interest was maintained in the mystery of the crime aspect to the story as well as the development of the personal elements to Tom’s life.
Dead Real is an engaging police procedural novel with good lead detectives.
DEAD REAL BY HELEN H. DURRANT
Looking for a brilliant bestselling crime mystery with great detectives?
SOMETHING BAD’S GOING DOWN — AND NO ONE WILL TALK.
One of the Hobfield estate’s newest tenants is horrified when her cat returns home with a human foot in its mouth.
The foot belongs to 16-year-old Noah Crosby, whose decomposing remains are found in a rubbish-strewn alleyway. He was wearing an expensive gold watch, high-end trainers and had a top-of-the-range mobile phone on him when he died. The motive clearly isn’t robbery.
But how could a young lad from the wrong side of the tracks afford such expensive gear?
The post-mortem reveals that the letter X has been carved into Noah’s skin. The signature of a killer known as the Shadow, who plagued the estate more than twenty years before. A killer who was never caught.
Could the Shadow be back at large?
Detective Tom Calladine and his partner DS Ruth Bayliss are finding it difficult to make headway. People are scared. No one will talk.
At the same time, Tom’s new girlfriend’s shop is targeted — and it’s clear she’s not telling him the whole truth about the attack. Just what is Kitty hiding? And when an old flame returns to Leesdon, Tom senses trouble ahead . . .
Love Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham? You’ll love this bestselling crime fiction writer.
DEAD REAL is the brand-new book in the series of detective thrillers featuring DS Ruth Bayliss and DI Tom Calladine.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES:
“Yet again an absolutely amazing book. I love the characters and how the storyline flows from book to book. I can’t wait for the next one already.” Michelle G.
“Classic Helen Durrant . . . Just when you think you have worked it out there is another twist!” Carol S.
“Addictive.” Christina M.
“Helen Durrant is a master storyteller. Be it the mystery or the character development or keeping the readers hooked on to the story till the end, Helen is the best.” The Book Decoder
“A gritty novel with great characters. The series gets better and better.” Trina D.
THE DETECTIVES
Tom Calladine is a detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of twenty-one has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape.
Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-thirties, plain-speaking but loyal. She is balancing her professional life with looking after a small child.
THE SETTING
The fictional village of Leesdon is on the outskirts of an industrial northern English city. There is little work and a lot of crime. The bane of Calladine’s life is the Hobfield housing estate, breeding ground to all that is wrong with the area that he calls home.
DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE MYSTERY SERIES.
THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES
1: DEAD WRONG
2: DEAD SILENT
3: DEAD LIST
4: DEAD LOST
5: DEAD & BURIED
6: DEAD NASTY
7: DEAD JEALOUS
8: DEAD BAD
9: DEAD GUILTY
10: DEAD WICKED
11: DEAD SORRY
12: DEAD REAL
HELEN H. DURRANT
OVER 1 MILLION BOOKS SOLD!
Helen is one of the ‘baby boomer’ generation and began writing when she retired from her job at a local college. Born in Edinburgh to an English father and Scottish mother the family settled in a Pennine village between the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is an environment which has shaped her stories. Writing is a second career and, despite having a bus pass, keeps her busy, and tuned in.
Helen’s children are all grown-up and she has five grandchildren.
FOLLOW HELEN ON
A killer is loose on the streets of York, posing his victims like scarecrows and removing their eyes, hands and feet. The victims are not hugely sympathetic characters yet the police must bring the killer to justice…
The Scarecrow is the 18th book in the Jason Smith series and I am a HUGE fan of this author’s work! There are mentions of events from previous books but I would recommend reading the whole series as it is sooooo good.
As always with this author’s books, the pace was fast and furious. I was hooked immediately as the police start their investigation straight away. The injuries to the victims are extensive and grisly. Motive is unclear but the victims have all profited from financial activities that have been detrimental to others. The police suspect a vigilante and know that many people will be relieved by the demise of the victims.
There are personal issues is Smith’s life that are developed in this book. This adds an emotional dimension to his character which also reinforces the authenticity of his relationship with Whitton. He also has a good rapport with his other colleagues in contrast to the savage and gruesome crimes they are investigating.
The atmosphere is tense as the killer taunts Smith. There were some great plot twists to maintain the suspense and anticipation. I read this book quickly as I couldn’t put it down and now need to wait for the next in the series…
The Scarecrow was a great read: fast paced, dramatic and with a fabulous police team.
THE SCARECROW (Detective Jason Smith book 18)
From bestselling author: Stewart Giles comes another brilliant addition to the Detective Jason Smith series
The Scarecrow (Detective Jason Smith #18) by Stewart Giles
How do you stop a psychopathic killer when they’re always one step ahead of you?
A new kind of murderer has caught the attention of the people of York. His attention is focused on the low-lifes and the bottom-feeders of society.
He calls himself The Scarecrow.
The citizens of York are calling him a hero – a killer ridding society of the undesirables, but Detective Jason Smith can’t accept this.
And when he finds himself first on the scene of this maniac’s first horrific murder, and sees for himself what this self-proclaimed deterrent to crime is capable of, he takes it upon himself to stop The Scarecrow at any cost.
But as the brutal murders continue, Smith finds himself wondering if this is a fight he can actually win.
The Scarecrow refuses to be stopped.
Is this the first killer Smith is unable to beat?
What readers are saying about WISHBONE
Classic Stewart Giles, an engrossing fast paced murder mystery. This is no ordinary killer. We have a dead man dressed as a scarecrow and a fake police officer! The interesting saga/drama of Smith’s personal life continues. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the crime scenes. Read it in one sitting and loved it!. – Carol
Every riveting chapter keeps you on the edge of your seat. Intense turmoil develops as surprising information comes to light leading to a shocking conclusion. THE SCARECROW IS A MUST READ!.– Eileen
It is a very easy to read book with a few red herrings and I really enjoyed it. The characters are easy to like too and it is great to have a bit of the family life of Jason and Erica as well. Would recommend it. – Maureen
BOOKS BY STEWART GILES
DS JASON SMITH SERIES
0.5 – Phobia
1 – Smith
2 – Boomerang
3 – Ladybird
4 – Occam’s Razor
5 – Harlequin
6 – Selene
7 – Horsemen
8 – Unworthy
9 – Venom
11 – Demons
14 – Australia
18 – Scarecrow
DI O’REILLY MYSTERIES
1 – Blood on the Island
2 – Lies on the Island
DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1-The Beekeeper
Book 2-The Perfect Murder
Book 3-The Backpacker
Trotterdown a box set of DC Harriet Taylor books 1-3
DS JASON SMITH &DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1 – The Enigma
Book 2 – Dropzone
Book 3 – The Raven Girl
Trilogy: The DS Smith & Harriet Taylor box set
THE MIRANDA TRILOGY (psychological thrillers)
Miranda
Mistress
Medusa
STANDALONE NOVELS
Horror – The Divide
Thriller – The Ghostwriter
Thriller – The Guests
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series. The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before. In addition, I have a new series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey. The first 5 books in the Detective Liam O’Reilly series are now available. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
Website: www.stewartgiles.com
Twitter: @stewartgiles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33
A German mother’s terrible choice: to flee the approaching Soviets with her son who is ill or leave him to get the medical help he needs to live? Emma is a German woman living in Poland at the end of WW2. She abandons her home to save her children but Jacob falls ill on the journey and she fears he could die. They are separated when the city is evacuated but Emma never gives up hope they will be reunited…
The Orphan’s Mother is a hugely emotional historical novel set in Germany and Poland in the 1940s and 50s. I felt that the situation was quite unique and not one I had read about in other books set during this period.
There is antagonism and ill feeling between the Germans and Poles which impacts on the characters of this novel. Jacob is saved from certain death in the hospital by nurse Irena. She is unable to have children herself due to an episode of Nazi brutality but taking on a German child creates a difficult situation for her and her husband. The couple grow to love Jacob but the truth of his adoption leaves a feeling of dread. Meanwhile, Emma never gives up hope of finding her son. She relentlessly searches for him which fractures her other relationships.
The premise of this book is so heart wrenching. There are some mentions of violence as well as an implied rape but the main focus in on the emotional side of the plot. The women are vividly portrayed and their terrible situations brought to life. It was very easy to identify with the emotions of both Emma and Irena especially as they both have the best interests of Jacob in mind at all times. I really didn’t know how I wanted the situation to resolve itself and was completely gripped as events unfolded.
The Orphan’s Mother is a thought provoking, heartbreaking book with a fascinating dilemma at its centre.
I have previously reviewed other books by Marion Kummerow including Not Without My Sister.
Book Description:
1945, the German-Polish border: With Nazis on one side and Soviet forces approaching on the other, a mother and her little boy are torn apart, and so begins an unforgettable tale of courage, heartbreak and motherhood in wartime.
“If you ever get lost, Jacob, you need to stay where you are and wait, because I’ll come looking for you. And I’ll always find you.”
In the icy grip of winter, Emma is trying to escape Poland, with her two young children and little more than the clothes on their backs. With the Russian Red Army advancing, she knows their safety relies on them crossing the border. She swears to herself that she’ll do whatever it takes to keep their family together.
But before they can reach the border, her little boy Jacob falls ill, his once-sparkling blue eyes getting dimmer with each moment that passes. And Emma knows she has to get him to a hospital, where she hands him to a kind nurse.
She feels sure they will be reunited the next day. But then the bombing starts. And when she reaches the hospital again, she finds it deserted, her darling son gone.
Though her heart tells her she has to stay and find him, she faces an impossible choice. She would risk her own life for Jacob in a heartbeat, but as her daughter Sophie’s cold, little hand slips into her own, Emma is forced to make a heartbreaking decision. Unable to find any trace of her beloved son, she knows she must at least get her daughter to safety.
But she can never forget the promise she made to her little boy. That if they were ever separated, she’d come looking for him. That she’d always find him.
Whatever the danger, whatever the risk. She knows what she has to do. Because there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love…
An utterly unforgettable and devastating story, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Stolen from her Mother and Sold on a Monday.
Author Bio:
Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.
Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemmas, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.
Buy Link:
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
An allegedly cursed island becomes the setting for unexplained deaths. One death could have been accidental but a second the following day seems unlikely to be coinicidental. DS Elin Warner tentatively returns to work but is she ready for this case…?
The Retreat is the second book to feature Elin Warner but the first that I have read. Elin seems quite fragile and I’m assuming that the first book depicted a case that had a hugely damaging effect on her. I definitely think that it would be beneficial to have read the first book as the events have had a huge impact on the police team especially Elin.
A family of sisters and their partners are visiting a retreat run by the sister of Elin’s boyfriend. Secrets and lies underpin the family relationships and these are exposed over the course of the book. There is quite a claustrophobic atmosphere to the book as all the action takes place on an island and this also reduces the number of potential suspects.
A case from the past also has an influence on the investigation. The island has been the scene of a series of murders many years ago. Elin believes that there is a link between the old case and the current one. Her relationship with her boyfriend Will is a bit strained due to her work-life balance. This is further complicated by his sister’s involvement in the retreat.
The book is written in the third person so that we can see the complex relationships between the family as well as Elin, her police colleagues and her personal relationships. I felt that the tension and mystery were sustained well with the ending really ramping up the drama and action. There were twists and cliffhangers dotted throughout the plot and I’d like to find the first book to see Elin’s character development.
The Retreat is an interesting police thriller with an action packed ending.
Book Description
Most are here to recharge and refresh. But someone’s here for revenge. . .
An eco-wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation—but the island itself, known locally as Reaper’s Rock, has a dark past. Once the playground of a serial killer, it’s rumored to be cursed.
Detective Elin Warner is called to the retreat when a young woman’s body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But the victim wasn’t a guest—she wasn’t meant to be on the island at all.
When a guest drowns in a diving incident the following day, Elin starts to suspect that there’s nothing accidental about these deaths. But why would someone target the guests, and who else is in danger?
Elin must find the killer—before the island’s history starts to repeat itself . . .
About the author…
Sarah Pearse lives by the sea in South Devon with her husband and two daughters. She studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Warwick and worked in Brand PR for a variety of household brands. After moving to Switzerland in her twenties, she spent every spare moment exploring the mountains and still has a home in the Swiss Alpine town of Crans Montana, the dramatic setting that inspired her novel.
Sarah has always been drawn to the dark and creepy – remote spaces and abandoned places – so when she read an article in a local Swiss magazine about the history of sanatoriums in the area, she knew she’d found the spark of the idea for her debut novel, The Sanatorium. Her short fiction has been published in a wide variety of magazines and has been shortlisted for several prizes.
