tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59748693232570815612024-03-18T23:30:03.627-04:00The Bookish OutsiderReading to the beat of my own drum...Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.comBlogger1088125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-5715147420063315202020-10-22T19:00:00.073-04:002020-10-23T05:47:14.528-04:00Poisoned - Jennifer Donnelly<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQP3hmjNs8E2flln28lAKJlOBlOqlH0mSt3Ns1atftUabEyp-apD22Nqvko1mXoz7Kg6h5ISUK5ueuuxaqXvwqv46OSu05A-x_4hNvNkh0HMN00zDI3Eici8l5q62_hk4Jv2W1ZMiIEc/s2048/Poisoned.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQP3hmjNs8E2flln28lAKJlOBlOqlH0mSt3Ns1atftUabEyp-apD22Nqvko1mXoz7Kg6h5ISUK5ueuuxaqXvwqv46OSu05A-x_4hNvNkh0HMN00zDI3Eici8l5q62_hk4Jv2W1ZMiIEc/s320/Poisoned.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Once upon a time, a girl named Sophie rode into the forest with the queen's huntsman. Her lips were the color of ripe cherries, her skin as soft as new-fallen snow, her hair as dark as midnight. When they stopped to rest, the huntsman took out his knife . . . and took Sophie's heart.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">It shouldn't have come as a surprise. Sophie had heard the rumors, the whispers. They said she was too kind and foolish to rule -- a waste of a princess. A disaster of a future queen. And Sophie believed them. She believed everything she'd heard about herself, the poisonous words people use to keep girls like Sophie from becoming too powerful, too strong . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">With the help of seven mysterious strangers, Sophie manages to survive. But when she realizes that the jealous queen might not be to blame, Sophie must find the courage to face an even more terrifying enemy, proving that even the darkest magic can't extinguish the fire burning inside every girl, and that kindness is the ultimate form of strength.</span></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;">Give me a fairy tale and I'm in, I adore them. In their original form, twisted around, flipped upside down... I'll read it! When Jennifer Donnelly released Stepsister last year I was incredibly intrigued to see what she had done with one of the most popular fairy tales and I loved it. As with Grimm's version she stuck to the darker version of the tales - chopped off toes and all! What was she going to do with one of my favorite stories that could top Stepsister? Quite a lot, as it turns out...</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;">There's a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, an evil step-mother, and a magic mirror - all the necessary ingredients for a retelling of Snow White. Just don't expect the pretty and sanitized versions you may have read up to now. Jennifer Donnelly takes all of the usual aspects of this beloved tale, adds a dash or three of Grimm's darkness and then ramps up the evil factor! </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;">I absolutely loved her version of Snow White, or Sophie as she is called here. She has been belittled by her step-mother all her life, to the point that she now believes all that she hears people saying about her - weak, foolish, timid, too kind, soft-hearted, and starts to believe that these are indeed bad things to be. When the Queen's huntsman leads her into the forest she thinks nothing of it but we all know what is coming.</span></span></p><p>From here on out, Poisoned has to be one of the best retellings of Snow White that I have read. Donnelly is not afraid to flip everything you think you know about Snow White, the Evil Queen, and the handsome Prince on its head, lead you in a totally different direction and turn any assumptions you may have about certain characters in the opposite direction. I also loved the addition of a couple of mysterious characters who are unveiled as the story advances, like Stepsister, but more sinister, and definitely more manipulative.</p><p>I would recommend Poisoned to anyone who loves fairy tales, to anyone who loves an underdog, and to anyone who loves stories. I picked this book up at around 9pm, fully expecting to read a few chapters and put it down. What actually happened was that I devoured the whole thing by 3am, and wanted to read it all over again. If that's not a sign of a good book I don't know what is! You don't need to read Stepsister to read this one but I hope you do, it's almost as good as Poisoned, and I'm going to read it again now I've finished Poisoned and this time write a review. I sincerely hope that we're going to get more retellings from Jennifer Donnelly as, quite honestly, I think she has done an amazing job with Poisoned and Stepsister.</p><p>Huge thanks to Blue at Kaleidoscopic Tours and Hot Key Books for arranging the blog tour and for a gifted copy of the book.</p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5C8jdtWfcxz0C11u5AmnoAUBjrbnBg1Miq4PBJ7_Z10SCX0juP3afgCeEEPwuuubkcsJxw7n5nBzLYlDGJaQ8C0HRW-xO4qUqwt6Uott-X9COOldcD6JK4nZcw38owd5JWvuuqAuGNI/s250/bookishoutsider5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5C8jdtWfcxz0C11u5AmnoAUBjrbnBg1Miq4PBJ7_Z10SCX0juP3afgCeEEPwuuubkcsJxw7n5nBzLYlDGJaQ8C0HRW-xO4qUqwt6Uott-X9COOldcD6JK4nZcw38owd5JWvuuqAuGNI/s0/bookishoutsider5.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Poisoned - Jennifer Donnelly</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Publication Date - October 20th, 2020</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Publisher - Hot Key Books</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55467909-poisoned" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poisoned-Jennifer-Donnelly/dp/" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2D3KG8QEZkg_YnZcb7BqIuskcPJYkSRdBA0oe1Wdz96hEB-IRRYGPzxrogFVtHm2s1_a-mF-s3cyO0IW_aNdAjurZF3OGg7f0L757StLyYC6Gtm3in5xfQQ2-GFC-wwFBQYnhk0rc8A/s454/Jennifer+Donnelly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2D3KG8QEZkg_YnZcb7BqIuskcPJYkSRdBA0oe1Wdz96hEB-IRRYGPzxrogFVtHm2s1_a-mF-s3cyO0IW_aNdAjurZF3OGg7f0L757StLyYC6Gtm3in5xfQQ2-GFC-wwFBQYnhk0rc8A/w198-h200/Jennifer+Donnelly.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jennifer Donnelly is the author of seven novels and a picture book for children. She grew up in New York</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jennifer's first novel, THE TEA ROSE, an epic historical novel set in London and New York in the late 19th century was called exquisite by Booklist, so much fun by the Washington Post, a guilty pleasure by</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">People and was named a Top Pick by the Romantic Times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Her second novel, A GATHERING LIGHT, won the Carnegie Medal, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Borders Original Voices Award, and was named a Printz Honor book. Described as rich and true by The New York Times, the book was named on the Best Book lists of The Times of London, The Irish Times, The Financial Times, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and the School Library Journal. REVOLUTION was named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and the Public Library, and was nominated for a Carnegie Medal. The audio edition was awarded an Odyssey Honor for Excellence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 2014, Jennifer teamed up with Disney to launch the bestselling WATERFIRE saga, an epic about six mermaids on a quest to rid the world of an ancient evil. The first book in the series, DEEP BLUE, was released in May 2014; the second book, ROGUE WAVE, launched in January 2015.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Donnelly lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband, daughter, and two</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">rescue dogs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Follow Jennifer at www.jenniferdonnelly.com or on Twitter: @JenWritesBooks</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_ctgfZQi3aTRdFVCoEtUFa82F1ccxJnnOOz2aDgtNkQ8USA_JxGtZMnXoQ0iZpJeNfbodF5QC6tgZ7jShP4pJOPmbdwfMhw-or4-E8NsjYXlwr7zpk3ktIOXpe7gTrA_WCNCXGY9Oyg/s1100/Poisoned+Banner1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1100" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_ctgfZQi3aTRdFVCoEtUFa82F1ccxJnnOOz2aDgtNkQ8USA_JxGtZMnXoQ0iZpJeNfbodF5QC6tgZ7jShP4pJOPmbdwfMhw-or4-E8NsjYXlwr7zpk3ktIOXpe7gTrA_WCNCXGY9Oyg/w400-h228/Poisoned+Banner1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-44524780621893901522020-03-09T00:00:00.000-04:002020-03-09T08:54:24.347-04:00Poison - Jacqui Rose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong><i><span style="color: purple;">THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE YOU SHOULD NEVER CROSS</span></i></strong></div>
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<i><span style="color: purple;">In a life of crime, loyalty means everything – even if you don’t always see eye to eye. But when Vaughn Sadler speaks up to get Franny Doyle sent down, he’s broken every rule in the book to win checkmate.</span></i></div>
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<strong><i><span style="color: purple;">AND OTHERS YOU SHOULDN’T UNDERESTIMATE…</span></i></strong></div>
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<i><span style="color: purple;">Holed up in prison, Franny has more than one score to settle – but she’s starting with Vaughn. Because you don’t grass on your own, no matter what. And though she may be behind bars, she will get revenge – whatever the cost.</span></i></div>
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<strong><i><span style="color: purple;">Before, there was just bad blood running through her veins. But now, there is poison…</span></i></strong></div>
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Having read three other books by Jacqui Rose (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13543594-taken" target="_blank">Taken</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20504268-betrayed" target="_blank">Betrayed</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40603446-fatal" target="_blank">Fatal</a>) I was excited to see another release by this great thriller writer. Poison centers on Franny Doyle but, as with Jacqui's other books, features recurring characters from previous stories.<br />
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Jacqui's books may be about tough gangland criminals but it's the women in the stories that are the featuring characters, the strong characters, the characters who get things done. Poison is no exception and is the story of Franny Doyle, set up and in prison for murder by someone who should know better. Poisoned by this betrayal Franny sets out to plot her release from prison and her revenge on the men who sent her there.<br />
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Poison is an absurdly addictive novel, one that is hard-hitting and, in places, incredibly hard to read. There are bent coppers, gangland criminals, teenage girls who are trying to escape sexual abuse and drug addiction at far too young an age - none of which make for pleasant reading half the time but lend a lot to the page-turning quality of not just Poison but all of Jacqui's books.<br />
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Poison can be read as a standalone novel but you may enjoy it more if you have previous knowledge of some of the characters, as events in previous books definitely contribute to what motivates them in this book. Poison is Jacqui's tenth book, the fourth book that I've read by her, and is just as addictive as the first one. I'm definitely going to go back and read the other books that I haven't and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for all of the characters, old and new.<br />
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Although I have very much enjoyed Poison - huge thanks to Avon for sending me a copy of the book, I have to end by saying that it won't be for everyone. There's mention of sexual abuse, drug use and addiction, and strong/graphic violence, but if you like hard-hitting thrillers with a dark edge to them, do try Jacqui's books. My recommendation would be to start with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13543594-taken" target="_blank">Taken</a> if you can and then you can read the rest in any order you like.</div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Poison - Jacqui Rose</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">ISBN - </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">9780008366964</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Publisher - Avon Books</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Release Date - February 20th, 2020</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49184277-poison" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Poison-Jacqui-Rose/9780008366964?ref=grid-view&qid=1583757468740&sr=1-10" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poison-gripping-gangland-thriller-sinister-ebook/dp/B07VDZBYDH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=9780008366957&linkCode=qs&qid=1583757057&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></span></b></div>
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-24228822724554555092020-03-08T00:00:00.000-05:002020-03-08T07:57:28.055-04:00The Neighbours - Nicola Gill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">Meet Ginny, 34, and Cassie, 55. Neighbours, and (very) unlikely friends.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Some women have it all. Others are thirty-four, renting a tiny flat alone because they recently found their long-term boyfriend in bed with their boss. Unfortunately, the latter applies to Ginny Taylor. Single and jobless, Ginny is certain her life can’t get any worse. But then she encounters her downstairs neighbour for the very first time...</span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><i><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Cassie Frost is a woman who had it all – she was a once-loved actress, but a recent stint on reality TV has rocketed her to online infamy. She’s suddenly become a national hate figure – and she desperately needs a new publicist. And Ginny is a publicist who desperately needs a job... but can she be persuaded to work for the uber-difficult, excessively prickly woman that lives below her floorboards?</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Because sometimes – just sometimes – bad neighbours become good friends...</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A bit like family, you can't choose your neighbours. When you move somewhere new it's because you like the area, or because you love the house. Unfortunately, you don't get to interview prospective neighbours, which I think is a really big travesty, and this can be a recipe for disaster! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Left reeling after a traumatic break-up with ex-boyfriend Jack, which left our heroine Ginny without a boyfriend and a job, she is reaching for the Twirl Bites like a madwoman in an effort to find herself again. The neighbour in question is Cassie Frost, actress and Jungle contestant, and who's recent antics mean she's found herself at rock bottom.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">One is in her thirties and the other is in her fifties, you wouldn't think that they would have anything in common but Cassie and Ginny become the most unlikely of friends. Struggling to cope with being unemployed and the two French lovebirds who have replaced her former flat-mate, Ginny sees something in Cassie that most people don't - that she's human and just like any other person on the planet. The two women learn to accept each other through depression, job hunting, trouble with overwhelmed sisters and are two of the best aunts you could ask for.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">There's no sugarcoating the problems each of the women has in their lives but we get to see it, warts and all, especially in Cassie's case. As an actress/celebrity, she's quite contemptuous of everyday life, especially where her sister is concerned, and her two out-of-control nephews. The best thing about The Neighbours is watching Ginny and Cassie both learning to accept themselves, learning to understand their sisters and families, and developing the most unlikely but most supportive friendship.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The Neighbours is a perfect weekend read if you're looking for something contemporary about women supporting each other, friendship, and romance. Any author who makes good use of Twirl Bites is a genius as far as I'm concerned, curled up with the bag Avon Books very kindly sent me with a copy of the book made for a perfect reading experience.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Neighbours - Nicola Gill</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">ISBN - </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9780008355395</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Publisher - Avon Books</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Release Date - February 6th, 2020</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47552656-the-neighbours?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=WU5AT7t26v&rank=3" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search/The-Neighbours-Nicola-Gill/9780008355395" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neighbours-relatable-life-affirming-female-friendship-ebook/dp/B07TG7C4D6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></span>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-21464267719590276692020-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:002020-02-26T04:54:22.267-05:00Liar Liar - Mel Sharratt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">When a young boy is thrown from a balcony in a block of flats, DS Grace Allendale witnesses the shocking aftermath of the tragic event. But despite everything, no one will admit to seeing who did it – and the parents will only tell the police that it was an accident.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Determined to bring the perpetrator to justice, Grace must sort the truth from the lies in a case that takes her into the darkest corners of the criminal world – and strikes closer to home than she could have ever imagined…</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Liar Liar is the third installment in the DS Grace Allendale series, and after events in the previous two books, Grace is still working in the community rather than working with the Major Crimes Team. In fact, Grace is so much happier that she's asked to stay with the Community liaison team. Some of her former colleagues see this as a sidewards step in her career but if it means she's not exposed to the antics of her criminally active, estranged family - especially half-brothers Eddie & Leon, so much the better!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Liar Liar starts with quite possibly the most horrific accident you can think of, a young boy falls from a walkway one floor up and nobody is sure if the little boy will live or, even more horrible to contemplate, whether it really was an accident as the parents are both claiming. Harrison House is known to both Grace and her DC, Frankie Higgins, and the residents who live there are all claiming 'I saw nothing...' but is that because a certain person is putting pressure on them? It's up to Grace and Frankie to get to the bottom of things and find out who might want to hurt an innocent little boy, especially if that little boy dies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Liar Liar (DS Grace Allendale #3) - Mel Sharratt</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Publisher - Avon Books</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Release date: Paperback - March 19th, 2020</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b> : Kindle - February 10th, 2020</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48383382-liar-liar?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Oke6T2Jsd0&rank=4" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search/Liar-Liar-Mel-Sherratt/9780008368067" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07YQMGDH7/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-54517007605730014482020-02-23T00:00:00.000-05:002020-02-23T06:57:16.267-05:00Perfect Kill - Helen Fields<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">He had never heard himself scream before. It was terrifying.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></i><br />
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<strong><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Alone, trapped in the darkness and with no way out, Bart Campbell knows that his chances of being found alive are slim.</span></i></strong></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Drugged and kidnapped, the realisation soon dawns that he’s been locked inside a shipping container far from his Edinburgh home. But what Bart doesn’t yet know is that he’s now heading for France where his unspeakable fate is already sealed…</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong>DCI Ava Turner</strong> and <strong>DI Luc Callanach</strong> are working on separate cases that soon collide as it becomes clear that the men and women being shipped to France are being traded for women trafficked into Scotland.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;">With so many lives at stake, they face an impossible task – but there’s no option of failure when Bart and so many others will soon be dead…</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Perfect Kill is the sixth installment in the Callanach & Turner series, and one that I was very much looking forward to. Luc Callanach, half-French & half-Scotland with model good looks and a tarnished reputation, and Ava Turner, Scottish to the bone, privately educated, and loyal to a fault, are the dream team in the Edinburgh police force. They work incredibly well together, and their strengths complement each other to the point where if you're a criminal in their neck of the woods? Look out because they will find you...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The dynamic this time around is different though. Luc is back in his beloved France working on secondment with Interpol, whilst Ava remains in Scotland, working on what seem to be very different cases. At the end of the last book their 'will they won't they' situation was still very much in play. It's obvious to all, including themselves, that there is something between them but whether there will ever be a time for them to act on it remains to be seen. Ava is trying hard to put emotional distance between them, even sleeping with someone else, but when hit by some very hard news about her oldest and closest friend, it's Luc she turns to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Perfect Kill is quite possibly the perfect crime novel. Illegal organ harvesting, human trafficking, inhumane 'races', kidnap, and prostitution, all of these are written with minute detail, and Helen Field doesn't hold back with the quite often graphic descriptions of these crimes. The research into these storylines shows clearly in Ms. Field's writing, and this combined with knowing that these are all things happening in the world today is what makes Perfect Kill a compelling and addictive read.</span> </div>
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Perfect Kill may be the sixth book in the series, but it works well on its own, and you don't need to have read the other books in the series. However, if you don't start with Perfect Remains and work your way through the rest you are missing out on some great writing, wonderful character development, and one of the best investigative teams I've read for a long time! More Callanach & Turner please, Helen Fields!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Perfect Kill (Callanach & Turner #6) - Helen Fields</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">ISBN - </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">9780008275242</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Publisher - Avon</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Release Date - February 6th, 2020</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44542168-perfect-kill" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search/Perfect-Kill-Helen-Fields/9780008275242" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TZ78TJT/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></span></b></div>
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-38085706245657617392019-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:002019-12-12T08:47:28.891-05:00Shades Of Magic: The Steel Prince - V.E. Schwab & Budi Setiawan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to my stop on the blog for the stunning second volume of V.E. Schwab's Shades Of Magic: The Steel Prince graphic novel. Night Of Knives follows on from the first volume (a bindup of the first 4 issues) and once again features the outstanding artwork of Budi Setiawan. First though, a quick mention about Vol. 1 in the series!<br />
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In this first volume, we're introduced to Maxim Maresh - father of Rhy and adopted father of Kell. Maxim is Crown Prince and sent to a barracks on the far reaches of his father's rule to stop him researching magic. Little does Nokil, King of Arnes, realize but this might just be the making of Maxim and almost definitely not the end of his research into the magics that have separated all the Londons. There is a passage in A Conjuring Of Light that is mentioned at the front of Volume 1 where Maxim and his youth are mentioned, and this is where Shades Of Magic: The Steel Prince comes from. Maxim clashes with the Pirate Queen, aunt of one of his soldiers, and this forms the plot for the first four issues.<br />
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In Shades Of Magic: The Steel Prince - Knight Of Knives, Maxim is settling into both town and base but the soldiers under his command are struggling with the fact that he is the Crown Prince as well as their commanding officer. Desperate to do something to make the troops respect him, he foolishly listens when Isra tells him about the Night Of Knives, a competition held in four stages where competitors either don't complete all four stages or die trying.<br />
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I'm a huge fan of the Shades Of Magic novel series so I was thrilled to hear there would be a comic series about Maxim but sad to hear there would only be 12 issues (or 3 collections). I dove in with high hopes and wasn't disappointed. It was so good to fill in the background of Rhy and Kell's father, to see what he was like as a young mand and to gain some insight into his upbringing with his father.<br />
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I don't think you need to have read the Shades of Magic series to delve into The Steel Prince but some of the place names and characters may be a little confusing if you haven't already read about them. Antari is mentioned but the only way you would know what that meant is by having read the books.<br />
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The Steel Prince is a fast read, each 'issue' feels short but Schwab crams a lot into the storyline and is incredibly interpreted by Setiawan's illustrations. I'm now eagerly awaiting vol. 3 of The Steel Prince, The Rebel Army, which comes out in April next year. I think after that I'll be rereading A Darker Shade Of Magic, A Gathering Of Shadows, and A Conjuring Of Light to see how knowing Maxim's story changes anything. It might not but it's an excuse to reread the books.<br />
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If you want to, I reviewed A Darker Shade Of Magic way back in 2015 - feel free to check it out <a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-giveaway-darker-shade-of-magic-v.html" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Shades Of Magic: The Steel Prince Vol. 2 - Night Of Knives</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>V.E. Schwab, Budi Setiawan, Andrea Olimpieri, Enrica Eren Angiolini, Viviana Spinelli & Rob Steen</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Publisher - Titan Comics</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>ISBN - <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9781782762119</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Release date - November 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42402480-the-steel-prince-2" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<br />Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-27894956905309057312019-07-11T00:00:00.000-04:002019-07-11T05:48:30.174-04:00Come Back For Me - Heidi Perks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A shocking discovery. </b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">An island wrapped in secrets. You can bury the body but the truth will always surface...</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A tiny island community is stunned by the discovery of a long-buried body.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">For Stella Harvey, the news is doubly shocking. The body has been found in the garden of her childhood home - the home her family fled without explanation twenty-five years ago.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Now, questioning her past and desperate to unearth the truth, Stella returns to the isolated island. But she quickly finds that the community she left isn’t as welcoming as she remembers – and that people in it will go to any length to protect their secrets. One thing rings true…You can’t bury the truth forever.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Now You See Her was one of my favorite reads last year so I was very much looking forward to Come Back For Me. The synopsis sounded amazing, a remote island and a gloriously happy childhood don't sound like the things of nightmares but who knows what happens behind closed doors.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Stella, aged eleven, has had an idyllic childhood on the small island of Evergreen, but suddenly she and her older siblings, Danny and Bonnie, are being dragged away from the only home Stella has ever known in the middle of the night. At the age of eleven,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> the only thing Stella is worried about is whether she'll see her best friend Jill again and how unfair it is that they have to leave.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Fast forward twenty-five years and Evergreen Island is on the news. A body has been found. Not only that but where it's been found is on the perimeter of Stella's beloved childhood home, The Quay House. Leaving the island has fractured her family, her mother has died, her father is remarried and suffering from dementia, her sister is a mother and an alcoholic, and her brother Danny disappeared not long after they moved to the mainland. What Stella wants to know though is who is the body, and just why did they leave in the middle of a storm all those years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Stella, now a family counsellor, makes the rash decision to return to the island to see if she can find out more about the body and maybe discover the truth behind their abrupt departure from their former home. Bonnie thinks this is quite possibly the worst idea Stella has ever had but it's not long before she is proved right. Somebody doesn't want Stella back on the island and it could be anybody. Her mother's best friend, the older lady who Stella's mother treated as a mother figure herself - Annie, Freya - the journalist who grew up on the island, Iona - Bonnie's best friend that last summer, anybody on the island!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Come Back For Me is told from two different points in time, 1993 and the present. We get to see Stella's family while they still were all together, and the present where we slowly uncover everything that has happened. Threatening notes start arriving and Stella genuinely becomes terrified that someone wants to kill her. It would appear that somebody will go to any lengths to keep the past very much in the past and that if there's a scapegoat to take the blame for the body, that will suit their purposes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The tension of Come Back For Me starts on the first page and grips you all the way through to the very end. Some may find the pacing too slow and that it takes too long to get to the heart of the mystery but this is what I loved about the story. I was hooked all the way through though, I started reading at about 11pm and didn't put the book down until well after sunrise. It's incredibly atmospheric and almost Gothic in tone, the isolated island setting certainly added to this feeling as did the weather and the gloominess of the situation. I started trying to guess what had happened and who the body was but was left reeling by all of the revelations. I've never been so wrong about why something happened!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Come Back For Me is a superb follow-up to Now You See Me and Heidi's writing has proved yet again that she's one to watch. It's wonderfully written and has one of the most compelling and unique storyline's I've read this year. I can't wait to see what's next as Come Back For Me is going to be hard to beat!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Huge thanks to Rachel Kennedy & Century for a copy of the book, in exchange for an unbiased review. If you would like to read Come Back For Me it's out in hardback today and also available as an eBook. Find my review on Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3JDXBLRJAZV00/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv" target="_blank">here</a> as well!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Come Back For Me - Heidi Perks</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Publisher - Century</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Release date: eBook - June 1st, Hardback, July 11th, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41076868-come-back-for-me?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Come-Back-For-Me-Heidi-Perks/9781780898858" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DGKDRJM/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><u>About The Author</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Heidi Perks lives by the sea in Bournemouth with her husband and two children.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Heidi graduated from Bournemouth University with a BA (Hons) in Retail Management, and then enjoyed a career in Marketing before leaving in 2012 to focus on both bringing up her family and writing.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Heidi successfully applied for a place on the inaugural Curtis Brown Creative online Novel Writing Course and after that dedicated her time to completing her first novel, Beneath The Surface.</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She has a huge interest in what makes people tick and loves to write about family relationships, especially where some of the characters are slightly dysfunctional.</span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Her second novel, Now You See Her was published by Century, part of the Penguin Random House group in 2018 and became a Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard and Judy book club pick.</span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333;" /><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Her third novel Come Back For Me is out July 2019 and she is now writing her fourth to be released in 2020. Follow Heidi on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/HeidiPerksBooks" target="_blank">here</a>!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-34945310824334923782019-07-05T00:00:00.000-04:002019-07-05T00:00:04.489-04:00When I Lost You - Merilyn Davies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i><b>When a young couple are the lead suspects for the murder of their only child, </b><b>Crime Analyst Carla Brown and DS Nell Jackson are assigned to investigate.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i>The evidence seems conclusive, but something just doesn’t feel right.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i>The case is quickly cast into doubt when the lead forensic pathologist starts receiving threatening letters – containing details only the police should know.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i>Who’s sending them? What do they want? And how did they get hold of the information?</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i>As Carla and Nell dig deeper, it soon becomes clear that this case isn’t the first of its kind.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i>They must stop at nothing to find the truth – even if it hits close to home.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When a novel's prologue ends with the words "I did not kill my baby!" you get an idea in your head about how the story is going to go. On reading the synopsis too, you think that the book is about the couple who have lost their child and in a way it is. It's also so much more! </span></div>
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When I Lost You starts with DS Jackson and DC Mackintosh called to a flat in Oxford over a reported death of an infant. Nell Jackson is convinced that it's another Sudden Infant Death but on arrival Eve Graham, the pathologist tells them it's murder, and not only that but it was the mother who killed the little girl. Nell Jackson is back at work after being stabbed thanks to a crime analyst missing a vital detail so when she finds out the new DCI wants her to work closely with Crime Analyst Carla Brown, she can't help but be resentful.<br />
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Nothing about this case is as straightforward as it seems. There are letters being written to the pathologist, essentially calling her a liar and accusing her of ensuring innocent women have been convicted thanks to her testimony. Nell and Carla aren't entirely sure what to believe as they both know Eve but what if she is getting it wrong?<br />
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When I Lost You is part police procedural and part psychological thriller, told in two different timelines simply titled Then and Now. It's quite confusing at first, especially if you don't realize that's the case, but this is what makes the story such compulsive reading. Then is about two girls living in a care home and being groomed by a local cafe owner, Now is about three women who may or may not know more than they're saying. Carla is closely linked to Eve because of Eve's husband Gerry who was her first sergeant and is utterly determined that Eve would not have deliberately allowed innocent women to be sent to prison.<br />
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When I Lost You is a wonderfully addictive story, with a unique plotline, and twists and turns that you don't see coming. I will admit to trying to guess who certain people were quite early on in the book but it soon became evident that I was completely wrong. It does become obvious at one point, who the 'guilty party' is, but this doesn't take anything away from the story and it was fascinating seeing the different strands of the story coming together to an explosive ending.<br />
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When I Lost You is a gripping tale of loss, wrongful conviction, and abuse, which if not handled in the right way, could be distressing but Merilyn Davies has created a page-turner of a first novel in a wonderful location. Having gone to Oxford it was nice to see someone write about things other than the gleaming spires and students! I very much enjoyed the developing relationship between Nell and Carla and sincerely hope we get to see more of them in the future!<br />
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Huge thanks to Rachel and Arrow for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion of the book. If you want to try When I Lost You by Merilyn Davies it's currently available for the princely sum of 99 pence on Kindle UK and can be found <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07JMR3C7K/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>When I Lost You - Merilyn Davies</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Publisher - Cornerstone Digital/Arrow</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Release date: Kindle/eBook - July 1st, Paperback - August 22nd, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43241248-when-i-lost-you" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Lost-You-Merilyn-Davies-ebook/dp/B07JMR3C7K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a></b></span></div>
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<b><u>About The Author</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Merilyn Davies is a former Crime Analyst with the Metropolitan Police who worked as part of the violent and hate crime unit for eight years. She was inspired to write about strong women working in the police force thanks to the incredible women she encountered on the force and was fascinated to explore the relationship between civilians working in the force and police officers, drawing on her own experiences being married to a serving MET officer.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She decided to set her debut thriller in her home city of Oxford, but the action all takes place away from the dreaming spires in parts tourists don’t stop at. She studied Sociology at university and is fascinated with the manner in which society leads people down criminal paths. She was a co-founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival and now works for Oxford City Council. Follow Merilyn on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nellbelleandme" target="_blank">@<b>nellbelleandme</b></a></span></div>
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-43769635593724024702019-06-24T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-24T05:04:24.375-04:00YALC 2019 Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In my new organized reincarnation, I've posted both parts of my reading list for this year. Part 1 can be found <a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2019/06/yalc-2019-reading-list-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and part 2 can be found <a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2019/06/yalc-2019-reading-list-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>! I've decided to share the YALC love and let someone get to read one of the amazing books on my YALC lists. One person can win a copy of whatever book they choose from my reading lists, as long as they either live somewhere that Book Depository ships to, or they'll be at YALC and I can hand the book over! It's simple to enter, just fill out the rafflecopter below and think about what book you would choose. This giveaway is not sponsored or funded in any way, it's me offering to share the book love! The giveaway is open until midnight on July 25th and any duplicate entries will be deleted/disqualified.
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="27603b4f186" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/27603b4f186/" id="rcwidget_dnqvjdkf" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-20363988164014268212019-06-23T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-23T00:00:14.462-04:00YALC 2019 Reading List Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As promised last week, here's part two of my reading list. I'm hoping by the time this goes live that I'll have read a few more books from the list and some of my reviews will also have gone up. I'm not going to review everything on the list - I'd spend a year typing if I did - but if it's an' up all night' or 'stay up late' book I'll do my best to review it, even if it ends up being a mini review. Not that I'm sure I can do mini reviews, I'm very good at spouting rubbish...<br />
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After this goes live I'll also post about a giveaway I'm doing alongside my reading list so if you want to win a book check it out!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Sif Sigmarsdottir - The Sharp Edge Of A Snowflake</span></b></div>
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<b>Adrienne Young - Sky In The Deep</b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Bex Hogan - Viper</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Christine Lynn Herman - The Devouring Gray</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Kesia Lupo - We Are Blood And Thunder</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">P.M. Freestone - The Darkest Bloom</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Rachel Burge - The Twisted Tree</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Alastair Reynolds - Revenger</span></b></div>
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<b>Lauren James - The Quiet At The End Of The World</b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Temi Oh - Do You Dream Of Terra-Two?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Justina Ireland - Dread Nation</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Kristen Ciccarelli - The Last Namsara</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Natasha Ngan - Girls Of Paper & Fire</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Samantha Shannon - The Priory Of The Orange Tree</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Taran Matharu - Summoner #1</span></b></div>
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<b>Anna James - Tilly & The Bookwanderers</b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Yasmin Rahman - All The Things We Never Said</span></b></div>
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<b><u>Key</u></b><br />
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<b>Bold - Read</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Purple - Own </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Red - Borrow From Library</span></b>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-64165944712782618862019-06-18T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-18T00:00:10.099-04:00A Good Girl's Guide To Murder - Holly Jackson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Oh. My. Goodness. Everybody knows how much I like my YA thrillers and I've read a lot of them over the past couple of years as they've gained in popularity but A Good Girl's Guide To Murder (GGG from here on out!) is one of the best. It's also a debut which makes its 'grab you by the throat and don't let go'-ness even more astounding! I've been incredibly lucky with my reading recently in that everything I've picked up has been good and I've read it in one go. GGG was no exception, I picked it up at about 9pm and finished it at 1.30am - that's how good it is! I literally could not put it down.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I was desperate to know who did it, was it really Salil 'Sal' Singh, the boyfriend? He confessed by text message shortly before killing himself so everyone has accepted that as the universal truth, if in doubt it's the boyfriend. Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't convinced though so chooses this as her EPQ (Extended Project Qualification - equivalent to half an A Level) and sets about trying to discover what really happened to Andie Bell. Is it just me or does everyone immediately think of Erasure or Oasis when reading the name Andie Bell? Nope? Just me then...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Going against her advisor's warning not to contact the families involved Pip contacts Ravi Singh, Sal's younger brother, who is only too happy to help Pip with her investigation when he discovers that she thinks Sal might be innocent. Pip's best friend's sister was best friends with Sal so Pip feels invested in finding the truth if only to help Sal's family but there's definitely more to this case than meets the eye. Pip and Ravi are soon totally immersed in chasing down leads, interviewing people, and generally sticking their noses into places where they really shouldn't. Pip starts to receive threats by text message telling her to drop the investigation but of course, she's not going to. It's only when tragedy strikes that she stops what she's doing to try and keep her family and friends safe.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">GGG is a rollercoaster of a thriller and I tell you now, there's no point trying to guess who did it if Sal didn't. There's misdirection on every page and you're never quite sure who's telling the truth and who's not. Pip starts to doubt everything and everybody, especially as her investigation starts leading her down a dangerous path. The story switches between third person and Pip's coursework documenting her finds. There are EPQ forms, maps, drawings, and interviews with people Pip thinks know the truth, all of which add to the page-turning power of GGG and make it an even more compulsive read. It has the perfect amount of moments that will make you gasp and at times you will want to yell at Pip for putting herself in danger, it will make you laugh out loud, and it will make you cry - well, it made me cry anyway...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">If you're a fan of Serial, Veronica Mars and YA thrillers then A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is well worth investing your time in. My only doubt about it is, if GGG is this good as a debut then how on earth is Holly Jackson going to improve in her next novel?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">A Good Girl's Guide To Murder - Holly Jackson</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">ISBN - </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9781405293181</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Publisher - Electric Monkey</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Release date - May 2nd, 2019</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Source - bought in bookshop</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40916679-a-good-girl-s-guide-to-murder?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search/Good-Girls-Guide-Murder-Holly-Jackson/9781405293181" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Holly-Jackson/A-Good-Girls-Guide-to-Murder/23287529" target="_blank">Hive UK</a></span></b></span></div>
Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-85271610671120167172019-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-17T00:00:05.292-04:00The Quiet At The End Of The World - Lauren James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">How far would you go to save those you love?</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, aging community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artifacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice...</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to start this by saying I absolutely adored this book! I've loved all of Lauren's books but something about this one just stuck with me a bit more. Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people left alive on the entire planet after a virus struck causing permanent infertility and there's never been any success in finding a cure or discovering what caused it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lowrie is bisexual, torn between her feelings for Shen but not wanting to lose their friendship in case things don't work out, and Shen is Shen. Laidback, aware of his feelings but not pushing Lowrie, fully prepared to wait until she's ready - even if that takes forever!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've seen this referred to as soft apocalyptic SF and I quite agree, there's no imminent danger but you do get the feeling time is running out. Everyone is carrying on as usual but after a rather shocking helicopter crash it's obvious things are starting to go wrong and it's going to be up to Shen and Lowrie to solve the problem.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Quiet At The End Of The World is a beautiful blend of romance, science fiction, and philosophy. There's plenty of discussion about how to carry on the human race, about aliens and if they really are out there, and talk about infertility and how to solve it. There's so much to love about it, from lifeguard robots called Mitch to social media posts from the 21st century when the virus originally struck. I really liked how Lauren blended these tweets and FB messages into the main body of the story, and how Lowrie and Shen used them as a way of learning about history.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are a couple of cracking twists in this book, which I didn't see coming, but they make the story so much more entertaining! And the nod to who Lowrie's ancestors were, and where they live, is both hilarious and jaw-dropping! I read this in one sitting, and I don't regret the lack of sleep at all. I'm looking forward to seeing what Lauren comes up with next.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: inherit;"><b>The Quiet At The End Of The World - Lauren James</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ISBN - </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9781406375510</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: inherit;"><b>Publisher - Walker Books</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: inherit;"><b>Release date - March 7th, 2019</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: inherit;"><b>Source - Bought from bookshop</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: inherit;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32716442-the-quiet-at-the-end-of-the-world" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search/The-Quiet-at-the-End-of-the-World-Lauren-James/9781406375510" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Lauren-James/The-Quiet-at-the-End-of-the-World/23209927" target="_blank">Hive</a></b></span></span></div>
Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-11322960271987301272019-06-16T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-16T06:06:27.609-04:00YALC 2019 Reading List Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes, you can believe your eyes... I've not only finished my reading schedule but I've also made a header - go me! My reading schedule is split into two parts because, well because it's rather large! I think there are 44 authors on my list at the moment and I'm almost certain I've forgotten to add a couple too. There could well end up being a third part to this list if I have. Apart from actually putting together a reading schedule, I've also made a start on the actual reading and written some reviews. I know, what's wrong with me? Who is this strange person actually being organized? Enough with the sarcasm, here's part 1!<br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Ben Aaronovitch - Rivers Of London</b></span> (whatever number I've got to, not the whole series!)</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>K.K. Perez - Sweet Black Waves</b></span></div>
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<b>Mary Watson - The Wickerlight</b></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl</b></span> (#7, #8 if I have enough time)</div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Derek Landy - Skulduggery Pleasant: Midnight, Bedlam</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Sharon Doggar - Monsters</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Renee Ahdieh - Flame In The Mist</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Melinda Salisbury - State Of Sorrow</b></span></div>
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<b>Sarah Maria Griffin - Other Words For Smoke</b></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Yaba Badoe - Wolf Light</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>V.E. Schwab - This Savage Song</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Vic James - Sanctuary</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Zen Cho - Sorcerer To The Crown</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Emily Barr - The Girl Who Came Out Of The Woods</b></span></div>
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<b>Holly Jackson - A Good Girl's Guide To Murder</b></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>M.A. Bennett - The Island</b></span></div>
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<b>Karen M. McManus - Two Can Keep A Secret</b></div>
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<b><u>Key</u></b><br />
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<b>Bold - Read</b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Purple - Own</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Red - Borrow From Library</b></span><br />
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<br />Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-19592473321561691692019-06-13T01:00:00.000-04:002019-06-14T05:59:39.755-04:00Guest Post: Illustrating Sophie Johnson - Ella Okstad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I'd love to give a warm welcome to Ella Okstad today, who has written a great post about coming up with the initial illustrations for a new picture book series and to share some of her early sketches! I'm very much a fan of Ella's style and it's one which I admire and would love to be able to emulate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Illustrating Sophie Johnson - Ella Okstad</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I first read the Unicorn Expert it was instantly clear to me how Sophie would look. As she is a self-confessed expert on unicorns and a detective genius it was very important to capture this in how she moves and behaves. For the Unicorn Expert, the publisher sent me a link to a John Lewis Insurance <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqgoUWPx4eE" target="_blank">commercial video</a> to describe her personality which I felt was really on point.</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-71a4dffe-7fff-73f4-3b5a-04884145a711"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="C:\Users\ohorr0611\AppData\Local\Temp\wz0507\Sophie\Sophie_sketch.jpg" height="308" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/SDDbfkobZyDFEoyr1kBHZKpUW_dL49YNT0hPZttWLfQnzt5QeWL_1fA0W0mn0j6HXsqT166pBakUYL9ug7dXU1lqlqRv-pC8Vpc6jCNLQxRq6G7cQCuqfANlXDBaNVra_cDfYOhvYzKQchT9fA" style="border: none;" width="491" /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted her to have a simple stripy dress and a couple of thin legs. This way it would be quite easy to mover her around. Her face is dominated by a large pair of round glasses which gives her an important look; she is, after all, an expert and it also makes room for lots of different expressions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whereas Sophie's look came quite instantly, the real Unicorn was a little more tricky. At first, I imagined it to be quite flamboyant with a more horse-like body and a long wavy tail and mane. Then after re-reading the text and sending a couple of emails back & forth, we decided to go with the chubby quite insecure type of unicorn. It is, after all, seeking unicorn advice from the world's best unicorn expert!</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1180c4b0-7fff-f03e-2b5b-27aba0204db2"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="C:\Users\ohorr0611\AppData\Local\Temp\wz6954\Sophie\first_unicorn_rough2.jpg" height="267" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/leG09T15E0TgDMURkBJfmhf6hhbdfM5VdVoIdxFEPGeFJsam9XO0Bs2gMMSxRSurwsGkJ9u9sB3iqMf0Z9Jx2wHrlOrdkKW6c3QQcpXewq7-4i_OOMNS20fARmyi_DlFzpnPaYAQkwKR4oKf4w" style="border: none;" width="491" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-beb12df9-7fff-fd1d-e588-a6227ecccec1"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <img alt="C:\Users\ohorr0611\AppData\Local\Temp\wzadd2\Sophie\unicorn_final.jpg" height="261" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2W0-qwygudEXOlmEV2mPOxNSRSPmIG3Fzs9x945Xl7b16JV8nrUi_lkbR5Ugj9BVUZ8sXCKTLTPRhVlsPPKLfJReB5SD8bNfXaXYBJvrk30FuBp76nbBf3tHj1_oTjwvMdVR-pviIIIJdtahqQ" style="border: none;" width="223" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In Detective Genius, Bella the dog is always there with an attentive look keeping an eye on Sophie. She is the true detective!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9d6fe268-7fff-047a-6db6-6ef715b8f15b"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="C:\Users\ohorr0611\AppData\Local\Temp\wz1452\Sophie\bella.jpg" height="355" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7IndMR2zI4n2RBLFL_xfQu74plWpoWTLsPCzVTP9n_X9QU9KJVSfIWl5DnGOBwm0njkveHMbrcMATszD3y9PG6Mu4_jhfU4EbRUVTJfaGkkc9Hod_lBQTBfJxGPT8xYgrs4OkcglIEsb31sFg" style="border: none;" width="506" /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The guinea pig from Unicorn Expert can be spotted a couple of times in Detective Genius. Have another look and see if you can spot it hiding in the pages!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2019/06/sophie-johnson-unicorn-expert-morag.html" target="_blank">Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2019/06/sophie-johnson-detective-genius-morag.html" target="_blank">Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b54414b2-7fff-77c0-8c87-7896a5f5130e"></span>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-38667441810085231242019-06-13T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-13T04:49:35.563-04:00Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYieFlMh3_L8v_xack9mnoCz8ATcJSK_P1vJ3IEWNmjt_QeNHGQuxmGEYqB60oDU7E9QUvaHBJT0IGlxTRsvOzCIADHm20M-lhgAUH8tN46q5Tf7GK20tyVfpF3ZE9whNPxU621aCI24/s1600/detectivegenius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYieFlMh3_L8v_xack9mnoCz8ATcJSK_P1vJ3IEWNmjt_QeNHGQuxmGEYqB60oDU7E9QUvaHBJT0IGlxTRsvOzCIADHm20M-lhgAUH8tN46q5Tf7GK20tyVfpF3ZE9whNPxU621aCI24/s1600/detectivegenius.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Sophie Johnson studied very hard to become a detective and it's a good thing she did – there has been a terrible crime!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Someone has stolen Lion's tail. Unfortunately, this means that Sophie doesn't have time to train her new (and not very good) assistant, Bella.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">However, is it possible that, while Sophie is busy rounding up suspects, she doesn't see that Bella may be better than she thinks?</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Following on from the joy that is Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert Sophie is now a fully qualified detective! She also has an assistant, Bella the dog, who naturally isn't as good as Sophie, but there isn't anyone else to fill the position!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Lion's tail has gone missing, believed stolen, and Sophie is busy interviewing suspects and taking fingerprints. In the meantime, Bella has her nose to the ground and finds the tail long before Sophie, but Sophie remains oblivious - as usual! It's obvious who is the better detective but Sophie has had training and she sometimes eats her vegetables.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Ella's wonderful illustrations bring the story to life and the two blend together seamlessly to make a fabulous tale that any little one will enjoy. There's a touch of humor on every page and some of the animal's expressions are priceless when they're watching Sophie follow all the wrong clues and question the wrong suspects. Sophie yet again misses what is happening right under her nose but it's okay because Bella is there to save the day. Sophie might think she's smarter, more hardworking, and observant but we all know she's not, and that adds to the charm of the story.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">As with Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert, this is a great book read out loud and both children and adults will enjoy something on every page. Some of the illustrated hints might need some explanation to younger children who won't quite understand what they mean but this doesn't detract from the genius that is <strike>Bella</strike>, I mean Sophie! I'm very much looking forward to Sophie Johnson's next adventure, Morag and Ella have created something special in her and I think she'll become a firm favorite. Oh, and check out the title page. It shows a row of houses and shops, and it just so happens there are a detective agency and a unicorn emporium right next door to each other!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>ISBN - 9781471145650</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Publisher - Simon & Schuster</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Release date - May 30th, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41593518-sophie-johnson?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | B<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Sophie-Johnson-Detective-Genius-Morag-Hood-Ella-Okstad/9781471145650" target="_blank">ook Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Morag-Hood/Sophie-Johnson-Detective-Genius/17744211" target="_blank">Hive UK</a></b></span></div>
Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-47710007222681551022019-06-12T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-12T10:14:02.642-04:00Weekly Wednesday #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's a taste of what I've been reading, and watching, over the last week!<br />
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<b><u>Currently Reading</u></b></div>
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This is one of my YALC reads (I'm still putting together my reading schedule, at this rate it'll be time to go before I do...) and I am loving it! I follow Lauren on Instagram - cute puppy alert!!! - and Twitter and I've loved all of her books so far. This one is about the two youngest people left in the world, Shen and Lowrie, after a virus caused mass infertility and the population of London is 300.<br />
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I absolutely love Rotherweird and this is my second re-read! I'll follow it up with a re-read of Wyntertyde, by which time Lost Acre should be out! Rotherweird is a town in the UK that is governed by the residents of Rotherweird, there are no guidebooks, and they don't particularly like strangers unless necessary...<br />
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This is Anna James' MG debut and from what I've read so far, it's Thursday Next for children. I like the 40 or so pages I've finished, and it's another book on my YALC list.<br />
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<b><u>Up Next</u></b></div>
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I love Christina Henry's books and I especially love her fairy tale retellings. This is her take on Little Red Riding Hood and I can't wait to dive in. I'll be reviewing this and a couple of her others for my fairy tale series in August so keep an eye out!<br />
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<b><u>New On The Shelves</u></b></div>
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I've followed Katie on Instagram and Twitter for quite some time, her nails are a thing of beauty! I requested this one on Netgalley and wow, this book is incredible! If you liked The Secret History and The Craft I'm pretty sure you'll like The Furies!<br />
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Huge thanks to Raven Books for this one! I saw it on Netgalley so was really pleased when I was asked if I wanted to read a copy. Never Have I Ever is the story of Amy who seems to have it all, until the night a mysterious stranger joins her book club and her life starts to spiral out of control. This is out in early August so look out for a review.<br />
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<b><u>On The Big Screen</u></b></div>
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I'd heard incredibly mixed reviews about Late Night, starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, but decided to ignore them and see the movie anyway. The most curious thing is that my friend and I were the only women there, and the audience seemed to consist of single men on their own... Anyway, we enjoyed the movie for what it was. I do love both Mindy and Emma but whether I'd watch it again is doubtful!<br />
<br />Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-33828424235557024062019-06-11T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-11T06:37:55.201-04:00Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A very funny story about a little girl who thinks she knows all there is to know about unicorns...</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Sophie Johnson is an extremely endearing new picture book character, just bursting with information and knowledge that she is keen to pass on. She’s a self-confessed unicorn expert (among other things) and has dressed up her toys and pets with their own unique horns. Strange then, that she doesn’t seem to notice the real unicorn who has come into her house...</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #741b47;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A wonderfully humorous story, from a new picture book dream-team, about a unicorn hiding in plain sight and a little girl who is totally oblivious to his presence!</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">There's a certain young lady I know who is mad about unicorns, she has unicorn books by the dozen but Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert stands out from the rest of the crowd! Sophie has seventeen unicorns, from her baby brother to the family dog to her stuffed toys - nobody is safe from having a unicorn head attached to their heads!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Sophie spends a lot of time looking after her unicorns - defending them, teaching them, and most time consuming, cleaning them. She's so busy looking after them that she doesn't notice when a real unicorn joins her in all of her adventures! It's a great way of showing littles how you have to look after something.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Both text and illustrations join together to make a fun read for all little (or not so little) fans of unicorns. It's a fun book to read out loud and to be shouted at by said little ones that they can see the unicorn, followed by lots of laughter that Sophie can't, because <i>she</i> is the expert.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I've read several of Morag Hood's picture books with the twins and read several other books illustrated by Ella Okstad and admired both. Ella's illustrations are fantastic and very much of the style that I wish I could draw! I'd like to applaud whoever put these two together as I think it's a stroke of genius!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">If you'd like to see more of Ella's beautiful illustrations check out her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ellaokstad/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> page! Next up in the Sophie Johnson series is Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius and I'll be sharing my review and a guest post from Ella herself about coming up with the illustrations for Sophie.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">ISBN - </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9781471145629</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Publisher - Simon & Schuster</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Release date - April 5th, 2018</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40144641-sophie-johnson" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search/Sophie-Johnson-Unicorn-Expert-Morag-Hood-Ella-Okstad/9781471145629" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Morag-Hood/Sophie-Johnson-Unicorn-Expert/17744210" target="_blank">Hive UK</a></b></span></div>
Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-48420268275310944932019-06-05T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-05T06:52:21.122-04:00Weekly Wednesday #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a new and hopefully regular feature on the Outsider. I really want to get back into blogging more than twice a month so fingers crossed this will help! I'll mention books I'm reading or have read, new books that may have accidentally landed on my desk, and movies that I've been watching - both big and small screen. Let's start with the books!<br />
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<b><u>Currently Reading</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42277865-come-back-for-me" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1S-qZ3VPDRThrhCaRnZl-2YEARWDV8e0ljko1PsW6UPaw9Eu0Z8Gt4agbYs8l9jyyStwoCpArxMx9Jp0nwYf6F67gR1eUC2s6OT7286Ns89DmdY0J8RZQpm3WwwcwIcATcnz6Z58aTM/s320/comebackforme.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
After devouring Now You See Her I was so excited to receive a copy of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42277865-come-back-for-me" target="_blank">Come Back For Me</a> in the post a couple of weeks ago. An unknown body buried in the garden and a small island community is making for some tense reading! It's not out until July 11th in hardback but it came out in e-book format on June 1st, and if you hurry you can pick it up for 99p as a limited time deal on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Come-Back-Me-Heidi-Perks-ebook/dp/B07DGKDRJM/ref=sr_1_7?pf_rd_i=4363389031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_p=4dc2f7c6-5375-43a8-9fcf-20aa2c312e7b&pf_rd_r=WS4DTRG0VF8KKMAVY9ND&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&qid=1559725938&s=digital-text&smid=A1G3UP32AZJ14F&sr=1-7" target="_blank">Amazon</a> during June. I'm taking part in the blog tour so look out for my review on publication day!<br />
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Now the twins are 9 (!!!) they're reading more, especially E, so I like to check out books I think she might like. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42267925-the-middler?ac=1&from_search=true#" target="_blank">The Middler</a> is by Kirsty Applebaum and published by the wonderful Nosy Crow. It's about Maggie, the middle child, her older brother Jed and her younger brother Trig, forbidden friendship and betrayal. I'm only about 25 pages in but loving it so far.<br />
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<b><u>Up Next</u></b></div>
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This is the first of my YALC 2019 reads and I cannot wait! I loved The Wren Hunt so much, it was one of my top 10 books of 2018. In fact, I'm contemplating doing a re-read before delving into The Wickerlight but trying to create a YALC reading schedule before I decide.<br />
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<b><u>On The Big Screen</u></b></div>
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I'm off to see Dark Phoenix tomorrow, and apart from the fact that Sophie Turner is playing Jean Grey, I've managed to avoid spoilers and reviews. Really hoping this one lives up to the hype!<br />
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I saw Godzilla: King Of The Monsters yesterday and loved it! I love monster movies and will quite happily watch them for days! There was a man sitting in front of me though who obviously didn't share my love of Mothra because he alternated between playing with his phone and falling asleep and snoring - loudly...<br />
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<b><u>Can't Wait For...</u></b></div>
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Hurrah! A new Jackson Brodie from one of my favorites, Kate Atkinson. This novel has been a long time coming and I always just assumed that there would be no more new Jackson stories. Very happy to be proved wrong! Extra bonus - Jason Isaacs, who played Jackson in the television adaptation, is going to be at ComicCon 2019...Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-41260480484829387772019-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-01T10:00:43.073-04:00Bold Lies - Rachel Lynch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">An investigation leads Kelly back to her former command… and the ex who betrayed her</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #38761d;">A brutal murder in the Lake District.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #38761d;">A double assassination in a secret lab in London’s west end.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #38761d;">Seemingly unconnected, unexpected links between the gruesome crimes emerge and it’s up to <b>DI Kelly Porter</b> to follow the trail – all the way to the capital.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #38761d;">Back amongst old colleagues and forced to work alongside her calculating ex, <b>DCI Matt Carter</b>, Kelly must untangle a web of deceit that stretches into the highest echelons of power. A place where secrets and lies are currency and no obstacle is insurmountable.</span></i></div>
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I have loved each and every Kelly Porter novel I've read and this means I had high expectations for book number five, Bold Lies. I wasn't the slightest bit let down! The action takes place both in the usual wonderful Lakes setting and we also head down south, to London, where Kelly's ex-partner is still working for the Met.<br />
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Three people have been murdered and another is missing, and when it's discovered that all four were colleagues working for the same pharmaceutical company in London it's time for Kelly to put aside of dislike of Matt (the ex) and try to work with him as part of a joint task force. This case though has dangerous implications for anyone connected, and that includes the police. There are government officials involved and an exclusive member's club, and you're never quite sure who to trust.<br />
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As with the previous novels and their wonderful descriptions of the Lakes where Kelly now lives and works, we also get to hear about London and her old life there, including DCI Matt Carter, who was the one that finally and unintentionally pushed her back to the Lakes to spend time with her mother, and to get to know her real father who's now semi-retired and living quite close by.<br />
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The things that make the Kelly Porter books for me are the perfect blend of professional and personal details included in every single story. It's fascinating getting to know more about the police officers investigating the crimes personally, making them more three-dimensional characters and making it easier to get hooked on what's happening. I would love to see Kelly and her team on the small screen as I think this series is crying out to be made into excellent television. Yet again I was completely pulled in by Rachel Lynch's wonderful writing and characters, it's exceptionally compulsive reading! The biggest plus point for me, having read all five books now, is getting to see how much Kelly has grown over them and how much more secure she now seems to be, both as a team leader and as a daughter/girlfriend. I only hope that this doesn't mean there are troubles ahead for her and boyfriend Johnny...</div>
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Bold Lies (Kelly Porter #5) - Rachel Lynch</div>
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Publisher - Canelo</div>
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Release date - May 27th, 2019</div>
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Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44136546-bold-lies?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07P1T8H6J/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a> | Google Books UK<br />
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<b><u>Previous Books In The Series</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2018/02/dark-game-rachel-lynch.html" target="_blank">Dark Game</a><br />
<a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2018/10/deep-fear-rachel-lynch.html" target="_blank">Deep Fear</a><br />
<a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2018/10/dead-end-rachel-lynch.html" target="_blank">Dead End</a><br />
<a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2019/03/bitter-edge-rachel-lynch.html" target="_blank">Bitter Edge</a></div>
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<u><b>About The Author</b></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">Rachel Lynch grew up in Cumbria and the lakes and fells are never far away from her. London pulled her away to teach History and marry an Army Officer, whom she followed around the globe for thirteen years. A change of career after children led to personal training and sports therapy, but writing was always the overwhelming force driving the future. The human capacity for compassion as well as its descent into the brutal and murky world of crime are fundamental to her work.</span><br />
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-57715443276329749852019-05-28T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-11T06:57:14.560-04:00The Body In The Mist - Nick Louth <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">A body is found on a quiet lane in Exmoor, victim of a hit and run. He has no ID, no wallet, no phone, and – after being dragged along the road – no recognisable face.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Meanwhile, fresh from his last case, <b>DCI Craig Gillard</b> is unexpectedly called away to Devon on family business.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Gillard is soon embroiled when the car in question is traced to his aunt. As he delves deeper, a dark mystery reveals itself, haunted by family secrets, with repercussions Gillard could never have imagined. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">The past has never been deadlier.</span></i></div>
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Welcome to the third instalment of the DCI Gillard series by Nick Louth, and what an instalment it is! Gillard is now happily married to Sam, still puzzling over why such a beautiful woman would want a grizzly workaholic like him, when everything is threatened by one phone call. A deadly hit and run has taken place in Devon, the victim is unidentifiable but the car belongs to one of Gillard's aunts and he is summoned to Devon to sort out the whole sorry mess.</div>
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The story is told from two different sides, from Gillard's point of view as the one who's family is being investigated, and from DI Jan Talantire's as the official investigating officer determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. It's clear from the start that Gillard is highly uncomfortable being back in his aunts company, and the two women couldn't be more different. Trish is a former teacher, living in the house she shared with her ex-husband, Howie, who ran away to Thailand and Barbara, large in both stature and personality, running the family farm and struggling to make ends meet. Thrown in to complicate the situation further is Podge, or Uncle Phillip, a former reverend well known for his social injustice campaigning and now living in a nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer's and unable to walk.</div>
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It soon becomes clear that there is far more going on than what has already happened, and Gillard is dragged back into the nightmares of his childhood. Trying to deal with his abusive and abused aunts is more than he can bear but trying to distance himself is impossible and he's drawn back in almost against his will, bombarded with constant phone calls, having to drive back and forth to Devon, and discovering long buried family secrets, some of which are shocking even to Gillard as a serving police officer.</div>
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The Body In The Mist manages to be a well-written police procedural with multi-strand storylines converging together to make one of my favorite crime novels in a long time. Far from feeling spread out the various elements all weave together, forming a tight-knit tale which is impossible to put down, and impossible to predict who did it. Murders both old and new, a court case, and a sheep-killing beast are the main focus point of the book but it's the characters who balance out the story perfectly. Every single character, whether they're mentioned on every page or only appear once, is larger than life and not forgotten once you turn the last page. </div>
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I'm exceedingly pleased that this is not my family but the person you have to feel sorry for throughout the entire novel is Sam, Gillard's wife. Deeply unsettled by his entire family, and especially the lecherous Podge, she starts to wonder just how well she knows her husband but stands by him and supports him through the whole case. I'm just not sure how supportive she'll continue to be given the twist in the tale, on the very last page, which will make you rethink and/or doubt everything you've just read. Brilliant! This series gets better with every book but you could also read this one without having read the first two as each is a separate story. I guarantee though, that you will want to go back to the beginning and read The Body In The Marsh anyway! Now starts the wait for book four...</div>
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-49441450487603729342019-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-11T09:00:22.219-04:00The Body On The Shore - Nick Louth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">A killer is at work in the supposedly-safe commuter belt. DCI Gillard needs answers, fast...</span></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Promising architect Peter Young is shot dead at his desk. <b>DCI Craig Gillard</b> is quickly on the scene, looking at what appears to be a brutal and highly professional hit: two bullets, fired with ice-cold calm.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Gillard knows that the most crucial question in solving the crime is one word: Why? Two weeks later, on the Lincolnshire coast, another body is found on a windswept beach. In this case, there is no identity for the young man, just a curious brand burned into his neck….</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">As the mystery deepens Gillard is plunged into a case without answers, finding himself up against dark forces, people who believe in only two things: blood and a warped code of honour. This time lives are on the line, children's lives - and his own.</span></i></div>
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Having loved Nick Louth's first DCI Gillard book, The Body In The Marsh, I was very much looking forward to book two in the series. The Body On The Shore arrived a year after Marsh, and it was worth the wait.</div>
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Gillard's life has changed and he's now happy and in a relationship with Sam, the PCSO he encountered in book one. His new case could be about to change all that though, as its not just the victims who may lose their lives. An architect has been murdered, and it looks like a professional hit. When they discover that the man was Albanian and came over from Kosovo as a teenager, the team are even more stumped. Gillard also gets a call from someone he's helped in the past, Sophie Lund, seemingly unconnected except for the that the woman's two children are adopted orphans from Albania.<br />
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When another body is found shot to death, on the Lincolnshire shore, bearing all the hallmarks of the architect's murder except for one thing - a strange brand burnt into his neck, Gillard and his team are becoming ever more desperate to find answers. What happens next though, nobody could have predicted... Sophie's children are kidnapped and the brand on the body turns out to be the mark of one of the most feared branches of the Albanian Mafia.<br />
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The Body On The Shore is definitely darker than anything I've read previously by Nick Louth. This book somehow seemed more real, and much grittier but I suspect that it was all the tiny details that painted a portrait of our killers, the (fictional) Albanian Mafia and their long history of blood feuds, wiping out entire families over the smallest of slights. As with all his books, I was completely engrossed from start to finish and unable to stop reading until I had turned the last page. There's no obvious culprit for the murders that take place, only a slightly uneasy feeling that they might not be who you're expecting it to be, and when the killer is finally revealed? Almost complete disbelief but also somehow not unexpected thanks to the background of the story. It's sad to think that in this day and age it is completely plausible that the killer is who it is and I admire Nick Louth for writing the story this way. It certainly amped up the tension and made for a great read into the wee, small hours!<br />
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<b><u>Other Books In The Series</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-body-in-marsh-nick-louth.html" target="_blank">The Body In The Marsh</a><br /><a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-body-in-mist-nick-louth.html" target="_blank">The Body In The Mist</a></div>
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-18000502412246119152019-05-16T00:00:00.000-04:002019-05-16T06:55:23.269-04:00Breaking The Lore - Andy Redsmith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A magical, mischievous mystery perfect for fans of Douglas Adams and Ben Aaronovitch</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">How do you stop a demon invasion... when you don’t believe in magic?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Inspector Nick Paris is a man of logic and whisky. So staring down at the crucified form of a murder victim who is fifteen centimetres tall leaves the seasoned detective at a loss… and the dead fairy is only the beginning.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Suddenly the inspector is offering political asylum to dwarves, consulting with witches, getting tactical advice from elves and taking orders from a chain-smoking talking crow who, technically, outranks him.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">With the fate of both the human and magic worlds in his hands, Nick will have to leave logic behind and embrace his inner mystic to solve the crime and stop an army of demons from invading Manchester!</span></b></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Oh this book! It's been a while since a book has made me snigger whilst reading and Breaking The Lore succeeded more than once. I was reading this on the train and I'm pretty sure this is why people were giving me odd looks...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Compared to Ben Aaronovitch and Douglas Adams, Breaking The Lore is the story of Inspector Nick Paris, or Mr. Parrots if you're a dwarf, Nipparis if you're a (friendly) demon, who would like us to think he's a tough, hard-drinking, Northern police officer but when faced with the execution of a fifteen centimetre tall fairy, he's anything but. Confronted by the fact that magic does indeed exist, the inspector's investigation team soon consists of some interesting characters including his sergeant, Bonetti, not the brightest spark in the box but you have to admire someone who thinks Finding Nemo is a documentary! There's Cassandra, their 'magical' expert and human, a chivalrous elf, a troll princess, a demon Knight, and a talking crow with a penchant for cigarettes!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Breaking The Lore is a pun-filled, fantastical detective novel with plenty to recommend it. At 321 pages it was the perfect length to get to know our motley collection of characters, to be introduced to a side of Manchester that we never knew we wanted to exist, and to get completely absorbed by centaurs and the king & queen of the fairies. The queen, by the way, is not called Titania but Gladys, short for Gladioli! The mystery has plenty of magic filled twists and turns which will keep you guessing until the very end, the whole explanation for the existence of magic is almost completely plausible, and while this first adventure is all wrapped up by the end of the story I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Mr. Parrots does next.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Huge thanks to Andy Redsmith and Canelo via Netgalley for a copy of the book!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Breaking The Lore - Andy Redsmith</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Publisher - Canelo</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Release date - April 15th, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44145235-breaking-the-lore?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NXWMNPP/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;tag=canelo-21" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/breaking-the-lore" target="_blank">Kobo UK</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/gb/book/breaking-the-lore/id1453717261?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple Books UK</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><u>About The Author</u></b></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Andy Redsmith was born in Liverpool and grew up in Runcorn. For university, he moved the </span></span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">enormous distance to Salford and has lived in Manchester ever since. He says the people </span></span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">there are great, but we don’t talk about football.</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">He worked for many years as a project manager in the computing industry, a job which really </span></span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">is every bit as exciting as it sounds. Eventually, the call of writing became too hard to ignore </span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">and he went off to do that instead. Over the years in IT he worked with some very clever </span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">people and some complete weirdos, none of whom bear any resemblance to the characters </span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">in his books. Honest...</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">He has a wonderful wife, a great son, and a loft full of old Marvel comics. One day he’ll get </span></span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">round to selling them. That’s the comics, not the family.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/AndyRedsmith" target="_blank">Andy Redsmith - Twitter</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-71662016384500225192019-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-22T05:45:07.706-04:00Fallen Angel - Chris Brookmyre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">To new nanny Amanda, the Temple family seem to have it all: the former actress; the famous professor; their three successful grown-up children. But like any family, beneath the smiles and hugs there lurks far darker emotions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Sixteen years earlier, little Niamh Temple died while they were on holiday in Portugal. Now, as Amanda joins the family for a reunion at their seaside villa, she begins to suspect one of them might be hiding something terrible...</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">And suspicion is a dangerous thing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I've been reading Mr. Brookmyre's books for longer than I can to admit to and I particularly like his <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/53103-jack-parlabane" target="_blank">Jack Parlabane</a> series. I was understandably intrigued when I first heard about Fallen Angel as it didn't sound like a Brookmyre story and I have to say that I was hooked from page one, despite the fact that it touches on some rather disturbing themes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">From the very start of the novel, we know someone has died, but how is his death connected to the motley crew of characters assembled in Portugal? The story centres around Amanda, a Canadian girl, brought over by family friends to nanny for them, and their young son, Arron. No sooner has she arrived then they're off to Portugal for a family holiday. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Having arrived at the villa Amanda discovers that the owners of the other two neighboring villas are none other than Max Temple, famous debunker, and his wife Celia, an actress who is most well known for starring in a dodgy science-fiction television series. Max has recently died and Celia has gathered the entire family together, for a celebration of Max's life, and this includes Sylvie, their youngest daughter, who has changed her name and is estranged from the rest of the family after the tragedy of losing her baby daughter at this very location. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Things are tense from the get-go. Brookmyre certainly knows how to ratchet up the tension, and as anyone who has been on holiday with extended family knows, there's plenty of tension to start with. Amanda soon realizes that she has been dropped into the middle of an explosive situation and her naturally curious manner is not likely to win her any friends amongst the Temple clan.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">News of another death rocks the villas and this is the trigger needed to start a rollercoaster of revelations to start tumbling out, which is not necessarily going to end well for all. Fallen Angel is a masterpiece in character writing, and as a thriller, it works so well. It's a refreshing change to read a thriller driven mostly by character rather than events, except for the original tragedy. The story is told in two strands, one from 2002 and one from the present, which I'm not always a fan of but in the case of Fallen Angel it's a plus point and only adds to the disquiet and increases the mounting pressure on all involved.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Combine toxic family relationships, tragedy, greed, vanity, strangely appealing unlikeable characters, and a sense of desperation into a gripping, page-turning mystery and the end result is Fallen Angel, one of the most original thrillers I've read in some time. I really hope Chris Brookmyre writes more like this because I loved it! Oh, and for fans of his Parlabane series, there's a wee cameo you might enjoy...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></span>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-35061670155291703762019-03-14T00:00:00.000-04:002019-03-14T00:00:01.318-04:00Blog Tour Extract: Your Guilty Secret - Rebecca Thornton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">You know Lara King. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">The top billing of the showbiz pages, you've seen her every morning; over your breakfast, on your commute to work. You know everything about her; you've dissected her life. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Her perfect relationship with film-star Matthew Raine. Her beautiful six-year-old daughter Ava. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">And so when a terrible incident shatters the family's carefully constructed facade, a media frenzy ensues. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">What happens when the perfect woman begins to unravel? When her whole life is really just a lie? One she will do anything she can to stop you from finding out?</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">This story is . . .</b><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">YOUR GUILTY SECRET. </b><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>Your Guilty Secret - Rebecca Thornton</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">ISBN - </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9781785760754</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: inherit;"><b>Publisher - Bonnier Zaffre</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: inherit;"><b>Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42401794-your-guilty-secret" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Your-Guilty-Secret-Rebecca-Thornton/9781785760754?ref=grid-view&qid=1552504557282&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Guilty-Secret-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B0793Y3CKY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a> |</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Extract</u></b> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">h, 2018 </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1530hrs </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What would you do if your child disappeared into thin air? I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mea</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n, what would you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">reall</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y do? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">m</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">i</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ght pound the pav</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ements screaming their nam</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e, breath sour with fear. Air escapes you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And when you get home, escorted by the police, you might </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fall into th</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e arms of your husband or wife or a member of your </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">family. Slammin</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">g your fists into their chests, your knees drop </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ping to the ground. Pleading. With who, you don't really know. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then with a renewed vi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gour and a sense of hope, you'd go out again. Back to where your child disappeared. You'd watch </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as the police knoc</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ked on surrounding doors and took witness notes and because you wer</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e there, in the action, you might feel </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you wer</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e doing something. Anything. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might consider me </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for a minute wh</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">en I tell you that my child has disappeared, yet despite the world's gaz</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e on me, I have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">absolutely no control over whe</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">re I look for her. I cannot open the front door to our home in The Hidden Hills. I cannot press the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pattern of small, shiny gold buttons that remotely open the huge </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">iron gates, with the hand-carved woode</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n sign on it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Los Palisades. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I cannot use </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my thumbprint to access th</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e extra security we had </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">installed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">could</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I might for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a moment sweep my gaze across the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lawns for any si</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gn of her - my eye line darting i</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n and around </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the uniform</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ly cut grass, the lusciou</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s, rare rose blooms s</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pilling </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">down from the clean lines of our house - even though we were </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">miles from where she disappeared. I'd still glance over to the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pool - as I always did. A habit I'd been un</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ble to relinquish from </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before she'd learned to swim. The clench of my stomach just until I reassured myself, two or three times over, that th</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ere was </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no small body, face down in the softly lapping tur</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">quoise water. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would then race down our cobbled drive, lined with newly buffed cars. I'd curse th</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e palm trees forcing me to weave my way around their silvery trunks</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I'd ignore the burn of my lungs. The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way my l</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">egs would barely be able to hold me up. I'd run, purely because I'd be incapable of driving. Or perhaps it would kick </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">start my senses af</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">resh. And I'd try and think back to where it </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">had all started, my throat swollen with the catch of my breath. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd try and revi</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sit that moment w</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e'd left the hou</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">se, water </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bottles under our </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rms. Me, in workout gear despite having no </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">intention to exercise. Her in a navy sundress embroidered rab</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bits across the collar. Silver Superga trainers. Her face tilted up </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to mine, scrunched up against the sun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Trea</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t day, she'd said. Can you believe it? Just you and me.' </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd think about this as I tried to remember, left or right? Which way had I manoeuvred the car? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had I thought about the paps as I normally did when we left the house? Had I planned my whole route along the back </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">streets, wher</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e they might not be lurking, e</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yes scanning for my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">numbe</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r plate? The way their lenses followed me, like snipers. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or had I just driv</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">en aimlessly, en</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">joying the day panning out </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ahead of us, with nothing to do. No one to see. Just m</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e and my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">daughter. But I can'</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t remember the ins and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">outs of my thoughts </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from this mor</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ning. If I had known what was going to happen, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd have taken more care to engage with my inner monologue. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To remember t</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he way I'd felt a little impatient as Ava had kicked </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at the tyres of our car bef</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ore she'd climbed into the back seat. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The slight twist of her front tooth as it pushed its way through </span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">her gums. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd have looked carefully at the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way her body was formed. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The soft roundness o</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">f her stomach. The fine, blonde hairs travel </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ling down her tanned arms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But of course, I never thought that today would end up like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this. I do, at other times. Think the worst. Catastrophise. But </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">there was som</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ething so perfect about the way today had been </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pannin</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">g out. Just me and her. A special treat. Ice </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cream. It was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the first day in a long while I'd felt able to breathe. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That in itself should have been the first sign of thi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ngs to come. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was Det</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ective Mcg</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">raw who sat me down in t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he police </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">station and t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">old me that he was driving me straight home and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that I had to sta</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y indoors. Those green eyes of his, continu</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ously locked onto one focal po</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t a fraction above my right </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shoulder. White face, a fine tracing of freckles smudged a</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cross </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">his top lip. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'I need to be out there though. Looking for her. She's my daughter. Please. There must be a way?' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'I know. And I'm sorry</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. W</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e can't risk hampering the inves</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tigation. Thousands of people are out there, looking. A</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nd so we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">need you to stay inside your house.' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew he was ri</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ght. That it was for the be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">st. You see, I wanted </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you to be looking for her, witho</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ut distraction. Surely I had </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">learned by now – stay out of view in times </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of trouble. After all, a </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wro</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ngly placed smile, a casual lift of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my eyebrow could set you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">off, and that's not what I need right now. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm getting ahead of myself. I suppose I should tell you the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">things that happened less than six hours earlier. Just after we </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">had pulled out o</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">f our drive, sun beating down through the windscreen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll tell yo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">u as much as I can remember. The same details </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I told Detective Mcgraw in my oak-panelled study after he'd </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">told me they'd t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">aken my computer an</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d mobile phone. We'd sat, me at my desk with my leather in-tr</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ays and stationery </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">draw</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ers all in straight lines in front of me. He </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was opposite me, in an ergonomic swi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">vel chair that kept twisting from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">underneath him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'I'd planned a special day out, I told him. "Just us. It's such..</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was s</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uch a beautiful day, the words spill out my mouth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'Any reason for the outing? An occasion, perhaps?' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'Yes. It </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was my way of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">saying thank you. For the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way Ava </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">behaved for the a</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nnouncem</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ent. Did you see it?' </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">'I read about it.' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'She had been so good, I continued. 'So I told her that I'd </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">take her out.' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then what? We've pieced togethe</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r as much as we can of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your journey, ma</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pping the CCTV footage. You hadn't pinned </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">any of your locations on yo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ur public social media accounts. Any </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">private ones we need to know </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about?' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'No.' </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OK. If you could tell me what happened this morning, then?' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“At nine forty-five this mo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rning we drove to Laurel Canyon. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To go for a walk. O</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n the way there, Ava grew tired. She lay down." </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span> <b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></b> <b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></b>Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5974869323257081561.post-83870950590588047602019-03-08T00:00:00.000-05:002019-03-08T05:13:34.867-05:00Trapped - Nick Louth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGAxnlxqshyphenhyphen1E8qGxytXBzbumZmqyWuXTG4RbE1yRTpdUTfg_IItiY5iVpS9z0C0ReNsB3_MTq3PyLxBDDYKiXkNLJcPQ0RqlhfuFHlOkJb7E_3txu851NIcxy4tHDZMnhryUPuKtoA0/s1600/trapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGAxnlxqshyphenhyphen1E8qGxytXBzbumZmqyWuXTG4RbE1yRTpdUTfg_IItiY5iVpS9z0C0ReNsB3_MTq3PyLxBDDYKiXkNLJcPQ0RqlhfuFHlOkJb7E_3txu851NIcxy4tHDZMnhryUPuKtoA0/s320/trapped.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Two desperate criminals. Something she never saw coming. </span></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #073763;">In Manchester, two hardened gang members on the run take Catherine Blake and her one-year-old son hostage at gunpoint. She is in the wrong place at the wrong time.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #073763;">Held in a Transit van, Catherine needs a plan fast. But it means diving into her captors’ risk-drenched world, and playing them at their own game.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #073763;">Catherine has been through cancer, miscarriages and five draining years of IVF in order to have her son Ethan. He is the most precious thing in the world. She may be terrified out of her wits, but she’d do anything to protect him. Anything, no matter the cost...</span></i></div>
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Trapped is a standalone novel from the writer of the DCI Gillard series of which there are two available, <a href="https://bookishoutsider.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-body-in-marsh-nick-louth.html" target="_blank">The Body In The Marsh</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41473419-the-body-on-the-shore" target="_blank">The Body On The Shore</a>, and The Body In The Mist is out in May. I really enjoyed Nick's previous books so was very much looking forward to reading this one. I wasn't disappointed! Trapped starts with a happy family - father, mother, long-wished-for son - but by the end of the day, nothing will ever be the same.<br />
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Catherine is kidnapped, along with her son Ethan, after witnessing something so horrific that it will stay with her for the rest of her days. Hopefully, Ethan, who is not quite one yet, will never remember the bloodshed or the horror he's about to witness. Used as hostages by two desperate criminals in Manchester, Trapped is essentially a story about surviving the most nightmarish situation you can imagine yourself in, magnified intensely as all you're worried about is the fact that your baby is with you, and the kidnappers seem to have no patience with him.<br />
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What follows is a breath-holding, heart-stopping story of abduction, of being stuck in the back of a van with two violent men armed with guns and knives, and what you have to do to survive. Nick Louth has written a truly original crime story, it's unlike anything I've ever read anyway, and the title is incredibly clever - especially once the final chapters unfold, and the spectacular sting in the tale is revealed. There are some truly splendid twists and turns in Trapped, most of which I guessed at until the very last moment. If you're looking for something different to read in the UK crime genre, and you're open to more unusual storylines then please read Trapped, and let me know what you think! Nick Louth is improving with every book, and I can't wait to read The Body In The Mist later this year.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Trapped - Nick Louth</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Publisher - Canelo</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Release date - January 28th, 2019</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Find - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43074431-trapped?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KQY1YKZ/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=ur2&tag=canelo-21" target="_blank">Kindle UK</a> | <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/book/trapped/id1443783724?mt=11&uo=8&at=1000l5Q7" target="_blank">Apple Books UK</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/trapped-176" target="_blank">Kobo UK</a> |</span></b></div>
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<b>About The Author</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nick Louth is a bestselling thriller writer, award-winning financial journalist and an investment commentator. A 1979 graduate of the London School of Economics, he went on to become a Reuters foreign correspondent in 1987. It was an experience at a medical conference in Amsterdam in 1992 while working for Reuters, that gave him the inspiration for Bite, which was self-published in 2007 and went on to become the UK no. 1 Kindle bestseller for several weeks in 2014 before being snapped up by Sphere. It has sold a third of a million copies and been translated into six languages. The terrorism thriller Heartbreaker was published in June 2014 and received critical acclaim from Amazon readers, with a 4.6 out of 5 stars on over 100 reviews. Mirror Mirror, subtitled ‘When evil and beauty collide’, was published in June 2016. The Body in the Marsh, a crime thriller, was published by Canelo in September 2017, with The Body on the Shore following in 2018. Freelance since 1998, he has been a regular contributor to the Financial Times, Investors Chronicle and Money Observer, and has published nine other books. Nick Louth is married and lives in Lincolnshire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://twitter.com/nicklouthauthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.nicklouth.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></span></div>
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Bookishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537722092723003525noreply@blogger.com1