Six friends on a stag weekend, heading for a remote island. But they never get there as the boat loses power and they start drifting with no means of communication with the outside world. A body is found and the friends realise that someone on board is a killer…
Adrift is a psychological thriller set on a boat. It is very claustrophobic and there are a limited number of suspects. The book alternates between the present day and events 10 years ago which gives clues to the motives behind the current situation.
Tension exists right from the start as the friends have had little contact since uni. When the friends wake on the first morning, they cannot find the boat operators…until they find their bodies. There is danger from a killer on board but also sharks circling in the surrounding water!
The first person narrator of the book is Pete and we are swept along with him as he tries to work out who is attacking others and why. I think I suspected everyone at some point or other! The events in the past show the strain that the various friendships have negotiated and give clues about potential motives.
The chapters are quite short which increases the pace of the plot developments in the past and present. I really liked having a male first person perspective as most books I read have a female narrator or dual viewpoints. The tension and mystery is maintained well until the reveal in the final pages.
Adrift is a tense and claustrophobic novel.
Adrift
A stag do, six old friends … and a secret they’d all kill to protect.
When Pete and his friends set sail on a private yacht in the Balearics to celebrate Fergus’ upcoming wedding, they’re all looking forward to sun, sea and copious quantities of alcohol.
But there’s a reason they are still entwined in each other’s lives a decade after leaving university. A terrible event they’ve all been trying their hardest to forget.
They say you can’t outrun the past … And these six friends are about to find that out the hard way.
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/Adriftsocial
Author Bio –
M.A. Hunter is the pen name of Stephen Edger, the Amazon bestselling author of psychological and crime thrillers, including Snatched, and the Kate Matthews series. Born in the north-east of England, he now lives in Southampton where many of his stories are set, allowing him to use his insider knowledge to deliver realistic and unsettling suspense on every page.
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Naomi asks her friend Jane to pick up 4 year old Florrie from school. But when Jane arrives, the school inform her that the girl has already been collected. Is Florrie safe and who has taken her?
The Other Mother is a psychological thriller set in the UK.
Jane is a psychologist and secret agony aunt. But nothing can prepare her emotionally for the events about to occur. She is asked to do a favour for a friend but is late arriving to collect little Florrie. She discovers that the school have already allowed Florrie to leave with a woman claiming to be Jane and this sparks a huge panic and major police investigation.
Most of the book is written from Naomi and Jane’s first person perspectives as they struggle to cope with events. However as the book approaches halfway the viewpoint of the kidnapper is included. This increases the tension as we see Florrie’s unhappiness and the mental instability of the kidnapper.
The book is full of drama and tension which is well maintained, especially once we find out the identity of the kidnapper. However I did have to suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy the book. As someone who works in a school, I found it incredible that a child could be collected without a password. I also struggled to believe fully in the police element.
The style of writing is easy to read and the pace is quite speedy. There are major revelations and big twists as it becomes apparent that secrets from the past could be key to finding Florrie. Relationships and friendships are in tatters as the plot progresses and the characters battle to negotiate change.
The Other Mother is fast paced, dramatic and full of twists.
Book Blurb
Four-year-old Florrie is missing. Who has taken her, and what do they want?
When Jane is asked to pick up her friend’s daughter, Florrie, from school, she can’t imagine the horror that will unfold. Because someone pretending to be Jane has already collected Florrie. And now the little four-year-old is missing…
Things don’t get any easier when Jane starts receiving anonymous letters that include intimate details about her life. As a psychologist and agony aunt, she’s used to getting letters asking for advice, but these are different. Are they somehow connected to the missing child?
Then, to her utter dismay, Jane finds incriminating evidence in her own home, evidence that is clearly linked to Florrie. She starts to doubt everyone around her, even her own family – could one of them be implicated in Florrie’s disappearance?
Under the unspeakable stress, her marriage crumbles, her children act out and her once-successful business falls apart. And that’s when Jane discovers a shocking secret that shatters her entire world.
In a heart-pounding race against time, Jane must find Florrie and uncover the truth. Can she save Florrie and her own family, or will she be too late to stop the unthinkable?
The Other Mother is an explosive psychological thriller that will grip readers till the very end.
Author Bio
Miranda Rijks is a writer of psychological thrillers and suspense novels. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre. She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex, England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.
1939, Max is Polish by birth but grew up in Germany. With war looming, he decides to head home and parachutes into Poland. He injures himself and is found by Helena’s family who nurse him back to health. 1995, Helena reflects on life and love…
The Airman’s Girl is an historical novel set in 1939 and 1995.
Helena is a young Polish woman who is becoming increasingly fearful about the looming Nazi invasion. The Nazis view the Poles as almost as ethnically dangerous as the Jews, plus her family work with the mentally ill which the Nazis abhor. She and her siblings have the opportunity to escape to England but they stay, with dire consequences as the Nazis round up Polish people into concentration camps.
Max has been brought up in Germany by his father who opposed the Nazi regime. Now his father is dead, there is nothing to tie him to Germany any more. He is so desperate to return to Poland that he jumps out of a plane and parachutes to the ground, injuring himself in the fall. Both main characters are brave and determined, and very easy to like which creates a feeling of dread at what may happen to them.
The book is written from various first person perspectives including Helena and Max, as well as the diaries of Helena’s father. This allows us to see the story from different sides and gives us a more intimate knowledge of their thoughts and feelings. The author has researched the experience of the Poles during the war and this provides additional detail which brings the plot, locations and era to life.
The Airman’s Girl is an enjoyable and emotional historical novel.
The Airman’s Girl: A gripping and moving World War 2 historical novel
About the book:
Poland, 1939: As I stare into the German pilot’s frightened eyes, I realise I have no choice but to help him. And in that moment, I know that this young man, and this decision, will change my life forever…
When a German pilot crashes over my parents’ farmland, at first I am terrified. Who is this man? And should I help him, or have him arrested? But when I look into his eyes for the first time, I feel in my heart that I must do everything I can to save this stranger’s life.
As I begin to secretly nurse his injuries, he tells me his name is Max. And as we share whispered candlelit conversations, he admits that he didn’t crash his plane, but parachuted over Poland to defect from the Nazis. And as he slowly tells me his story, I realise I am falling in love with this man – with his bravery, and his determination to do what is right, no matter the cost.
But when the Nazis arrive, the small world we have built together is shattered in an instant. And when the Germans arrest me and my twin siblings, dragging us to a camp in the dead of night, I know that our only chance of survival, our only hope, is to be rescued.
As I sit in my cell, I think of what Max told me. He held my hand and promised me that if we were arrested, he would go undercover as a German soldier and save us. But will the guards believe his story? And, even if they do, will he make it to us before it is too late?
Based on a true story, this heartbreaking and emotional wartime novel follows one couple’s love story, and their courage in the face of unimaginable odds. An incredibly gripping and moving story, perfect for readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and The Alice Network.
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Author bio
Carly Schabowski worked as a journalist in both North Cyprus and Australia before returning to Oxford, where she studied for an MA and then a PhD in creative writing at Oxford Brookes University. Carly now teaches at Oxford Brookes University as an associate lecturer in Creative Writing for first and second-year English literature students.
Author social media
Instagram: @carlyschabowskiauthor
Newlywed Kitty Bryant is feeling a little underwhelmed by married life. She is less involved with her grandmother’s hotel but has a limited role in her husband’s private investigato business. She is encouraged to help organise the town’s beauty pageant to keep her busy. But someone doesn’t want the pageant to go ahead and then one of the entrants is murdered…
Murder at the Beauty Pageant is the 12th book in the Kitty Underhay (now Bryant!) cosy murder mystery series.
Poor Kitty is feeling sorry for herself as she struggles to adapt to her new life as a married woman. I felt sorry for her too as we’ve been waiting a long time for this marriage to happen! She throws herself into the organisation of the beauty pageant in honour of George V’s silver jubilee (hoping to avoid the disaster of a recent bonny baby competition…) I liked the inclusion of a big royal event as our own King’s coronation is imminent.
Warning letters start arriving for the organisers, judges and contestants but the contest continues until one woman is found dead. Kitty and Matt have to contend with a former foe in the persona of a new police inspector. He is not keen on their involvement but luckily they have the support of other police officers. There are a limited number of suspects for the pair to investigate, and a mix of clues and red herrings along the way.
Murder at the Beauty Pageant is an enjoyable addition to the series and the usual momentum is maintained despite the change to the main characters’ personal and professional lives.
Book Description:
Kitty Underhay is awarding first place… to murder.
Spring, 1935. Newlywed Kitty Underhay has been enlisted by her old nemesis Mrs Craven to help organise the Miss Dartmouth Jubilee pageant at the Dolphin Hotel. Being bossed around by her arch enemy is not quite what Kitty had in mind for the start of her married life, but she’s excited to launch the glamorous show. Sparkling smiles are quickly replaced by audible gasps however, when one of the girls goes missing during the interval…
When pretty Peggy Blaine is discovered dead, Kitty can’t help but notice that none of the other contestants seem particularly shocked. Can jealousy over a sash and a diamante tiara be a motive for murder?
But when she discovers the threatening notes the young women have received, Kitty enlists her husband Matt to figure out who’s scaring the competitors. However, before Matt can speak to them, another entrant turns up dead after an apparently accidental overdose. Taking part in a beauty pageant seems to have turned into a fatal occupation!
The daring duo are sure that someone close to the girls is responsible. But can they sort the harmless face powders from the fatal poisons before it’s too late? Or will Kitty and Matt find they are next to be crowned… with death?
An utter joy! Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Lee Strauss will fall head over heels for this utterly compelling and totally charming historical cozy mystery!
Author Bio:
Helena Dixon is the author of the best-selling Miss Underhay murder mystery series and
lives in 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.
Buy Link:
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
A baby’s pram is pulled from a lake and a tiny skeleton is found inside. A woman confesses but her story doesn’t match up with the evidence…
The Bone House is the third book set in Slayton. I have not read the previous books: there are mentions of past events but no spoilers.
This book is seriously creepy. It is a curious mix of chilling horror and police procedural that I found interesting and engaging.
In the present day, hundreds of crows have mysteriously died and the pond is dredged to remove their carcasses. But a baby in a pram is found as well. Cora confesses yet she has an exceedingly troubled history. Police officer Sarah Noble needs to unpick the lies and secrets from the truth when Cora’s confession doesn’t make sense in light of the forensic evidence. Cora has a haunting past which saw her stepfather murder her mother. Then her own life spiralled out of control with a teen pregnancy.
Most of the book is written in the third person to show Cora and Sarah’s experiences as the case progresses. Some chapters show a little boy Elliott who has nightmares or a psychic connection to the case. Other chapters show a first person viewpoint of a dangerous man who is stalking Cora and has sinister knowledge of the past and present.
Sarah is a dedicated cop with a potential romantic angle towards her partner Richie. She forms strong friendships and these help her to make a difference to the community. Sarah is kind and caring yet also brave and determined. I liked the strength of her character and was rooting for her to uncover the truth. Meanwhile Cora is vulnerable and damaged so I wanted her to find peace and move away from her past.
The Bone House is a creepy and sinister book. I am eager to read the earlier books in the series.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When hundreds of birds fall from the sky into Slayton’s lake in a terrifying freak event, the waters are dredged – revealing a dark, long-held secret.
An old pram is pulled from the depths, with the bones of a baby still strapped inside.
It’s the moment that new mother, Cora, has been dreading since she moved to Slayton – because someone knows, and is going to make her pay.
With the help of forensic anthropologist Sophia Hudson, and the extraordinary young Elliott Carter, Detective Sarah Noble gets to the bottom of a cold case that refuses to stay in the past. Will she survive the secrets of the bone house?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and International #1 Bestselling Author. Shortlisted by the International Thriller Awards for best ebook 2017, the Killer Nashville Best Police Procedural 2018 and the Audie awards 2022. Over 1.5 million books sold.
Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives in a village outside the city of Lincoln. A former police detective, she has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.
Caroline writes psychological and crime thrillers. Her stand alone thriller Silent Victim reached No.1 in the Amazon charts in the UK, USA and Australia and was the winner of the Reader’s Favourite Awards in the psychological thriller category. It has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’.
The first in her Amy Winter series, Truth And Lies, has been optioned for TV.
