A new series from Helen Phifer teams a forensic pathologist Beth Adams with lead detective Josh Walker. The duo are investigating a murder after a woman’s body is discovered under a coffin during an exhumation. The body has been deliberately hidden and then revealed due to the unnecessary exhumation, meaning the murderer is cleverly acting as puppet master.
The anticipation is ramped up by the author’s narrative device of letting us see a variety of perspectives so we are made suspicious of some named characters and some mystery ones. However, there are other secrets that have nothing to do with the murder investigation…
The main characters of Beth and Josh have a wonderful chemistry as he once saved her life. He is enduring an unhappy marriage and Beth is facing her own demons which are gradually revealed over the course of the book.
Featuring a forensic pathologist, there are obviously some graphic details of an autopsy but these are delivered in a clinical way so are not gratuitous or overwhelming. The methodical police procedure is also at the forefront of the plot.
I felt that the explanation of the killer’s motives did not fully explain his choice of earlier victims, and instead focussed on his final act of violence which was the culmination of the clues dropped earlier in the book.
The style of writing was fast paced and the chapters were mostly short, making it tempting to keep reading just one more even when you are desperate to go to sleep! The main characters are really easy to like and the ending gives lots of potential for sequels to develop their friendship.
Read my review of Helen Phifer’s Last Light
Title: The Girl in the Grave
Author: HELEN PHIFER
Publication Day: July 16th 2019
Buy Links:
Description:
At least they’d found her. Once the site was processed and the girl’s body removed, they’d be able to identify her so that her family could give her the burial she deserved. This innocent girl was far too young to be lying in a grave, crushed under the weight of someone else’s coffin…
When the body of a teenage girl is found hidden inside a stranger’s grave in a small-town cemetery in the Lake District, an urgent call is made to Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams. One look at the beautiful girl’s broken body is enough to bring Beth out of hiding for the first time since an attempt on her own life…
Beth doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence that the victim was found the same day a threatening gift was left on the doorstep of her secluded home. Her instincts are telling her that it’s a trap, that she should run for safety. But she knows she’s the only one with the expertise to help her trusted friend, Detective Josh Walker, crack the most shocking case of his career.
The tiny traces of material Beth finds beneath the victim’s fingernails is the break in the case the team need to chase down this twisted killer. But this critical lead comes at a dangerous price, exposing Beth’s whereabouts and dragging her back into the line of fire once again.
With Beth’s own life on the line, the investigation is already cracking under the pressure. Then another local girl goes missing… Can Beth stay alive long enough to catch the killer before he claims his next victim?
An absolutely gripping new crime thriller that will grab fans of Patricia Gibney, LJ Ross and Angela Marsons from the very first page and leave them gasping for breath by the last.
Author Bio:
Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children.
Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own.
Author Social Media Links:
From the opening chapter, I had a feeling that this would be quite an epic book. The heartbreaking tale of a Jewish family broken apart during the Nazi occupation of France. The eldest daughter of a Jewish violin maker in Nazi-annexed Alsace must start her family’s journey to the south of France. But will she ever be reunited with her parents and sisters?
As a lover of history, I have studied Nazi Germany at GCSE, A Level and as part of my degree; the latter also included Vichy France. I feel like I have a good ground on the factual side of the era so enjoyed reading a fictional account of life under the Nazis.
The journey of The Violin Maker’s Daughter is fraught with danger. Knowing which characters to trust is tricky for us as well as Sarah. I admit that I enjoyed the action in the book and therefore I found some of the train journey a little long winded as it didn’t seem to move the plot on much.
I have really mixed feelings about the main character Sarah. She is quite frustrating at times, especially in the opening parts of the book, as she puts herself and others in danger. I’m not sure how believable I found these occasions when she acted in a childish way. She is also incredibly brave, increasingly so towards the end of the book, and faces unimaginable fears as she hides from the Nazis and despairs of seeing her family again.
I enjoyed the style of writing and the way that author Sharon Maas makes reference to the camps as they understood them at the time of WW2, whilst obviously we as readers know the true horror of the extermination camps and Hitler’s Final Solution. Perhaps this is why I was annoyed with Sarah for her emotional reactions to situations: she simply didn’t understand the enormity of the danger during the first parts of the book.
I won’t give away the ending, but almost inevitably there is some heartache and some joy carefully balanced to leave the reader satisfied.
THE VIOLIN MAKER’S DAUGHTER by Sharon Maas
When the Nazis march onto the cobbled streets of Colmar on November 1st 1940, Josef, a Jewish violin maker, gathers his wife and daughters closely to him and tells them everything will be alright.
But one year later, three sharp knocks on the door at midnight turn his seventeen year old daughter Sarah’s world upside down. As the oldest child, Sarah must be the first to leave her family, to make her escape in a perilous journey across France via Paris to Poitiers. And she must hide who she is and take a new name for her own safety. For now, bilingual Sarah is no longer a French Jew but a German girl.
As she bids farewell to her beloved father and family, Sarah has hope, against all odds, that she will see them again when the war is over. But, travelling through the mountains she finds herself in terrible danger and meets Ralf, a German deserter, who risks his own life to save her.
Ralf and Sarah continue their journey together, keeping their identities secret at all cost. But when Ralf is captured, will Sarah pay the ultimate price for sharing who she really is?
A gripping and heart-breaking account of love, bravery and sacrifice during the terror of war. A story of standing up for what you believe in; even if it’s going to break your heart. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Ragged Edge of Night.
About the author:
Sharon Maas was born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1951 and educated in Guyana and England. After leaving school she worked as a staff journalist at the Guyana Graphic and the Sunday Chronicla in Georgetown.
Sharon has always had a great sense of adventure and curiosity about the world we live in, and Guyana could not hold her for long. In 1971 she set off on a year-long backpacking trip around South America. In 1973 she travelled overland to India through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and spent two years in an Ashram in South India.
Lucy is 49 and menopausal. She is also hysterically funny and deeply frustrated by her husband Leo. Her children have flown the nest and her husband announces he is being made redundant and want to downsize.
Lucy longs to stay in the house in which she raised her children but reluctantly agrees with Leo. They move into a much smaller cottage that needs lots of renovation work.
Enter gorgeous builder Will and exit Leo who heads off to America for a new job, leaving Lucy in charge of the building work with handsome Will for company…
This is a funny book and the writing is very natural. I loved the inclusion of Lucy’s drunken rambles and saucy daydreams. How fantastic to have an older woman as a lead characer and make her funny and sassy. I really hope I’m like her in 10 years time, but could do without her husband’s toothpaste (in my house it is the children who get toopthpaste everywhere!)
I felt so incredibly angry with Leo for almost tricking Lucy into leaving her beloved home and then abandoning her while he chased his own ambitions. I could also see his point of view but the way Debbie Viggiano writes Lucy’s characters set us as readers firmly on her side.
Lucy’s Last Straw has a real mix of laughter and love as well as grief and angst at the changes. It is very easy to get swept along with the plot and characters in this light-hearted read. I think Leo needs to read my blog post about the work of being a wife and mother so he appreciates Lucy a bit more (or maybe he does by the end but I’m not spoiling the conclusion of the book for you!)
Title: Lucy’s Last Straw
Publication Day: 15/07/19
Author: Debbie Viggiano
Buy Links:
Description:
It was the toothpaste smeared around the sink that broke my marriage. As I rubbed it away AGAIN, I was reminded of everything else I’ve put up with these twenty-five years. My husband’s obsession with his pension, his ability to charm me into every single one of his ideas, never being taken on a romantic date, let alone ravished on the patio (like the woman who lives next door)… small things, but the realisation was huge.
Just when Lucy Jones thinks her marriage is about to screech to a halt over toothpaste, her husband, Leo, announces he wants to move to tumbledown (clapped-out) Rose Cottage, and Lucy knows she’ll be the one managing the renovations.
Then along comes gorgeous builder Will, ten years younger and the only person actually listening to Lucy. His twinkly eyes and blowtorch smile are causing Lucy to break out in a hot sweat – but is it love, lust or simply dodgy hormones that are causing her heart to flutter?
Lucy loves her husband, but everyone knows that little things build up. And then they explode. Can Lucy keep it together, or will there be one last straw she might not be able to get over?
A laugh-out-loud romp with an ending that will make you gasp! Perfect for fans of Tracy Bloom, Sophie Kinsella and Dawn French.
Author Bio:
Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy… apart from when they want to raid the fridge, or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Follow Debbie’s (intermittent!) blog: www.debbieviggiano.blogspot.com Tweet @DebbieViggiano or look her up on Facebook!
Author Social Media Links:
A new case for DC Beth Young and her colleagues. A man is found alive but with devastating injuries. James Sinclair is a quiet man who stays in the background so why has he been attacked? Next, two bodies belonging to hgang members are pulled from the river with gruesome damage to their heads. Can there be a link?
We see the perspective of the Sculptor who has been given a contract to attack 3 people. The police uncover secret emails from James Sinclair to two other people but can they reach them before the Sculptor does…?
Meanwhile, the personal side of the police are brought out in Fear In the Lakes. Beth has discovered the identity of one of the men responsible for her facial injuries that have left a significant scar. A misognistic temporary cop joins the team while Thompson struggles following the death of his wife from Alzheimers.
Graham Smith’s third book in this series is just as good as the previous two. The cruelty that one human can inflict on another is graphically described but from a forensic point of view. This allows the reader to have revulsion for the end result whilst not reading the attack as it occurs so there is a slight detachment.
Some chapters are written from the perspective of the Sculptor so we can get a sense of anticipation as the next victim is hunted. Meanwhile, the personal side to the police officers makes them more human and the continuing narrative about Beth’s face injury unites this with other books in the series.
In summary: brilliant plot, great characters, can’t wait for the next in the series!
Title: Fear in the Lakes
Author: GRAHAM SMITH
Publication Day: July 12th 2019
Buy Links :
Description:
A case with no leads.
A victim with no enemies.
A killer with no conscience…
When Detective Beth Young is called to investigate a victim with multiple broken bones, nothing prepares her for what she finds. James Sinclair is fighting for his life, and Beth can’t shake the idea that the nature of his injuries suggest someone with a personal grudge against him.
But James’s devastated wife Laura insists that her kind, softly-spoken husband is a man with no enemies. She was the one with the fiery temper, but James was so calm, she’d never once managed to provoke even a cross word from him in their eight year marriage. And he was the same with everyone – she can’t name one person who might want to hurt him.
But she knows virtually no details about her husband’s childhood or his life before he moved to the Lake District as a young man, and Beth feels sure that the key to finding James’s attacker is hidden in the secrets of his past. Who was he really? And what is the significance of the coded messages that Beth finds hidden on his laptop?
Then two more bodies are found in one of the deep, picturesque lakes that the area is so famous for, exhibiting similar injuries to the ones James Sinclair suffered. How are they connected? And how many more people are at risk?
Beth knows she is in a race against time to hunt a vicious killer who is both elusive and incredibly dangerous. A killer who knows what James did in the past. Who likes to be one step ahead. But who – if they realise they’re being hunted – might come for Beth next…
Author Bio:
Graham Smith is the bestselling author of four explosive crime thrillers in the Jake Boulder series, Watching the Bodies, The Kindred Killers, Past Echoes and Die Cold. Watching the Bodies spent over two weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart and Amazon CA charts. Graham is also the author of the popular DI Harry Evans series and has collections of short stories and novellas. His latest novels with Bookouture are set in Cumbria and the Lake District, featuring DC Beth Young.
He is the proud father of a young son. As a time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer for the well-respected review site Crimesquad.com since 2010.
When not working, his time is spent reading, writing and playing games with his son. He enjoys socialising and spending time with friends and family.
Author Social Media Links:
A trip to his childhood town with his family is supposed to be a birthday treat for Jake but from the start things do not go well. His wife Faye is upset that her plan for a happy holiday has gone awry and agrees they can abandon it all and head back home once Jake and their son Dylan have been dolphin watching.
But Jake and Dylan don’t return from their trip and Faye is frantic…
Wow, what a book!
The fear of not knowing where your child is, the worry of whether your husband is hurt (even dead) or has left you, the frustration of feeling such despair and being unable to abate it. These emotions are so strong and so easy to imagine which makes a powerful connection with the reader.
There are enormous twists and turns in the book which I won’t reveal. The writing is tense and fast paced. The characters are easy to empathise with and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Faye’s husband and child is an excellent plotline that maintains your interest from start to finish.
Interpersed with the drama of a missing family, there are chapters in The Marriage Betrayal dedicated to the childhood of Jake and his sister Lainy which leave the reader guessing abut their connection with present day events.
Not content with the shocking ending for Faye, author Shalini Boland has one last jaw dropping moment in the epilogue…
I really loved this book!
The Marriage Betrayal: Another totally gripping and heart-stopping psychological thriller Shalini Boland
Buy here:
‘Daddy has been lying.’
Faye Townsend has planned the perfect summer trip for her family. But returning to the small seaside town her husband grew up in does not go to plan, the rain pours and the long days become stifling. And then the unthinkable happens…
Her husband Jake and her six-year-old son Dylan go for an early morning walk along the beautiful, windswept clifftops. They don’t come back.
As the hours tick by, Dylan’s red baseball cap is found on the beach and Faye finds herself being questioned by the police. They want to know everything about the man she married – is Faye ready to face her husband’s dark past? Or will she have to confront her own secrets first?
And just how far will a mother go to save her only child?
From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this utterly gripping psychological thriller will make you gasp out loud as you race towards the unforgettable twist. If you loved The Girl on the Train and The Wife Before You this book is for you.
About the author
Shalini Boland is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of psychological thrillers ‘THE GIRL FROM THE SEA’, ‘THE BEST FRIEND’, ‘THE MILLIONAIRE’S WIFE’ (optioned for TV by Legendary Studios), ‘THE SECRET MOTHER’, ‘THE CHILD NEXT DOOR’, ‘THE SILENT SISTER’ and ‘THE PERFECT FAMILY’
Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).
Be the first to hear about her new releases here: http://eepurl.com/b4vb45
She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as an atmospheric WWII novel with a time-travel twist.
