TRIGGER WARNING: drug use
Bryan Webb comes home from a bike ride to find the police on his doorstep. His wife’s car has been found crashed in the woods and she has vanished. Has she had another blackout or has someone taken her…?
The Wreckage of Us is a mix of crime, mystery and psychological thriller.
Bryan used to be a police officer and is devoted to his sick wife who has been traumatised by a stalker. Her medication leaves her weak and recently she went missing briefly, with no memory of what happened when she stumbled home. But this time she doesn’t come home and the police are searching the woods when they find a body.
The book is written from multiple perspectives. These show Bryan’s frustration with the officer in charge of the case and the lack of progress being made, Astrid in the lead up to the crash, and the experience of Celine which is fuelled by drugs. The connection between Celine and the Webbs is not revealed until the end, adding to the mystery and clues about the plot development.
Tension builds as Bryan Webb clashes horns with DI Ronson over the case, and Astrid and Celine’s stories unfold. I found it difficult to like any of the main characters as their own personal agendas gain prominence. Celine and Astrid did inspire some sympathy but I wanted them to have more spark and not be passive in their own lives, letting men dictate their choices.
I thought the pacing was well aligned with the nature of the plot and characters. There are clues to link the strands of the plot together and I was able to guess some of the connections but there were secrets revealed right up until the end.
The Wreckage of Us is a tense and intriguing crime and mystery novel.
Book blurb
It’s always the husband… Isn’t it?
Astrid Webb is missing. The police have found her car crashed near the woods, the driver’s door open, the seat spotted with blood. But there’s no sign of Astrid herself. Her husband Bryan is sure that she’s alive – after all, this isn’t the first time she’s vanished, only to reappear without explanation.
As the days pass, Bryan starts to look like a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, perhaps in her murder. But Bryan isn’t telling the police the whole truth. Not about Astrid’s stalker, their broken-in back door, or the threatening messages. Then a woman’s body is found in the woods. By staying silent, is Bryan protecting Astrid, or protecting himself?
From the bestselling author of The Regret and The Box , this heart-pounding thriller is perfect for readers of Harlan Coben, Mark Billingham and Alex North.
1958, newlyweds Jack and Flora Carrington have only just said their vows when they find a body in a ditch and are catapulted into a murder investigation. They need to keep each other safe as danger looms, but also adapt to married life…
Murder at Cleve College is the 9th book to feature amateur sleuths Flora and Jack and they finally make it down the aisle!
Jack is settling into his new job at Cleve College but finds that the murder victim has a connection to some of his colleagues and his own deceased predecessor. Flora and Jack should be thinking ahead to their future together but instead are digging into the past of a stranger. There is quite a lot of travel involved as Jack takes up his new role and this also separates our married pair so they are investigating different suspects. This adds to the danger as they are not together so are vulnerable.
As usual, the 1950s, quintessential English village is brought to life and underpins the plot and character development. Views about class and gender are old fashioned but appropriate to the era. It is refreshing to visit a technology free society and this series has a classic feel reminiscent of Agatha Christie where the sleuths rely on clues and understanding the suspects and their motives.
Murder at Cleve College is an enjoyable historical murder mystery.
Book Description:
Bookshop owner Flora Steele and writer Jack Carrington fell in love solving mysteries. Now they’re taking their first steps as husband and wife… straight into their most perplexing case yet.
Sussex, 1958: A radiant Flora is being twirled across the dancefloor by her dashing new husband, Jack. It’s the perfect wedding in Abbeymead, until a mysterious stranger is found dead just outside the village.
But when Flora finds an envelope tucked into the man’s silver cigarette case, the address is key to discovering the poor chap’s name – Russell Farr. He isn’t known to any of the villagers, so at first all signs point to a tragic accident. That is, until they discover Farr previously worked at the esteemed Cleve College, where Jack is now a writer-in-residence.
The college has made Jack feel uneasy ever since he learned his predecessor drowned in its lake, and now it appears a second suspicious death is connected to it. But who would want two mild-mannered academics dead?
Could it be Jocelyn, the ambitious young teacher with her sights set on the top? Joe, the sly porter living beyond his means? Or perhaps Maurice, the college dean who seems far more interested in power than educating students?
Just when it looks like no amount of studying will crack this case, a chance encounter brings Flora closer to the truth. But when Jack goes missing,it seems someone is determined to teach them both a lesson.
Can Flora and Jack outwit the killer before they graduate to becoming the next victims? Or will their first case as husband and wife be their last?
An absolutely page-turning cosy mystery, packed with unforgettable characters and sensational twists! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.
Author Bio:
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
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Mitza Maric faces prejudice due to her disability, her gender and her Serbian nationality. Luckily she has self belief and a supportive father so is able to follow her dream of attending Zurich University to study physics. One of her fellow students catches her eye: Albert Einstein…
The Other Einstein is an historical novel beginning in the 1890s as Mitza heads to university. It is a fictional account based on the lives and relationship of the Einsteins.
Mitza has been dealt a tough hand in life but has the determination and passion to succeed in life. She overcomes adversity but can she let love stand in her way as well? I found myself so angry at Albert for the way he increasingly marginalised her, and then angry with her for tolerating his behaviour. I always think it is a sign of good characterisation when you feel strongly about them!
This book is fiction and offers the perspective that Mitza was actually a better scientist than her husband and he took her work and passed it off as his own. I thought that the depiction of both Mitza and Albert was fascinating, based on evidence whilst also presenting the characters in a way that suits the intended narrative. Class, gender and race all combined to restrict Mitza’s opportunities and I felt that this was an accurate representation of opinions of the time.
The Other Einstein is an interesting perspective on two incredible scientists.
The Other Einstein book blurb:
In the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, The Other Einstein offers us a window into a brilliant, fascinating woman whose light was lost in Einstein’s enormous shadow. This is the story of Einstein’s wife, a brilliant physicist in her own right, whose contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight.
Mitza Maric has always been a little different from other girls. Most 20-year-olds are wives by now, not studying physics at an elite Zurich university with only male students trying to outdo her clever calculations. But Mitza is smart enough to know that, for her, math is an easier path than marriage. And then fellow student Albert Einstein takes an interest in her, and the world turns sideways. Theirs becomes a partnership of the mind and of the heart, but there might not be room for more than one genius in a marriage.
Two families whose lives have been intertwined over the decades. They have shared the happy and sad times together but nothing prepares them for a murder in their midst…
The House Across The Street is a psychological thriller and murder mystery set in the UK.
Anna and Lily are best friends as well as neighbours. During a party, Anna sees a strange light in the Taylors’ house opposite and goes to investigate. She finds Lily’s dad murdered and has to break the terrible news to her friend. But this is only the start of the secrets that begin to unravel…
The book is written from multiple third person perspectives as well as Lily’s in the first person. This allows little hints to be given to the reader which is great for raising the tension and anticipation for future plot developments. Anna and Lily have been through a lot together and their friendship has endured through past tragedies. I liked both women’s characters and felt attuned to their emotions.
The style of writing is easy to read and the chapters are quite short so the plot develops reasonably speedily. The mystery of the murder is well maintained and there are some clever red herrings. There are some massive secrets revealed and, although I guessed some of them, most were a complete surprise, even up until the final page!
The House Across The Street is an enjoyable psychological thriller with a murder mystery at its heart.
MEDIA PACK Info Sheet
Author: JILL CHILDS
Book: THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET
Publication Day: July 15th 2024
Audible:
Description:
Perfect families have the most to hide…
I feel so lucky to live in a gorgeous house with my precious daughter on Riverside Road, surrounded by green hills and well-tended gardens. I’m just across from the Taylors, who were a second family to me when I was growing up. But late at night, I spot someone in the house across the street. Someone who shouldn’t be there…
Lily Taylor and I are best friends and closer than sisters, but life in our idyllic neighbourhood comes to a shuddering halt when I find Lily’s father murdered in his own bed. As I break the news to Lily, I swear to her that I’ll do everything I can to help her family. Who could possibly have done this?
I tell the police, but while they’re trying to find the killer, I start getting threatening notes that leave me shaking with fear. Then someone throws a brick through my eleven-year-old daughter Cassie’s bedroom window, covering her in shards of broken glass. As I stand in her wrecked bedroom, I make a choice. I am desperate to help Lily get justice, but my daughter’s safety has to come first.
Even when I stop helping with the investigation, the messages keep coming. Someone knows what I saw, and I’m terrified they’ll come for my little girl next. But they’ve underestimated me.
No matter how far I have to go, I’ll always protect the people I love…
An astonishingly gripping psychological thriller with a truly shocking twist from USA Today bestseller Jill Childs! If you love Sally Hepworth, The Woman in the Window or Liane Moriarty, you’ll adore this up-all-night, addictive thriller.
Author Bio:
Jill has always loved writing – real and imaginary – and spent 30 years travelling the world as a journalist, living overseas and reporting wherever the news took her. She’s now made her home in London with her husband and twin girls who love stories as much as she does. Although she’s covered everything from earthquakes and floods, riots and wars, she’s found some of the most extraordinary stories right here at home – in the secrets and lies she imagines behind closed doors on ordinary streets, just like yours.
If you’ve enjoyed reading one of Jill’s books, please do leave a review.
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TRIGGER WARNING: rape, child death, alcoholism, adoption
A plane crashes onto a holiday site in Dorset. Nell is distraught with guilt at her brother’s life changing injuries but is also hiding a terrible secret…
One Girl, One Summer is a mix of family drama and police procedural set in the UK. There are some big issues dealt with in this book but they are handled sensitively. The writing style is engaging and I was immediately drawn into the lives of the Gale family.
Nell was supposed to take her brother to his tennis lesson but she was late due to her emotional turmoil following a sexual encounter. She is horrified that a video of the incident is circulating and devastated for her brother who suffers catastrophic injuries in the plane crash. Her family need to adjust to the change in circumstances but will Nell find the courage to speak out about the attack?
Meanwhile, the police are investigating the plane crash. The pilot escaped with severe burns and amnesia, and he doesn’t remember that he had a child in the plane with him who died. Who is the pilot and was he related to the child? The police gradually become aware of another series of crimes as young women are being attacked and filmed and DS Ali Samson is determined to resolve both cases urgently. I really liked Ali’s character which I felt balanced the emotion of the Gales.
The drama of the opening chapters sets the tension and mystery for the whole book. Poor Nell is going through something truly dreadful and is afraid of revealing the truth. However the unfortunate events do bring her closer to her adopted cousin Dylan and I liked the way that the family relationships are explored as the plot progresses. I thought that the portrayal of Nell’s alcoholic uncle was sympathetic whilst also showing the wider impact on the whole family.
Nell’s mum Cathy goes on the biggest emotional journey as she deals with her own past trauma which she has hidden for decades. This has dictated her relationships with others but now she is forced to confront it as she deals with her son’s physical injuries and her daughter’s emotional distress. She is fiercely protective of her children but her softer side is shown when she shows compassion to the injured pilot.
One Girl, One Summer is an emotional family drama with the added elements of the plane crash and police investigation which add tension and mystery.
Book blurb:
Some summers cast long shadows…
On a peaceful hilltop campsite in the heat of summer, a private plane crash-lands. Several are killed, and many more lives are shattered – including those of the Gale family who own the site. For single parent Cathy Gale, her everyday struggles are eclipsed by the tragedy, as her boy Albie is one of the victims. He hangs onto life, while 18-year-old sister Nell, who was meant to be looking after him, is overcome with guilt.
As DS Ali Samson leads the investigation, locals are scandalised to learn that the amnesiac pilot has plans to stay on in the community. As dark secrets come to light, teenager Nell goes into freefall. What is it she’s so desperate to conceal? And exactly who is the Unknown Pilot?
