Kate Wogan and Helen Faulkner have joined forces again to improve social skills in children. Two new Uh Oh Milo books have been published using fun illustrations and gentle rhyming text to suit young children.
Earlier this year I was kindly sent the first in the series to review. In The Impolite Imps, children are encouraged to use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Now other social skills are brought to life in an engaging way: table manners and playing together considerately.
In the Gobbling Goblins, Gran needs to teach the guests how to behave at the table. Milo and Mary are stunned by the lack of table manners! Can the family have a meal in peace, using cutlery and being polite?
In The Beastly Bogels, the children want to have a nice game but it is ruined by rough behaviour from their visitors. Will the toys get broken or the children get hurt? Luckily Gran is on hand again to make sure playtime is fun for all.
The Uh Oh Milo books use simple language that even young children willl understand. Children will be able to see the ‘bad’ behaviour demonstrated by the imps, bogels, goblins, but may not always apply the rules so this is a fun and subtle way to reinforce behaviour ideals.
Henry Frazer wakes up one morning to find he is dead. He can’t believe it! The only person who can see him is Rita, a supermarket worker that he has met on several occasions. Henry asks her to help him discover what has happened to him.
This book was so clever and enjoyable. Henry gradually comes to realise that his happy life is not quite what he imagined. It is very thought provoking as it makes the reader consider what they are taking for granted in life and what changes you would make it you knew death was on its way.
The Day Henry Died is described as a supernatural romance but I feel that this label doesn’t adequately represent the nuances of the book. Friendship and love seem more apt than romance whilst there are light hearted moments as well as a black humour. It really is difficult to categorise this book!
Henry’s gradual realisation, first about his death and then about his life, is absolutely fascinating to read. He is perhaps not a very sympathetic character at the start and I pitied his poor wife especially as we glimpse their married life through flashbacks.
Rita’s character is also wonderful. She has a terrible vulnerability due to her childhood and the death of her father. Now she is living in a small bedsit with a lecherous landlord. The ending of the book is heartbreaking for both Henry and Rita, but I won’t give away what happens…
The Day Henry Died was completely different in terms of style and genre compared to Lynda Renham’s other book that I have reviewed previously: She Saw What He Did. However, both were excellent!
Blurb:
Suppose you wake up one morning to find yourself dead. You can see yourself clearly in the mirror, and feel the same as you did the day before. But today is the day of your funeral. What do you do?
This was Henry’s dilemma. Henry decides he can’t possibly be dead, so he sets out to prove he is alive. Then, he discovers that Rita, a product demonstrator at the supermarket, can see him.
Even with the help of Rita, proving you’re not dead was harder than Henry imagined, but when Henry discovered that he was murdered, the question was why and by whom?
Author bio
Lynda Renham is author to many popular romantic comedy and gripping psychological thriller novels. She lives in Oxford, UK. She has appeared on BBC radio discussion programs and is a prolific blogger, Twitter and when not writing can usually be found wasting her time on Facebook. Lynda lives in Oxfordshire with her second husband and two cats. Her web page: www.renham.co.uk and Twitter: @lyndarenham
Social media links: www.renham.co.uk Twitter: @lyndarenham
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Kindle price: £1.99 / $2.45
Clara Jefferies escaped from the polygamous Mormon community she grew up in. But now she is called in to help search for her missing sister. Her personal feelings threaten to get in the way of her professional behaviour: she is now a detective, but her estranged family see only a fallen girl who has rejected their way of life. Can Clara find Delilah…?
The Fallen Girls deals with strong themes of faith and family alongside the main plot of the abduction of young girls.I felt that there was a sensitivity and careful balance in the attitudes presented towards Mormons and their religion as portrayed in the book.
Clara is a likeable lead character and I hope we see her again in her home environment as we caught glimpses of her professional dedication in the opening chapter. However, I wonder if she willl return to her old community to rebuild relationships especially with her siblings. She also has a history with Max that could lead to a romantic thread for future books.
Much of The Fallen Girls is told through Clara’s first person narrative so we see and feel the events as she does. Other viewpoints are provided in the third person including Max and Delilah. Seeing Delilah’s experience increases the tension in the book as we urge Clara to keep investigating despite the lack of local police support.
This is the first of Kathryn Casey’s books that I have read and I certainly plan to change that! The Fallen Girls is an interesting police thriller and the family dynamic gives us a great introduction to a new lead detective.
The Fallen Girls book description:
She didn’t notice the corn stalks shiver a few feet to her right. By the time she looked up, the man towered above her. In a single movement he wrapped one thick hand around her waist, the other he clamped over her mouth, muffling her screams.
Detective Clara Jefferies has spent years running from her childhood in Alber, Utah. But when she hears that her baby sister Delilah has disappeared, she knows that the peaceful community will be shattered, her family vulnerable, and that that she must face up to her past and go home.
Clara returns to find that her mother, Ardeth, has isolated her family by moving to the edge of town, in the shadow of the mountains. Ardeth refuses to talk to the police and won’t let Clara through the front door, believing she and her sister-wives can protect their own. But Clara knows better than anyone that her mother isn’t always capable of protecting her children.
When Clara finds out that two more girls have disappeared, all last seen around the cornfields near her family’s home, she realizes it’s not just Delilah who’s in danger. And then she gets a call that a body has been found…
Clara will have to dig deep into the town’s secrets if she’s going to find Delilah. But that will mean confronting the reason she left. And as she gets closer to Delilah, she might be putting her more at risk…
Gripping and spine-chilling, readers will love Detective Clara Jefferies, reading The Fallen Girls deep into the night. Fans of Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan and Melinda Leigh won’t stop turning the pages of this unforgettable new series from bestselling and award-winning author Kathryn Casey.
Author Bio:
A novelist and award-winning journalist, Kathryn Casey is the author of eleven highly acclaimed true crime books and the creator of the Sarah Armstrong mystery series. Library Journal picked THE KILLING STORM as one of the best mysteries of 2010. Her latest true crime, IN PLAIN SIGHT, investigates the Kaufman County prosecutor murders, a case that made worldwide headlines. Casey has appeared on Oprah, 20/20, the Today Show, Good Morning America, the Biography Channel, Reelz, The Travel Network, Investigation Discovery, and many other venues. Ann Rule called Casey “one of the best in the true crime genre.”
@KathrynCasey
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TRIGGER WARNING: this book deals with violence and abuse of vulnerable people and animals, drugs trafficking and alcoholism
Kian and Shannon Winters live in the shadow of their mother’s alcoholism and the violence rife on their estate. Lucy Murphy lives with the trauma of her mother’s murder on the same estate twenty years earlier, which has inspired her to become a police officer.
No Escape is an excellent title for this book as Kian and Shannon search for a way out of their life experience. Shannon tries to help her mother while Kian turns to a gang. In the safeguarding training I receive annually, I have been shocked to learn about the prevalence of County Lines and I never would have believed that our area would be prey to it. But it is…
Lucy’s story was also upsetting due to her grandmother’s deteriorating mental health and the painful choice of putting her in a home. As well as this, she is still haunted by her mother’s murder which she witnessed but couldn’t describe the killer.
The abuse and violence contained in No Escape towards a vulnerable adult, children and animals is unpleasant and very difficult to read. This is not a book to enjoy as such but it is utterly compelling. The empathy the reader feels for the likeable characters powers through the abominable actions of Jax’s gang and the Winters’ alcoholic mother.
I felt angry with Michelle for putting her own needs first. I understand that alcoholism is a disease but she had no self awareness or consideration for her children. I felt desperately sad for the children that they didn’t want to go into care and am aware from professional anecdotes that our care system is hideously inadequate and often more traumatic than the original situation.
Overall, I really engaged with this book and was swept along with the plot and characters, appalled and anxious about the events. It certainly isn’t a light read, but is is a good one! I hope that there is a sequel so we can see more of Lucy’s character and hopefully she will find some answers about her mother’s death…
I have previously review The Forgotten by Casey Kelleher.
MEDIA PACK Info Sheet
Author: Casey Kelleher
Book: NO ESCAPE
Publication Day: June 2nd 2020
Book drescription:
The one place she never wanted to go back to. The one place she can’t escape.
When she was just five years old, Lucy Murphy witnessed her mother’s brutal murder in their home on London’s notorious Griffin Estate. The case was never solved. Now a newly qualified police officer, Lucy has been given her first job: she’s going back to the Griffin Estate.
She is there to protect the estate’s vulnerable residents, including Shannon and Kian Winters, two kids struggling to deal with their alcoholic mother. Fifteen-year-old Shannon is working every spare hour to keep a roof over their heads, but thirteen-year-old Kian has fallen under the sway of gang leader Jax Priestly. And now Jax has plans for Shannon too…
As Lucy gets to know Kian and Shannon she becomes determined not to let the two teenagers become Jax’s victims. But time is running out. Jax is out of control, and the gang’s violent reprisals are escalating. Can Lucy face down her own demons in time to prevent a tragedy? As a child, she already witnessed the murder of one innocent person. It will take all her courage and training to stop another.
A shocking, fast-paced read that will keep you gripped from beginning to end. Fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole won’t be able to put this down.
Author Bio:
Born in Cuckfield, West Sussex, Casey Kelleher grew up as an avid reader and a huge fan of author Martina Cole.
Whilst working as a beauty therapist and bringing up her three children together with her husband, Casey penned her debut novel Rotten to the Core. Its success meant that she could give up her day job and concentrate on writing full time.
For all news and updates:
Twitter: @caseykelleher
The body of a young woman is found hanging by her best friend. At first it appears to be suicide, but then murder is suspected. Could her job as a shot girl in a night club be a link? Or her boyfriend who treated her roughly? DCI Rachel Hart begins her investigation but is troubled by her own sister’s disappearance: can she keep her focus when another body is found…?
We know from the previous two books in the series (Little Girl Missing and What He Did) that Rachel has a lot of issues due to her past and the abuse her twin suffered. This subplot grows in prominence over the course of the book.
The final third of the book turns everything on its head, all that we had been expecting comes crashing down. My jaw literally dropped when the huge twist happened. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t find it particularly credible but it was totally engrossing and I couldn’t put it down!
The narrative is fast paced to keep the sense of urgency. I really enjoy J.G. Roberts’ style of writing which brings focus to the police and victim yet doesn’t dwell on the dark side of humanity despite the content: this light touch makes us identify with Rachel and her team.
The police procedure element of the plot feels realistic and there isn’t graphic or grisly detail to describe the bodies. Why She Died is a great title for the book as the motive to the events in the book are crucial to making sense of what happens.
I think there is enough of Rachel’s backstory in this book for it to work as a standalone novel but I would recommend reading the other two books in the series.
Why She Died is an entertaining police action and psychological thriller.
Why She Died book description:
It was a person after all, but she was suspended in mid-air. Abi’s heart began to thump against her ribcage as the full horror of what she was seeing became apparent. Her shrill scream pierced the silence, startling birds into taking flight. ‘Help me!’ she cried. ‘Somebody please help!’
When beautiful and bright Hannah is late for their morning run, her best friend Abi thinks nothing of it. Hannah isn’t always that reliable – she’s probably just overslept.
But as Abi runs through the woods, following the same route she always does, she is greeted by a horrifying sight: Hannah’s body, swaying in the breeze.
Detective Rachel Hart is called to the scene. Something seems wrong from the start. Hannah’s friends and family insist that she had everything to live for, and no one has a bad word to say about her. But when murder is confirmed, and Rachel starts digging, she soon realises that there were plenty of people with reasons to want Hannah dead.
Then a second woman is found strangled in the same woods, and everything Rachel thought is thrown into doubt. Is there a serial killer at work?
Rachel is determined to find answers before another life is lost – all the time unaware that the killer’s sights are focussed firmly on her.
Can Rachel unravel the deadly game before she walks into a trap?
A breathtakingly twisty thriller for fans of Rachel Abbott, Cara Hunter and Angela Marsons.
Author Bio:
Having signed with Bookouture in late 2018, my first book with them, Little Girl Missing, was published in June 2019 followed by the second in the Detective Rachel Hart series in October of the same year. The third book in the series, my seventh novel overall, is called Why She Died and is on pre-order prior to publication in May 2020.
I’m originally from Nottingham, where I have based a couple of my novels, but I am now resident in Berkshire and have used Reading and the surrounding area as the location for the DCI Rachel Hart series.
From the age of ten I had wanted to write fiction but left it until I was fifty-seven before self-publishing my first novel, Life’s a Beach and Then, proving it’s never too late to start something new.
When I’m not writing, I am a full-time presenter on QVC, the UK’s most successful shopping channel where I have worked for over twenty-six years. I also enjoy cooking, watching football, in particular my team Crystal Palace, gardening, and Pilates which is helping with my rehabilitation following recent ankle surgery. I’m an animal lover and a committed vegetarian for the past thirty-five years.
@JuliaRobertsTV
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