1953, Clara and Ivor are busy planning their wedding. The pair are devoted to the children in the orphanage and Ivor treks to Norfolk to support a former resident. Tragedy strikes as Ivor becomes unaccounted for during a terrible flood and Clara is distraught but tries to stay strong for the children in her care.
An Orphan’s Wish is the fifth book in the Shilling Grange series. I have previously read and reviewed the fourth book in the series, The Children Left Behind.
Clara and Ivor have not had an easy route to happiness. She has endured multiple bereavements while he has been terribly injured physically in the war and emotionally by his ex. Now they have finally admitted their feelings for each other and are excitedly planning the future, starting with the wedding. Plans come to an abrupt halt when Clara hears that one of her former charges is being mistreated and Ivor heads off to find out the truth about the allegations.
I liked the inclusion of real life events to underpin the plot. The flood in Hunstanton in 1953 really happened and 31 people lost their lives. The plot is very slow with the minutiae of life in the home. Poor Clara does a lot of worrying and soul searching as she waits for news of Ivor and worries about her charges. There are lots of characters and I did find it a little tricky to keep it clear in my head who they all were and their relationships to each other.
An Orphan’s Wish is an emotionally charged historical novel.
An Orphan’s Wish: A gripping and emotional historical novel (Shilling Grange Children’s Home Book 5)
England, 1953. An emotional and heartbreaking story about children tragically orphaned by the war, and the woman who is determined to save them, whatever it takes.
When Clara Newton became House Mother of Shilling Grange Orphanage, it was only supposed to be temporary, a job to help piece her life back together again after the war had torn it apart. But five years on, Shilling Grange is more than just a job, it’s her calling. The orphans have given her a reason to live again, as has her handsome war hero neighbour Ivor, who is now her dashing fiancé.
As Clara starts to plan her perfect wedding, she is shocked to discover that the village expects her to leave Shilling Grange once she is married. They can’t imagine how she could possibly be a good housewife while working full time at the orphanage. But Clara is horrified at the idea of deserting her orphans who have no one else in the world.
Clara starts to consider who could possibly replace her if she left. Who would take care of precious Peg who has never spoken a word or known love from anyone but Clara? And who would protect timid Jonathan from his life-changing secret that only Clara knows?
But when a storm causes a catastrophic flood that risks the life of Ivor and the children, Clara is suddenly on the brink of losing everything once more. In this final heart-wrenching book in the series, will Clara and Ivor finally make it down the aisle? And will Clara find the strength to save the orphanage and stop it from falling into the wrong hands?
An utterly tear-jerking and unforgettable historical novel, set in the aftermath of World War Two. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Diney Costeloe and The Orphan Sisters.
Author bio
Lizzie Page is the pseudonym of Sam Lierens, a mum of three, who (for some reason) got a puppy this year. Sam has lived and worked in Paris, Tokyo and London and loves combining her love of history with fiction.
Author social media
Facebook URL
Instagram URL
Twitter URL
Newsletter sign up
The body of a pregnant teen is found but the victim disappeared two years ago. Where had she been for all that time? Chief Riley is given a photo of another girl being held against her will but can she find her before it is too late…?
The Shadow Girl is the third book in the Maggie Riley series set in America. I have read and reviewed the first book in the series, The Girl Who Lied.
Chief Maggie Riley has a new lieutenant and a new case. A girl’s body and another missing teen but the latter’s mother is convinced that her daughter is safe and well and the photo has been faked. Maggie can’t help but investigate as the fear in the girl’s eyes is so real.
The book is written from multiple perspectives but mainly Maggie’s. Some of the perspectives are not given names so we are kept guessing about their identity which builds the tension. I liked the introduction of Kal as the new lieutenant and felt that the issue of racism was handled sensitively.
Maggie is still haunted by her little brother’s disappearance and the subsequent loss of her detective career five years ago. In this book her mum turns up claiming to have found the man who took the boy but Maggie has doubts. She struggles to negotiate the personal and professional balance. Meanwhile, Maggie’s fiance Steve is still hiding secrets and this book reveals the fear he has of Maggie finding out. I’m looking forward to reading what happens next!
The Shadow Girl is an intriguing and tense crime thriller.
MEDIA PACK
Book: The Shadow Girl
Author: Shannon Hollinger
Pub Day: September 1st 2023
Buy Link(s):
About the Book:
Ever since I tried to escape, he’s been keeping me in the dark. My bones ache with the cold. The longer I sit, trapped alone with just my thoughts, the more I worry… What if this is it? What if I never get to leave?
The sun is rising on another cold winter’s day in Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley finds an unmarked envelope on the steps of the police station. Inside is a photo of a teenage girl, bound and bruised. Maggie’s heart constricts at the terror in her tear-filled eyes. Who is she? What has happened to her? Who would have left this photo, but done nothing else to help?
Maggie moved to Coyote Cove for a quieter life after her beloved young brother went missing five years ago. And this case feels as personal as anything she’s worked on since then. With no one reporting the girl missing, seemingly unloved and forgotten, Maggie vows to rescue her, and bring whoever hurt her to justice.
As Maggie mines the photograph for clues to hunt down the girl and her captor, her search takes her deep into the seedy, dangerous underbelly of the secretive logging camps. Hidden away in the woods, a law unto themselves, Maggie is in uncharted—and deadly—territory.
Then she finds the body of a girl who was said to have run away years ago, one with ties of her own to the loggers. And Maggie knows she’s on the right track. But as her search for the truth intensifies, Maggie’s own safety is threatened. Can she save an innocent girl’s life and get out alive herself, or could this be the one investigation she won’t survive…?
A dark and totally gripping crime thriller, perfect for fans of D.K. Hood, Melinda Leigh and Lisa Regan.
Author Bio
With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.
Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.
Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.
Social Media
A virus is threatening the planet and teens are killing themselves and others. DS Jason Smith is convinced that his nemesis is behind the sinister acts but can he persuade his superiors…?
The Flytrap is the 24th book in the Smith series. There are mentions of past cases but there is enough information to catch us up without spoilers.
The start of the book is explosive to say the least! Two teens set off grenades in their family homes and the community is reeling in shock. Smith feels there is a link to an old case and that the elusive Natasha Zeb is behind the deaths, using a computer network known as the flytrap to influence vulnerable teens.
This series of books is one of my favourites and this book was no exception. The writing style is easy to read and dialogue led. Smith has great relationships and banter with family, colleagues and even suspects. He says what he thinks even when it gets him into trouble but he is clever enough to respect people’s skills even when he has a personality clash with them.
The whole concept of the book is horrifying and the deaths are quite shocking. I liked the way that the author manages to get emotion into the police characters whilst maintaining their professional determination. The ending has big twists (I had guessed one), big drama and big action! Wow!
The Flytrap is a brilliant book in a fantastic series.
The Flytrap (A DS Jason Smith Thriller Book 24)
From bestselling author: Stewart Giles comes another brilliant addition to the Detective Jason Smith series.
The Venus flytrap. – If you get too close – you’re dead.
A new craze is taking the city of York by a storm.
An online site is daring the teenagers of the historical town to do things they never would have dreamed of before.
There’s talk of a mystery virus that could wipe out mankind, and the young minds are taking it all in. They don’t want to die without having lived first and Flytrap.net promises to give them life before their inevitable death.
Detective Smith realises he’s dealing with something totally new when the first bodies turn up. A teenage boy has detonated a hand grenade inside his living room, killing his entire family.
It soon becomes clear that Smith and the team aren’t equipped to deal with what the city is calling a cyber-attack on teenagers, and the case is taken off his hands.
But as more young people fall to Flytrap.net, Smith finally gets a break. But it’s a break that will make him question whether humanity still exists.
The Flytrap is a different kind of killer, and it’s one that makes Smith wonder whether there is still a place for him in the world.
What readers are saying about THE FLYTRAP
I thought this an unusual investigation for Smith, deeply disturbing and shockingly packed with intense drama. However it’s so completely gripping that it’s definitely a 5 star from me. – Carol
A truly stunning, memorable read (for all the right reasons!). Wow! This book blew me away (every pun intended!) – Misfits Farm
The characters are very well described, and you are pulled into the story, becoming totally engrossed in it. I ended up down a few garden paths following the rumours and the misdirection was certainly unexpected. A great read. – Maureen
Everything I want from a crime thriller and more this is an absolutely stunning read that kept the adrenaline pumping all the way to the very end. – Reading Addict
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey, the Detective Liam O’Reilly series. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
Twitter: @stewartgiles
Ashley is a grieving widow but finally thinks she has found love again at last. But she disappears and the boyfriend was a stolen identity linked to Ray Flowers, a former police officer. Ray is invited to help in the police investigation but will Ashley be found alive or dead…?
The Lost Daughter is the 5th book in Jane Adams’ Ray Flowers series but the first that I have read. It works as a stand alone book but doesn’t have the feel of a stand alone book as a past case is hugely relevant to the plot but I don’t know if it featured in an earlier book.
Ray Flowers is ensnared into a case when his friend is accused on abducting a widow. He discovers that the lead officer and the foreman of the jury are both dead. Could he be in danger too? There is plenty of drama and tension as Paul Krantz acts out his vendetta on Ray and others. However, as I mentioned above, there seems to be a lot of the past that needs to be explained so I wonder if another timeline could have been used to bring us up to date rather than the memories and explanations.
I really liked Ray’s character and wanted him to succeed in besting Krantz. The criminals are clever and devious so the police need to work hard to catch up. I liked the collaboration between Ray and the police, and thoguht the mutual respect was more believeable than some books that focus on antagonism with former offivers.
Parts of the book refer to a sister and two brothers and the sinister, grisly acts they perpetrate. There is plenty of mystery surrounding the identities in the sibling narrative strand and how it connects to the events in the present day.
The Lost Daughter is an interesting mix of mystery, psychological drama, police procedural and crime thriller.
THE LOST DAUGHTER (Ray Flowers #5) by Jane Adams
First she was married. Then she was widowed. Now she’s vanished without a trace.
From the bestselling author of The Greenway, nominated for the CWA’s John Creasey Award.
PRAISE FOR JANE ADAMS:
‘Takes the psychological suspense novel into new realms of mystery.’ Val McDermid
‘The elaborate duel between hunter and hunted makes absorbing reading.’ The Times
Three years ago, Ashley Summers watched the love of her life drop dead in a supermarket car park. Now, her friends all say she needs to move on. Live her life. But she has no idea how . . .
Until she meets Tim Bennett. He’s kind, caring, like no one she’s dated before.
Ashley calls her family, eager for them to meet the new man in her life. She makes a date with them — a date she never manages to keep. Just like that, Ashley’s gone.
Distraught, the family turn to ex-detective Ray Flowers for answers. He doesn’t usually take missing persons cases. But this one’s personal.
Tim Bennett. The name makes Ray’s blood run cold. Tim is Ray’s friend and a happily married father of three.
Ashley’s new boyfriend isn’t who he says he is — and Ray will stop at nothing to hunt him down. But, little does he know, his adversary has eyes on him.
A chilling threat to Ray, and everyone he holds dear, is enough to stop him in his tracks.
This imposter’s taken Ashley. What on earth does he want with Ray?
An utterly addictive mystery thriller for readers who love Ann Cleeves, Joy Ellis, Gretta Mulrooney, Cara Hunter, Tana French, Louise Penny, and Elly Griffiths.
Readers love the spine-tingling Ray Flowers Mysteries:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I absolutely loved this book . . . would have gladly given it ten stars had I been able to.’ Linda
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Complex and fascinating.’ Netty
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Gripping to the end.’ Lyn
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A book I didn’t want to put down!’ Joyce
ALSO BY JANE ADAMS
RINA MARTIN MYSTERY SERIES
1: MURDER ON SEA
2: MURDER ON THE CLIFF
3: MURDER ON THE BOAT
4: MURDER ON THE BEACH
5: MURDER AT THE COUNTRY HOUSE
6: MURDER AT THE PUB
7: MURDER ON THE FARM
8: MURDER AT THE WILLOWS
MERROW & CLARKE
1: SAFE
2: KIDNAP
DETECTIVE MIKE CROFT SERIES
1: THE GREENWAY
2: THE SECRETS
3: THEIR FINAL MOMENTS
4: THE LIAR
DETECTIVE RAY FLOWERS SERIES
1: THE APOTHECARY’S DAUGHTER
2: THE UNWILLING SON
3: THE DROWNING MEN
4: THE SISTER’S TWIN
5: THE LOST DAUGHTER
JANE ADAMS
Jane Adams is the author of more than thirty published crime novels. The first, The Greenway, was nominated for both the Authors’ Club award and the CWA John Creasey for best debut novel.
Jane is constantly amazed at where life has taken her. Writing had never been on her ‘possible careers’ list, but she says once stories take root in your brain, they just have to be told – and she feels very fortunate that people want to read them.
In addition to writing, Jane teaches creative writing, read and mentor for The Literary Consultancy, and is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and FRSA.
FOLLOW JANE ON
TRIGGER WARNING/SPOILER ALERT: rape
Emily and Max head off on a romantic retreat, trying to put the spark back into their relationship. Things have been tough for the couple with accusations of infidelity amid family bereavements. But it soon becomes clear that someone has followed them to the boat house and they could be in danger…
The Boat House is a psychological thriller set in the UK. The book is set in the present day as well as a past timeline which shows the lead up to the trip and the issues within the relationship.
Emily and Max are clinging on to their relationship despite a troubled few months. Emily has suffered two bereavements and has been worried about Max’s friendship with Leah. She has her own guilt about a friendship with, and attraction to, a hospice volunteer who she met while visiting her dying father.
Most of the book is written in the present day as Emily and Max try to make the most of their time away to reconnect. However, a series of sinister events make the couple uneasy and they begin to fear for their safety. In the back of my mind, I had Emily’s frantic emergency services phone call from the prologue so I didn’t know who to trust.
There is a rape about halfway through the book and I did guess from the author’s clues that this was one of Emily’s secrets so I don’t feel bad about issuing a trigger warning or risking a spoiler. There is no graphic detail but the aftermath is intense, unpleasant and emotional as Emily adjusts to her new reality.
The Boat House is a tense and dramatic thriller.
The Boat House
A dark secret. A deadly obsession. No place to hide.
Max Hunter, my boyfriend, booked the beautiful boat house on the Norfolk Broads as a surprise autumn break
A week away to heal after a fraught few months following my father’s death. A chance to put the lies and secrets behind us and to start afresh. But in the silence it feels like someone is out there. Watching, waiting and taunting me.
When strange things begin to happen, I know this isn’t going to be the relaxing break it’s supposed to be.
As I become more jumpy, Max’s patience begin to wear thin. He thinks I am imagining things. But he doesn’t know the huge secret I am keeping, so big it could destroy us.
I have every right to be fearful and I have to make sure he never finds out the truth. But what if I am already too late?
Author Bio –
Keri Beevis is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and romantic suspense mysteries, including the very successful Dying to Tell, published by Bloodhound. She sets many of her books in the county of Norfolk, where she was born and still lives and which provides much of her inspiration.
Social Media Links –
