Lorraine and Victor are famous for saving people’s marriages. But when Victor dies in a car crash accompanied by an unknown young woman, Lorraine has to confront the idea that she didn’t know her husband at all…
The Marriage Retreat is a psychological thriller and mystery about secrets hidden within a marriage.
Lorraine and Victor are a power couple with a reputation to maintain. They have successfully saved other people’s marriages and were confident in their own. Lorraine is shocked as well as griefstricken when Victor dies in a car crash and she is thrown into confusion by his mysterious companion and secret documents she finds in his office. Was their marriage a lie and can she save her reputation and livelihood, and at what cost?
I enjoyed the premise of the book but I felt the beginning was a bit slow. The car crash happens straight away and launches into the mystery of the young woman and Victor’s potential lies. But then it goes back in time to show the start of the relationship between Lorraine and Victor which slowed the pace right down and didn’t really interest me.
Events and tension then spring up as Lorraine chases down clues about the truth that Victor has kept hidden. I thought the mystery and drama was entertaining and I was impatient for Lorraine to uncover and deal with the secrets. There were twists and reveals which made me anticipate what might happen next and I liked being kept guessing.
The Marriage Retreat is a tense psychological thriller about truth and lies.
The Marriage Retreat: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist
My husband saved other people’s marriages.
But his secrets will destroy ours…
I stand in the mortuary and take a deep breath before identifying the body of the man I’ve been married to for twenty-six years. Victor and I built Serenity Falls, a successful couples’ retreat, together. Honesty and trust were the bedrocks of our marriage, and we helped other couples repair their relationships too.
Now my whole world has been turned upside down and I don’t know what to think. A woman lies in a coma, in a stark, white hospital room. She was by Victor’s side when he died. The police have been unable to identify her and I’m forced to confront the painful reality that my own husband was hiding something. My grief is laced with anger. How could he lie to me?
But as I begin to uncover the secrets of my husband’s past, I discover the shocking truth about the woman with no name and no memory. And to protect my family, I have to make a choice.
A choice that will turn me into a liar, just like Victor.
And will end in murder…
About the author
Laura Elliot lives in Malahide, a picturesque, coastal village in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys writing psychological thrillers and, to date, she has written nine novels: The Thorn Girl, The Wife Before Me, Guilty, Sleep Sister, The Betrayal, Fragile Lies, Stolen Child ( also titled On Your Doorstep) The Prodigal Sister (also titled The Lost Sister) The Silent House and her most recent novel, After The Wedding.
In the UK she is published by Bookouture, Sphere and Avon – and by Grand Central Publishing in the US. Her novels have also been widely translated.
AKA June Considine, she has written twelve books for children and young adults. In her earlier career, she worked as a journalist and magazine editor.
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Kate Palmer finds that being a movie extra is not as exciting as she thought! Except that someone swapped the blank bullets for real ones and her sister Angie shoots an actor dead. Can Kate clear her sister’s name…?
A Body in a Cornish Village is the 7th book to feature nurse and amateur sleuth Kate Palmer and her former police officer husband Woody. There are no spoilers about earlier books in the series.
Angie is devastated when the prop gun really kills a man. She had history with the victim so she is the main suspect alongside her current love Fergal who could have been jealous. Kate offers her sleuthing skills willingly to protect and absolve her sister but clues keep pointing back in Angie’s direction.
As usual, Kate has a wide selection of suspects and motives to investigate. There are plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing until the end. I liked the mix of local characters who we have met before, alongside the new characters specific to this book.
There is little graphic forensic detail as the focus in on Kate’s suspicions and interactions. Tension and drama are created as Kate has a personal interest in the case due to her sister’s involvement but her investigation leads her towards danger.
A Body in a Cornish Village is an enjoyable final addition to this cosy murder mystery series.
Book Description:
Cornish cream teas in the sun, dog walks on the beach and… a murder investigation? Can Kate Palmer – part-time nurse and cake-loving sleuth – solve her most baffling case yet?
Kate Palmer is delighted when she learns that her home, the beautiful seaside village of Tinworthy, is the setting for a new TV show. She’s even more excited when she, her handsome husband Woody and her drama queen sister Angie are all invited to be extras. But when the cameras start rolling, the trio are in for a nasty surprise when the film’s writer and producer, Crispin Wyngarde, drops dead…
Before long, rumours start flying and Angie is in the spotlight for murder. Kate knows her sister had a brief, stormy fling with Crispin during her younger days as an actress, but surely Angie couldn’t have hated him that much, could she?
Kate is certain of her sister’s innocence, and is determined to prove it. But who would want to kill Crispin and set the stage for Angie to take the fall? Could it be Fergal, Angie’s jealous boyfriend? Sonja, the eccentric director, who had a love-hate relationship with Crispin? Or gorgeous Guy, the hairdresser who’s held a grudge against the problematic producer for years?
Armed with a list of possible culprits, Kate sets out to interview everyone she can. Over cups of tea, secrets start to spill out about overheard conversations and mysterious money transfers. But just as Kate thinks she’s finally on the right track, her main suspect is found dead after a party in the village. To make matters worse, he’s one of Angie’s old flames too…
Kate needs to solve the crime – and quick – to save her feisty sister. Can she untangle the clues and get to the truth, before it’s curtains down for Angie?
If you love murder mysteries with a brilliant cast of characters, twisty plots and plenty of tea and cake, A Body in a Cornish Village will have you hooked until the very last page! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.
Author Bio:
Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.
She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.
Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!
Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.
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Rachel Elliot is a successful businesswoman but she is starting to feel her body clock ticking. Will having a baby disrupt her perfect organised life or can she combine a career and motherhood?
The Godmother is a female oriented novel with aspects of family drama fiction. It was written 30 years ago but has been re-visited by the author.
Rachel is always the godmother, never a mother. But finally she feels ready to be a mum. However, she is in a casual relationship with Nathan who definitely doesn’t want to settle down and start a family so she decides to plan and proceed alone. As a mother myself I understand the yearning for a child alongside the terror it can invoke. I truly believe that there is never a ‘good’ time to have a child and that you make the situation work due to love.
I really like Rachel’s character and felt that the author had created her authentically. Part of me wants to applaud Rachel for making a brave choice and being confident in herself to go for what she wants in her personal and professional lives. That doesn’t mean that I condoned her choices, especially those that meant she had to deceive others.
The style of writing suited me and there was warmth and emotion without making us pity or condemn Rachel’s actions. I wanted her to have a happy ending because I genuinely liked her as the author carefully explores the elements of her character’s thought processes and emotions.
The Godmother is a richly written book that sweeps the reader into the life of the main character.
The Godmother
‘Stop trying to be brave all the time, Rachel. Fear is a necessary part of being alive. Sometimes we have to let it show. We have to own up to it or it drives us mad.’
Rachel Elliot is single and attractive, a director of a successful advertising agency, with a handsome lover, close friends, and a clutch of beloved godchildren. But as her fortieth birthday approaches, so does a whispering fear that she might have missed the point…
Almost imperceptibly over the years her friends and contemporaries have settled down and started families. Rather less subtly her parents have been urging Rachel to do the same. Managing a shocking incident at work is soon taking up all her energies and she adores her godchildren. So, is a child of her own what she really wants? Or is motherhood just what everyone else wants for her? If she picks the wrong path, there will be no turning back…
Join Amanda Brookfield as she revisits and refreshes her novel, The Godmother, and rediscover how she got her well-deserved reputation for writing about women’s lives with humour and honesty. Includes a brand-new foreword from the author.
Author Bio –
Amanda Brookfield is the bestselling author of many novels including Good Girls, Relative Love, and Before I Knew You, and a memoir, For the Love of a Dog starring her Golden Doodle Mabel. She lives in London and has recently finished a year as Visiting Creative Fellow at University College Oxford.
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Vanessa Dunn is a successful businesswoman and trying to give something back to the community. She volunteers at a hospice and a homeless shelter. She meets characters along the way that need her help but could she be making a mistake in trusting the wrong people?
The Mistake I Made is a psychological thriller and domestic drama with a huge twist! I’d advise not to read the blurb as it might give clues about the plot which I loved discovering for myself…
Vanessa is newly divorced, her mum has dementia and her sister is irritatingly free spirited. She is dealing with so much that I immediately wanted Vanessa to find some positives in her life! She meets a former acquaintance in the hospice she volunteers at and is entrusted with a mission to find a dying woman’s child. Meanwhile she tries to help ex cons to rehabilitate by offering them jobs in her interior design company.
Sinister events, such as recurring sightings of a motorcyclist and a break in at her shop, create an atmosphere of tension as Vanessa tries to help her dying friend. Someone doesn’t want her to succeed but could she be in danger? I mistrusted one of the characters but I think this was clever misdirection by the author. My hackles were raised by the selfishness of Vanessa’s sister Izzy who breezes in and out, creating havoc and criticising Vanessa for caring for their mum. The characters really come to life and I felt invested in Vanessa finding happiness as she is so generous with her time and money.
There is a major twist in the final quarter of the book. It really blew me away and made me rethink so many of the characters and events. The whole style of narration and dynamic of the book changes and I was absolutely gripped by the plot developments.
The Mistake I Made is a carefully and cleverly crafted book with a huge twist. I have previously reviewed A Good Mother by Sam Hepburn.
The Mistake I Made: A totally gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Sam Hepburn
A man is dead. And only I know why.
As we sit drinking wine by the river and I gaze into his dark brown eyes, I know I have finally met the man of my dreams. I have been hurt before, but this time will be different.
He has a terrible past and everyone tells me he can’t be trusted, but they don’t know what I know. I know deep down that together we can overcome anything.
Because sure he has secrets, but who doesn’t?
But now a man is dead. And the police are knocking on my door.
Was trusting him the biggest mistake I could make…? I don’t know where to go or who to turn to. What if I am next?
This addictive and gripping psychological thriller is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
Author bio
Sam Hepburn read modern languages at Cambridge University and, after a brief spell in advertising, joined the BBC as a General Trainee. She worked as a documentary maker for twenty years and was one of the commissioners for the launch of BBC Four. Since then, she has written several books, including psychological thrillers Gone Before and Her Perfect Life, and novels for young adults and children. She won the 2017 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story award and has been nominated for several other prestigious prizes, including the CILIP Carnegie Medal for her YA thrillers.
Sam has worked and travelled widely in Africa and the Middle East, and is a trustee of the Kenyan’s children’s charity, I Afrika. She now lives in London with her husband and children.
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Kitty and her new husband Matt are trying to recover emotionally and physically after their last involvement with a murder case. They go on a late honeymoon, staying with Matt’s aunt. But death is never far away from the pair and during a day out at the village fair, they discover a body and are called upon to investigate…
Murder at the Village Fair is the 13th book in the Kitty Underhay series set in the 1930s. There are mentions of events in previous books but no spoilers about the crimes or criminals.
Kitty and Matt are still getting used to married life and are grateful to have survived their last involvement in a murder case. But their private investigator skills are needed when a woman is poisoned at the village fair and the host calls upon the pair to prove his own innocence by catching the real killer.
There are plenty of suspects as potential motives are revealed. Little clues and connections between characters need to be investigated to determine the relevance to the case. I was kept guessing, suspecting everyone at some point or another! Kitty and Matt have a supportive lead detective and develop a mutually respectful professional relationship. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Matt’s aunt who is a fab character alongside their dog Bertie for some gentle comedy.
Murder at the Village Fair is an entertaining cosy historical murder mystery.
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Book: Murder at the Village Hall
Author: Helena Dixon
Pub Day: August 10th
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About the Book:
Kitty Underhay is riding a carousel… with death.
Summer 1935. Enjoying a belated honeymoon visiting her new husband Matt’s family in the rolling Yorkshire hills, Kitty strolls through a village fair. But when Kitty persuades Matt to visit the fortune teller’s tent, the lovebirds are shocked to find the body of Madame Zaza slumped over her crystal ball, pearl necklace askew and a half-drunk cup of tea at her elbow.
After predicting so many of the villagers’ misfortunes, how did she not foresee her own murder? From a pompous old colonel to a reticent reverend and a dodgy village doctor, Kitty soon feels like half the village had a motive for murder. But with more suspects than tarot cards, she and Matt are no closer to finding the culprit.
Madame Zaza had been a part of the community’s life for decades and discovering a photograph album of the villagers through the years gives Kitty and Matt the breakthrough they’ve been searching for. Kitty is soon hot on the killer’s trail when her sleuthing puts her in terrible danger. Will her lucky stars align, or is her life line about to run out?
An utterly sensational and addictive Golden Age murder mystery. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.
Author Bio
Helena Dixon splits her time between the Black Country and Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. Helena now writes historical 1930’s set cozy crime.
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