Christmas has been taken over by big business. Winterzone now runs every aspect of the festive season with robots, drones and holograms. Etta’s dad works for Winterzone but she wants a proper Christmas like the ones her late grandmother told her about…
Virtually Christmas is a children’s book aimed at ages 7-12. The audiobook is mainly narrated by the author David Baddiel himself, with the characters voiced by a cast to bring them to life.
Computers and AI are taking over the world! (But don’t panic, it’s only fiction… 🙂 ) However, Etta has been told magical tales of Christmases long ago and wants to find the magic which is far away from the uniform, sterile Christmas offered by Winterzone. She finds Santa but needs to convince him to step back into the fray and fight to resume his past glory.
I liked the modern touch of technology but there is an important message about the real meaning of Christmas and the danger of consumerism. Due to the satirical nature of the plot, I think this book is best suited to children at the older end of the age category. There were plenty of laughs as well as some emotional moments, and a big pinch of festive magic!
Virtually Christmas is an entertaining and thought-provoking children’s book.
A HILARIOUS novel and the year’s most perfect festive gift—from million-copy bestselling author David Baddiel.
It used to be the most WONDERFUL time of the year, but for years Christmas has been taken over by Winterzone.
All the things that made Christmas special are gone: the human connection, the baubles passed down through generations, even the rubbish cracker jokes.
Instead, Christmas is run by robots, while 3D holograms of Santa Claus called Santavatars check if you’ve been naughty or nice—and on Christmas Eve, all of the presents are delivered by ZoneDrones instead of Santa’s reindeer!
But when they stumble on a curious clue, eleven-year-old Etta and her friend Monty find themselves thrown into a fight to bring back Christmas. Racing against time and against the might of Winterzone, they must find the real Santa—before the true meaning of the festive season is lost forever…
The latest cold case for Katie Scott and her partner McGaven is the disappearance of a young woman and her dog. Abigail’s car was found but there were no clues and the case was abandoned. Now Katie and Gav take on the investigation but it puts their own lives in danger…
The First Girl is the 11th book in the Katie Scott series. The parts of the plot surrounding Chad’s disappearance continue directly from the previous book Her Dying Kiss.
A cold case of a missing woman and dog. A saved suicide. Chad’s disappearance. There is a lot going on for Katie in this book! She is ably assisted by her partner Gav and her K9 dog Cisco but they all face danger as a result of their investigations. Katie begins to feel unsafe at home and someone is determined to keep the past hidden by using a gun to silence the detectives.
On the personal side of the plot, Katie is still bereft after the disappearance of her fiance Chad. He is still missing but finally there is news although this brings more heartache. Meanwhile she and Gav prevent a suicide in the opening chapters and it is someone he knows, leading to a personal interest in her wellbeing as well as a different angle to their investigations.
The prologue describes an event in the past and then I was trying to figure out how it relates to developments in the present day. The plot threads interweave and I enjoyed watching how the cases progressed. There are plenty of action scenes and moments of drama as the plot unfolds. I always feel a little guilty that I worry more about Cisco than other characters!
The First GIrl is a tense, dramatic and action-packed detective thriller.
Book Description:
The cold night breeze slams the barn door shut with a sickening crash. The girl curled in the corner wakes with a start. Her gold butterfly necklace catches the pale moonlight as she clutches it tight, thinking of her family. Will she ever escape? Or is his the last face she’ll ever see?
Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her service dog Cisco have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women each wrapped carefully in a blanket and buried in makeshift coffins. Miles of abandoned farmland stretch out from the treeline behind her. Has Katie uncovered the horrifying graveyard of a monster who has been stealing Pine Valley’s daughters for years?
Katie quickly identifies one of the victims as Abigail Andrews, a beautiful young woman who disappeared fifteen years ago. Katie is heartbroken that she’ll have to tell Abigail’s mother her darling girl is gone.
When Katie is ambushed working late at the scene, fired upon by an unknown assailant, she knows she must be close to finding the killer. But the shooter vanishes into thin air. And when a new young woman is taken, dark haired and dark eyed like the others, Katie realizes her time is running out. Can she stay alive long enough to track down this twisted murderer before another young life is stolen too soon?
An absolutely jaw-dropping crime thriller for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. You’ll be up all night glued to the pages with this totally pulse-pounding read from USA Today and Amazon bestseller Jennifer Chase!
Author Bio:
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells.
In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
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TRIGGER WARNING: misogyny and violence against women including sexual assault and child sex trafficking, racism
Police pull over a car and discover a body in the boot with a bullet hole in his forehead. The occupants of the car are two wives from the polygamous community and a girl of 12. All of the females refuse to cooperate, leaving detective Eve Bennet with no option but to arrest them all. Finally the girl speaks to beg for help…
Pray For Her is the third book in the Eve Bennet series. I have previously read and reviewed the second book in the series, Lost Little Angels. There are some mentions about events and outcomes from the earlier books so I would advise reading them in order.
Eve has deep concerns about the polygamous comunity that she escaped from. The zealous behaviour of the men eager to please the prophet and the ensuing enslavement of the women makes for very difficult reading. Included in this book is a vulnerable young girl who is due to be married and raped by a much older man. I feel deeply uncomfortable about the depiction of polygamy in this series but I think this is a sign of how vivid the writing, plot and characters are. This book also shows racism but the writer also makes it clear how unacceptable this is.
Once again Eve’s personal life is entangled due to her knowledge and relationships within the community. Her stepfather returns and is given a position of authority and she also clashes horns with the new sheriff. Eve’s life is in danger and this results in a terrible for the team and someone is hurt in her stead. Regardless, the team are determined to find out the truth about the body in the car and not be scared away. The tense atmosphere is maintained until the end and there is also plenty of drama and action.
Pray For Her is vividly written with a gripping plot.
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Book: Pray For HerÂ
Author:Â Holly S. Roberts
Pub Day:Â December 12th 2023Â
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The little girl trembles as a pair of dark eyes watch her every move. She’s been told to dig a hole big enough for a body and her heart races as she wonders who it’s for. She wants to run, but she knows she’ll be caught. So she fights back tears and begins to dig…
When police stop a car in the small town of Hilldale, they shudder as they pop the trunk and look inside. Covered in thick plastic, the body of a man lies totally still. In the car sit two women and a twelve-year-old girl, all refusing to speak.
As Detective Eve Bennet is called in to investigate, she’s struck by the women’s calm demeanor. No stranger to the secretive local community, Eve knows the women won’t speak to her, but she’s sure she can get the young girl to tell her what happened.
When ten-year-old Beth finally opens up and begs for help, Eve’s blood runs cold. If the man in the trunk is an eminent member of the local church, as Beth says he is, they could all be in serious danger.
But Eve will stop at nothing to make sure Beth is safe, and when her search leads to a family home on a quiet little street, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with someone from her own dark past.
Will she face her demons and unravel the truth behind the man in the trunk? And can she save herself and Beth from the evil that haunts their lives?
Author Bio
Holly S Roberts is a retired homicide detective and the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Play and Ruck (Completion Sports series). She is excited to announce a new crime thriller series published by Bookouture Hachette, Book 1 ONLY GIRL ALIVE and Book 2 LOST LITTLE ANGELS are now available. Book 3 releases 12/23. For Holly’s spicier side, you’ll love her anti-hero bad boys who will curl your toes (Hotter Than Hell series) and a lighter (not so spicy) humorous paranormal series with shifters and Hellhounds (Marinah and King). She also writes cozy mysteries under the pen name Suzie Ivy. She lives with her two spoiled dogs high in the mountains. Holly is a self-defense instructor and owned a martial arts gym where she taught women to kick butt. Visit wickedstorytelling.com for more info.
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Nikolas is a young boy in Finland. His mother is dead and his father leaves him with his horrendous aunt. He goes on an adventure to find his father alongside his faithful mouse friend Mika, meeting a reindeer called Blitzen along the way…
A Boy Called Christmas is a wonderful Christmas story for children (and grown ups!)
Imagine you are an elf. The word ‘impossible’ is a swearword. Belief, faith and perseverance are crucial. Yet poor Nikolas, a human boy, needs to face the impossible when he goes on a journey through the snow and ice, meeting elves along the way. Magic, talking animals and mythical creatures combine to make a spellbinding story underpinned by the festive season.
Nikolas’ physical and emotional journey lead to the creation of Father Christmas as he challenges the impossible. The tone of the book is brilliantly light despite some elements of danger, fear and grief. Emotion is woven through the plot and character development. But never fear: there is some festive toilet humour too!
Having spent years watching Stephen Fry on TV, I loved hearing him narrate this book. However I did have to increase the speed of the book to 2.5x to match it with the speed with which Stephen usually speaks. The chatty style of writing is wonderfully and warmly read. Now I want to find the movie!
A Boy Called Christmas is uplifting, warm and delightfully festive with an important message about the importance of family and the true meaning of Christmas.
Book blurb
The first magical book in Matt Haig’s festive series – now a major new film!
You are about to listen to the true story of Father Christmas.
If you believe that some things are impossible, you should stop considering listening right away. Because this audiobook is full of impossible things. Are you still there? Good.
Then let us begin….
A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow and an 11-year-old boy called Nikolas who isn’t afraid to believe in magic.
From the winner of the Smarties Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book award.
A group of sorority sisters go diving together. But one woman never returns, dying before she reaches the surface. Detective Casey White’s investigation is hampered by no crime scene, no witnesses and no evidence pointing to a killer…
Our Sister’s Grave is the 10th book in the Casey White detective thriller series set in America.
Karol Witney dies underwater and so there is no crime scene for the detectives to investigate. The post mortem reveals a history of abuse and her husband is a cop. A murder investigation is launched but the detectives have little to go on. It soon becomes clear that someone wants to stop Casey and her team from fiding the truth.
There is huge danger and drama for the main characters and three of the team almost die in the first third of the book in car and diving incidents. The book is written from Casey’s first person perspective so we have knowledge of her emotions and deductive processes as the case proceeds.
On the personal side of Casey’s life, she is adjusting to life as a foster family. This subplot follows on directly from the last book. There are warm emotions that soften the tone of the book overall, although Casey and Jericho experience the worries that all parents face. Casey is also reminded of all she has lost out on with her biological daughter who was kidnapped.
Our Sister’s Grave is a dramatic and action packed detective thriller.
Our Sister’s Grave: A totally unputdownable mystery thriller (Detective Casey White Book 10)
Panic surges through her lungs as she feels the weight of the ocean above her. She frantically kicks her legs to try and reach the boat. But someone’s grip is tightening around her ankles, and they won’t let go until she’s taken her final breath…
As the sun rises over North Carolina’s Outer Banks, eight sorority sisters gather on the docks, excited to start their reunion weekend with a diving excursion. But when only seven of them return to the boat alive, Detective Casey White is the first person to investigate.
Confused as to why she’s been called to what appears to be a tragic accident, her heart stops when she notices fresh hand-shaped bruises on the victim’s ankles. Karol Witney was murdered. But with a crime scene and any evidence thirty feet underwater, Casey knows this will be her most challenging case yet.
Determined to find the killer, Casey and her fiancé Jericho dive to the shipwreck where Karol was last seen exploring. But just as Casey discovers a piece of shocking evidence on the ocean floor, Jericho is attacked. The killer is still out there, and they’re watching Casey’s every move.
As Jericho fights for his life, and another body washes up on the beach, Casey knows she has to dive again. Because she’ll do anything to catch the killer, even if it means using herself as bait…
An absolutely addictive crime thriller that you won’t be able to stop reading! Fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot will be totally hooked.
About the author:
B.R. Spangler is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Mysteries and Crime Thrillers.
A resident of Virginia with a wonderful family, including five cats, two birds and a lizard.
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