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Matt comes home from a night out with his mates and climbs into bed beside his fiancee Kate. Except the woman in the bed isn’t Kate. And she isn’t alive either! Kate has been kidnapped and Matt is instructed to commit murder in order to save her: will he go through with it…?

Kill A Stranger drops us straight into the action. DCI Cameron Pryce is interviewing 3 suspects about a murder. Each chapter shows the perspective of one of these suspects or the police officer. Matt and Kate are the couple at the heart of the mystery after she was kidnapped and Matt was blackmailed. But an elderly millionaire is the final suspect and events from the past have shaped the current crime.

The dilemma that Matt is confronted with is extreme but his reaction feels very natural. He is a very likeable character. Meanwhile our suspicions about Kate are gradually established as we learn more about her past.

I think the narrative style of having the police and suspects was a clever device for showing us multiple perspectives and timelines. This allows plenty of plot twists as we make assumptions and attempt to understand the events and actions of the main characters.

Kill A Stranger was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. The writing style was easy to read and engaging whilst the characters felt very human.

Kill A Stranger book blurb:

They took your fiancée.
They framed you for murder.

You’re given one chance to save her. To clear your name.
You must kill someone for them.

They give you the time and place.
The weapon. The target.

You have less than 24 hours.
You only know that no-one can be trusted…and nothing is what it seems.

Matt comes home to find his fiancée missing …and the body of a woman he’s never seen in their bed. To clear his name and save her, he will have to make an impossible choice.

Kate has been snatched in the night, by terrifying men who threaten to kill her. To save herself, she will have to do something unthinkable.

How far would you go for the one you love – and just how well do you really know them?

This twisting and gripping thriller is a masterclass in page-turning suspense – where nothing is what it seems and no-one can be trusted.

About the author:

Simon Kernick is a number one bestseller and one of the UK’s most popular thriller writers, with huge hits including RELENTLESS, THE LAST 10 SECONDS, SIEGE and THE BONE FIELD series. Kill A Stranger is his 21st book.

The third and final book in the chilling Mildred Wells series sees the revenant attempt to wreak her revenge on those she feels have wronged her. SPOILERS ahead if you have not read the previous two books!

Tim and Holly’s struggle against the evil Mildred has found national fame thanks to her murder of a cameraman. Meanwhile, Mildred has a new form of revenge: she murders Tim’s ex wife and abducts his daughters leading to psychological torment for him. However, her motives are mixed in this book as she wants another chance at motherhood as well as to see Tim suffer…

Mildred’s anger has been burning inside her like an acid for over a century (hence the apt title Anger Is An Acid). Her evil heart softens with the idea of mothering two girls but she is also exhausted by the constant anger which has driven her to unforgivable acts. Mildred no longer feels much satisfaction from the terror she creates but this does not stop her torturing Tim with fear.

We also have the new character of Andrew who was introduced in the last book. He is being haunted by his mother as well as the ghost of Mildred’s husband. Thomas Pike saved his son’s spirit in the first book but now wants to destroy Mildred for the pain she has caused.

Each book in the trilogy is very different. The Patience of A Dead Man had lots of spooky jump out of your skin moments while Dead Woman Scorned showed us Mildred’s perspective and violence. This third book contains more of a mix of the two. There are some heartstopping moments but also a deeper emotional side to Mildred, building on our understanding of her troubled life and death.

I thought Anger Is An Acid was a gripping conclusion to this remarkable trilogy. The ending kept the twists coming, and left me satisfied as it tied up the plot wonderfully.

Welcome to the final book tour for The Patience of a Deadman trilogy, by Michael Clark. Anger is Acid is the bone-chilling conclusion, and today I have an excerpt for you and a giveaway to enter!

Anger is Acid (The Patience of a Dead Man #3)

Publication Date: May 4, 2020

Genre: Horror/ Ghost Story

Mildred has control… Tim and Holly, realizing they are helpless, are grateful when a stranger knocks on their door – but can he help? Andrew Vaughn, a haunted man, is on-scene, hoping to lend a hand – against his will. Meanwhile, the “ghost story” is becoming national news and attracting attention that Tim can’t afford.

Holly can’t stay in the house any more and draws a line. Confidence is low, and pressure builds. Meanwhile, Mildred listens to almost everything they say. Is there any way around her anger? Or will they die in vain, as they desperately search for Tim’s daughters?

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Excerpt

With the doors locked, Tim and Holly exchanged concerns.

“Yes, I know it was her. I’m sure she has the girls too. You don’t have to tell me, Holly. I’m scared shitless. They could be…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“Well, we can’t think that way yet. She left Sheila’s body behind. She would have left theirs too. I think they’re alive.” Holly had other fears, but she didn’t finish her thoughts out loud.

“How the hell did she know where they live? Amesbury is seventy miles from here!” Holly felt a chill climb her back as he finished his sentence.

“She seems to come and go from this house as she pleases, Tim. She knows this place as well as if not better than we do. I’ve told you a hundred times–I hate staying here!Please, let’s go to my place. Even if she knows where I live, I’ll feel a little better. At least I don’t think she’s ever been there, but this place…she could be anywhere. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“I can’t leave, Holly. As backward as it may sound, I need to see her. I’m afraid I’ll never see her again! Imagine that? And don’t forget that Thomas Pike had no problem finding your place when he dropped off the Simmons scrapbook. Remember?” Holly nodded, unhappy that Tim had a point.

“Oh, you’ll see her again, Tim. You can bet on that. At least once anyway. It won’t be a sneak attack either. She wants you to know she’s coming and probably wants you to die long and slow. She wants revenge. That’s what revenants do, remember? We just never thought that she’d go for the girls. And that–changes everything.” Holly’s sigh was heavy with dread as she stared blankly at the wall, defeated. There was an unintentional moment of silence.

“How the hell does she get in here?” Tim finally wondered aloud, rousing them both from their separate thoughts. “Does she have a fucking key or something? Secret entrance? The roof?”

“The turret. It’s got to be the turret.” Holly suddenly seemed extra awake and even afraid. She subconsciously looked up at the ceiling where the turret would be. The stairway to it was only two rooms away. They both rose to investigate, flicking the dining room light on along the way. Tim listened outside the door for a moment, then fetched his baseball bat from the kitchen before opening it.

They climbed the stairs slowly. Holly was relieved to find the turret was empty, but it left Tim with a lack of answers and a growing level of frustration. Mildred had decided to let them worry and wonder about the girls for at least an evening–the very first evening of their captivity. Was it by design, meant to heighten the anguish? Or was she busy looking for a place to hole them up?

The girls were trapped with the dead woman and most likely terrified. Tim wished he could trade places with them–they were too young for such terror. Tim rested the bat against the wall and tried the windows. There were eight of them ringing the octagonal room, and much to Tim’s surprise, one of them was unlocked.

“What the hell! I locked these– I’m sure I locked them.”

“Yes, but you don’t check them every night, Tim. All she had to do is get in here once during the day to get up here and unlock it. And look, your papers are all sitting right there.” Holly motioned to Tim’s box in the corner. “That’s how she knew where Sheila lived. Now we know–and it creeps me out—I can’t tell you how much.” Tim saw where the conversation was headed and changed the subject.

“I need to boobytrap this place. Get her right here in this room, and then set a trap, like a bear trap or…”

“You don’t think she’ll see a bear trap in the middle of the floor? That’s just going to piss her off, Tim. And you’re liable to hurt yourself with the damn thing. Same with knives or fire or whatever else you’re thinking.” Holly’s stress did all the talking.

“I wasn’t thinking about knives or fire, come on, give me a little bit of credit.” Tim lied about the knives. “I was thinking something along the lines of a warning system. Something to make her fall down the stairs. A bag of marbles—I don’t fucking know…” Holly giggled, then the giggle turned into laughter. Tim saw that she genuinely thought it was funny and was not making fun of him, so he joined in for a moment–yet the gravity of their problem hung in the room like a cloud of poison dust.

“How about a simple tripwire with a little bell on it?” Holly offered. “One at the bottom of the turret stairs, one in front of the sliding glass door in the breakfast area and one at the bottom of the bedroom stairs? We set it up every night. In the morning, unhook it, so we’re not tripping over it ourselves.” Tim looked up at her.

“That’s an idea. Better than we have now. And like you said—‘we’re gonna see her again.’ We have to. Oh God, I hope and pray she’s greedy and wants to see me again. But–” Tim got quiet and put his balled fist under his nose. Holly saw he was getting emotional.

“Honey, we’re doing all we can, let’s just–”

“But if she’s already done—if this is her revenge—and she’s never coming back, then she’s really good at it.” Tim’s last three words were nearly inaudible as he choked up, worried sick about his daughters. Holly hugged him, trying to hold back tears of her own.

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The Patience of a Dead Man

He just spent everything on a house in disrepair, but he didn’t know someone was waiting inside.

Tim Russell just put his last dollar on a handyman’s dream; a quaint but dilapidated farmhouse in New Hampshire. Newly single after a messy divorce, his plan is to live in the house as he restores it for resale. To his horror, as soon as the papers are signed and his work starts, ghosts begin to appear. A bone-white little boy. A woman covered in flies. Tim can’t afford to leave and lose it all, so he turns to his real estate agent Holly Burns to help him decide whether he has any shot at solving his haunted problem. Can they solve the mystery before he loses his investment…or maybe his life?

Dead Woman Scorned (The Patience of a Dead Man #2)

She’s back, and they’ll regret what they’ve done.

Mildred Wells had a miserable life that carried over to a lonesome death. In the end, they betrayed her – played her the fool. She was the last to know, but there’s still time to catch up. She’ll formulate her painful plan as they live their lives in blissful ignorance.

With no more family, only vengeance drives her; in fact, it’s all she has. She would have rather rested in peace, but for Mildred, dying isn’t so easy.

About the Author

Michael Clark was raised in New Hampshire and lived in the house The Patience of a Dead Man is based. The bats really circled the rafters of the barn all day long, and there really was a grove hidden in the forest. He now lives in Massachusetts with his wife Josi and his dog Bubba.

The Patience of a Dead Man, Dead Woman Scorned & Anger is an Acid are his first three novels.

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Giveaway: The Patience of a Dead Man Trilogy (Print) US only or a print copy of book #1, Patience of a Dead
Man for International entries.

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November 30^th

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Loopy Lou Laura (Review) https://www.loopyloulaura.com/

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The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

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TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains domestic abuse

Freya and her husband Phil have a blazing row and he storms out of the house. Minutes later, he crashes his car and when he wakes from the coma he has lost all memory of the last two years and their whole turbulent marriage. Freya hopes he has changed but his behaviour becomes increasingly worrying. Meanwhile the couple discover that someone tampered with the brakes but which one of them was the intended victim…?

The Stranger In My Bed had me gripped the whole way through. We witness the argument between Phil and Freya and over the course of the book see other incidents that chart the disintegration of the whirlwind romance that brought them together in the first place.

The narrative is told in the third person but from various angles including Freya, Phil, her sister Daisy and a mystery person in the first person. This allows us to see their perspectives on events and the actions of the other characters.

Karen King has done a spectacular job of dealing with the intricacies of domestic abuse. The negotiations and compromises that need to take place for a successful relationship are missing from Phil and Freya’s marriage. Both stand up for themselves and this leads to conflict.

Freya is desperately hoping that Phil has changed as a result of the accident and they have a chance at a fresh start. Phil does not recognise the person that Freya alludes to and when she challenges him he fears that she may have been the abuser.

The Stranger In My Bed is a fantastic psychological thriller. There were plenty of twists in the plot that had me reading even more voraciously. I thought the conclusion was excellent and the final page did make me gasp a little…

I have previously reviewed Single All The Way by Karen King.

Karen King CURRENT Media Pack

Author:      Karen King

Book:                   The Stranger in my Bed

Publication Day:  Nov 23rd 2020

Buy LINK  

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08GKRRPWHSocial

Apple: http://ow.ly/u5Po50B8dyr

Kobo: http://ow.ly/RvQb50B8dwv

Google: http://ow.ly/1IPa50B8lnh

Description:

‘We have a patient who has been involved in a serious accident. We believe he’s your husband.’

When Freya first met Phil, she thought he was the man of her dreams. He bought her roses every week, booked surprise trips to sun-soaked destinations, and showed her affection like she’d never experienced before. But over time the dream has become a violent nightmare. And now Freya is packing her bags, knowing it’s time she escaped their increasingly broken marriage.

But then Freya gets a visit from the police. Phil’s been in a horrific car crash and – as he comes around – it becomes clear that he remembers nothing since their blissful honeymoon two years before, back when their relationship was perfect. All he wants is to be happily married again.

Freya knows giving him another chance could be dangerous. But now he’s the one who needs her, it’s a chance to turn the tables, and to change the outcome of their relationship once and for all. After all, he will only know what she chooses to tell him…

But what really happened during those two years of marriage? And as they start over again, who is safe? And whose life is in danger?

Fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors and Date Night, who are looking for a dark, gripping psychological suspense novel, will love The Stranger in My Bed.

Author Bio:

Karen King is a multi-published bestselling author of fiction for both adults and children. She has also written several short stories for women’s magazines.

Currently published by Bookouture and Headline. Karen has recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture to write psychological thrillers. The first one will be out in November, and the second one in 2021. She is also contracted to write three romance novels for Headline, which will be out in 2021 and 2022

Author Social Media Links

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/KarenKingAuthor

TWITTER:   https://twitter.com/karen_king

Fenella Churche travels to Paris to stay with an old family friend. She finds the city and Rose significantly changed by the world war that ended justs months earlier. Rose is an artist and her knowledge was used by the Nazis as they plundered Jewish premises for fine art. However, she secretly labelled the stolen artworks in the hope they can one day be reunited with their true owners. Rose is murdered and Fen is determined to get justice for her and the victims of the art thefts.

Night Train to Paris is a historical murder mystery set in the autumn of 1945. Life and culture from the era are well researched and cleverly used to drive the plot. Displaced Jews are returning to their homes, searching for family and posessions.

The lead up to the murder sets the scene well but is a little lengthy. We see Fen’s emotional connection to Rose and her pride that her friend is trying to help the Jewish community reclaim their art.

Author Fliss Chester uses the crossword motif again in this book but it doesn’t have quite the same impact as the first book as the connection with Fen’s beloved Arthur is not as prominent to the plot.

There is a little light relief from the murder in the form of Fen’s travel companion James being the focus of affection for her flat mate Simone. Fen has slightly muddled emotional response to this as she quite likes him herself but is still mourning for her late fiance Arthur.

Night Train to Paris is an enjoyable murder mystery with plenty of clues along the way (but I didn’t completely guess the solution 🙂 ) I have previously reviewed the first book in the series: A Dangerous Goodbye.

Book Description:

Meet Fen Churche, as she steps off the night train with the sun rising over Paris. Cat whisperer, crossword puzzler… accidental detective?

Autumn, 1945. Fen cannot wait to see her beloved godmother Rose, who has invited Fen to stay with her in the city of lights. As she arrives, Fen is dreaming of strolls by the Seine, taking tea at the Eiffel Tower and above all French feasts with Rose where they can trade stories of how they survived the terrifying war years.

But Fen has barely made friends with Rose’s bad-tempered poodle when she returns to the apartment to find her godmother murdered, a paintbrush stuck in her neck. Suddenly Fen is thrown into the middle of a truly puzzling mystery. Who on earth would want to murder Rose, a gentle artist and generous friend?

A blackmail letter convinces Fen that the police have got everything wrong and Fen knows she has to solve the case just like one of her crosswords, one clue at a time. As she meets her godmother’s friends, she makes a surprising discovery: Rose was part of the Resistance during the war…

When a second body turns up, another of Rose’s wartime contacts, Fen must act fast. But as the killer turns their sights on Fen, does she have what it takes to solve this mysterious murder and get justice for her darling godmother?

You won’t be able to put down this utterly addictive historical cozy mystery! The absolutely perfect treat if you love Agatha Christie, Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear.

Author Bio:

Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

https://twitter.com/SocialWhirlGirl

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Lizzie Armitage died many years ago but her sister Paula has never stopped thinking of her and her missing child. Now, encouraged by an old friend, Paula is determined to uncover the mystery behind her sister’s death and the disappearance of the lost baby. Meanwhile, in the present day, teenager Charlie is shocked to discover she is pregnant and is devastated by the father’s lack of interest in both her and the child.

Her Sister’s Child is quite an emotional read. I think it is obvious straightaway that there is a connection between Paula and Charlie but the full unravelling of the mystery lasts until the very end and there are many twists along the way.

This novel is both a family drama and psychological thriller. There are important topics covered including alcoholism, teenage pregnancy and infertility but also plenty of tension and action. The descriptions of the intensity and drudgery of the newborn days felt very accurate. They are so tough to endure yet now I can look back fondly!

Paula, Marian and Charlie are all likeable despite their sometimes dubious decisions. The emotional ups and downs of life cause huge upheavals in all their lives with dramatic consequences. Loss and grief for both loved ones and their hopes for the future made the characters very human and relatable.

Her Sister’s Child was a hugely enjoyable read, dealing with serious topics in a gripping way.

I have previously reviewed other Alison James books, including The Man She Married and The Friendship Pact.

ALISON JAMES Media Kit:

Title: Her Sister’s Child

Publication Day: 26/11/20

Author:  Alison James

Buy  Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08GP5YM7DSocial

Apple: http://ow.ly/8m1N50B9xkB

Kobo: http://ow.ly/DS3T50B9xhC

Google: http://ow.ly/nCc750BalSP

Description:

She rolls over and reaches for her instinctively: her baby. Her hand hits air and flaps redundantly. She stumbles out of bed and switches on the light. But this only confirms it. The baby is gone. Someone has taken her.

Sixteen years ago, Lizzie Armitage woke to find her newborn baby gone. Just days later, Lizzie was dead.

Her sister Paula swore she would do everything she could to find the child. If she hadn’t promised to keep Lizzie’s pregnancy secret, maybe the baby wouldn’t have disappeared. And maybe Lizzie would still be alive. But, in nearly a decade, Paula’s never found any trace. Until now…

When Paula bumps into an old friend from the past, she realises she wasn’t the only one who knew about her sister’s child. Someone knows what happened that day. Someone knows where Lizzie’s baby went.

But can Paula find out the truth before another family is ripped apart?

A twisty, unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you hooked until the last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Friend Request and The Girl on the Train will love Her Sister’s Child.

Author Bio:

Born in the Cotswolds, Alison spent most of her formative years abroad. She studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after her two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, Alison worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: n/a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alison.james.90226628

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AlisonJbooks