Happy publication day to Richard Armitage for Geneva! Although it’s been out for a while on Audible, it’s now available in hardback. Thank you to Faber Books for an early read via NetGalley. Before I share my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
The Blurb
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of Alzheimer’s disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference – until her husband Daniel, a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it. The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah’s life.
In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars – at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah’s symptoms are getting worse. As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can’t be sure who to trust – including herself.
My Review
Starting with a cinematic opening in the Swiss Alps, it’s clear that Richard Armitage has brought his acting experience into Geneva. I was thrown initially with all the different POVs and it took me a while to settle into it. But once settled, I was gripped. I’m a very visual person and so when I read, I see the chapters as scenes in my head. We’re never too sure who the antagonist is and for poor Sarah, struggling with Alzheimer’s symptoms, she has less of a clue.
The idea of ‘Neurocell’, a biotech invention capable of overriding neurological conditions, seems both preposterous and plausible at the same time. Richard Armitage plays the balance well, knowing how far to push the plot.
I’ve only spent a few hours in Geneva, and most of that was around the lake, so it wasn’t that easy for me to picture some of the places. Although the traffic jams were captured pretty well! But the whole idea of a biotech billionaire living in his medical institute in the mountains was something I could buy into. There’s a scene where VR headsets are used and I actually felt quite disorientated afterwards. That’s how good the descriptions are.
Overall, it’s a fast-paced thriller, with memorable characters and a plot that, in the near future, could be a reality.
Richard Armitage is a multi-award winning stage, screen and voice actor best known for his roles in Peter Jackson’s trilogy of The Hobbit, Captain America, Alice through the Looking Glass and Oceans 8. Geneva is his first novel
Happy publication day to Alex Khan for The Scorned! This is the second book in the DS Mumtaz ‘Moomy’ Ali series. Thank you to Hera Books for an early read. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
The Blurb
Sidra Hussain has just made it home after a date. Opening the door, her blood runs cold as she realises the caller is here to take her life…
When a young Asian woman is found brutally murdered in her North London home, DS Mumtaz ‘Moomy’ Ali begins the investigation, but is blindsided by a case with no obvious motive.
When a second female victim is found, with no obvious links to Sidra apart from also having her throat slit, it seems Moomy is up against every detective’s nightmare… a serial killer bringing terror to the streets of London.
As the case deepens, Moomy and her detective partner Sarah Heaton uncover a sinister underground group brought together by their hatred of women. But their roots run deep, and they count some very powerful people in their number.
To stop the bloodshed, Moomy must delve into the darkest corners of the internet, a place where hatred festers, unchecked – but she needs to be fast, because the killer has their sights set on her…
My Review
I loved the first in the DS Mumtaz ‘Moomy’ Ali series and couldn’t wait to start this. The pace is swift from the beginning and doesn’t let up once. Switching between viewpoints gives 360 degrees of the story, providing the reader with plenty of information. Having said that, I couldn’t work out who was responsible and that doesn’t happen often! Alex Khan maintains the balance between the main plot and the story arc of the two main protagonists – Moomy and DI Sarah Heaton, as well as introducing a couple of new characters in Damian and Jules.
The murder of Sabina Nessa as she walked through a park was in my mind as I read this. Alex Khan taps into those fears, shines a light into the dark world of toxic masculinity and violence against women, and finds a way to bring justice. He unapologetically examines forced arranged marriages and the damage caused by them in Moomy’s life. I also like the juxtaposition of Moomy rejecting her Muslim faith and culture, whereas recent Muslim convert Sarah, embraces the comfort her new religion brings.
I really hope there’ll be more books in the series as Alex Khan gives us a very different perspective on the police.
Alex Khan has spent over a decade working in Information Systems Security for a number of government organisations. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English Teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing.
Hi all. Hope you had a good summer and that it was better than mine. I was ill with Covid for most of it but managed to be well enough to go on holiday in Croatia. Lots of other stuff happened too but I’ll save that for a future post.
I want to tell you now about some events that are coming up this term. This Thursday, 21st September, is proving to be a popular date for all things bookish! There are lots of things on but one I want to highlight is an event at Wimbledon Waterstones. It’s great to have things happening so close to me. Graham Bartlett and Kia Abdullah will be in conversation with Craig Sisterson at 6.30pm. You can buy your tickets here.
Autumn is book festival season and I’m really proud to be taking part in Wimbledon Bookfest this year. I’ll be interviewing Janice Hallett on Saturday 21st October at 4pm. The good news is this year the festival isn’t in a tent! We’re in the very dry spaces of Wimbledon High School, Wimbledon Theatre and Wimbledon Library. It runs from the 12th-22nd October and includes two of my favourite authors, Alexander McCall Smith and Philippa Gregory. Full details and tickets can be found here.
Save the date! On Monday 20th November at 7.30pm, at West Barnes Library, I’ll be chatting to AA Chaudhuri and Jacqueline Sutherland about their latest books. More news on that soon!
Happy publication day to Victoria Goldman for the second instalment in her Shanna Regan series – The Associate. Thanks to Victoria and Three Crowns Publishing for an early read. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
The Blurb
When an architect vanishes in East London, her concerned fiancé asks journalist Shanna Regan to find her. The missing woman has been leading an interfaith Jewish-Muslim charity project that’s become the target of malicious damage and racist threats.
After Shanna witnesses a teenage girl fall to her death, she’s convinced the architect’s disappearance is also linked to a local youth outreach project. And then another woman is reported missing.
Amid rising local tensions, danger appears to be lurking around every corner. Even the safest sanctuaries seem to be hiding the darkest secrets. As Shanna uncovers a tangled web of lies, she puts her own life on the line. Will she find the missing architect before it’s too late?
The Associate is the compelling and thought-provoking sequel to The Redeemer.
My Review
I loved The Redeemer when it came out last year so I was thrilled to see journalist, Shanna Regan, back for another story. Last time, it was a much more personal story that Shanna was chasing. This time round, Shanna is working for a bigger news outlet, so she’s in London looking for a scoop when she’s asked to use her investigative skills in a different way. She’s reluctant to take a missing persons case but intrigued enough to find out more. And maybe bag a story at the same time.
Shanna has really grown as a character in The Associate and that’s testament to Victoria Goldman’s writing. In The Redeemer, Shanna was still finding her feet after being away for a long time but there’s a sturdiness to her now and I feel I’ve got to know her better as a result. Topical themes come into play in the story, mixed with mystery and suspense. I loved the idea of an inter-faith project between Jews and Muslims and Goldman uses this to inform and educate in an entertaining way. Tension steadily builds throughout the story until we reach the climatic moment. I really enjoyed The Associate and hope there’ll be another Shanna Regan story at some point.
I first published this in March but I’m resharing it now as it’s publication day for Fiona Cummins. A huge thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an early review of All Of Us Are Broken by Fiona Cummins. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
The Blurb
It’s been a long time since the Hardwicke family has been on holiday. But thirteen-year-old Galen has wanted to see the wild dolphins at Scotland’s Chanonry Point for as long as she can remember, and her mother Christine – a lone parent since her beloved husband left – is determined she gets her wish. But their serene trip is about to be interrupted.
When DC Saul Anguish is called to investigate the shooting of an ex-police officer in Midtown-on-Sea, Essex, he quickly discovers that this is the first in a string of killings by Missy and Fox, a damaged young couple hell-bent on infamy, their love story etched in blood. In pursuit, Saul follows their trail north.
The paths of the Hardwickes’ and the deadly couple are about to collide. When Saul and his forensic linguist partner, Blue, arrive on the scene, they witness the unthinkable: a mother forced to make an impossible choice.
Saul must uncover the truth about the couple. But can he find the strength to lay the ghosts of his past to rest before they break him?
My Review
I’m not sure where to begin. This isn’t going to be a long review as I don’t want to say any more about the plot. This really is a book you need to discover for yourself.
I’ve read all of Fiona Cummins’ books and they’re all brilliant. With All Of Us Are Broken though, it’s as if all the fine tuning that Fiona has done over the last several years with her books, has come into play in this story. There are still the trademark unusual names (Galen), the time stamps, and brave children who face and endure trauma. But the emotional thread is stronger than I’ve seen it before in her novels. Grief and melancholy wrap themselves around you as you read, the pain ragged and raw. There were some things in there which meant so much to me, that Fiona wouldn’t even know about. It’s a story that’s going to sit in my head for a long time, mulling it over and dealing with the emotions that surface. If you aren’t already broken before reading All Of UsAre Broken, you will be by the end. Stunning.
All Of Us Are Broken is out on the 20th July and you can order here.
The Author
Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy, where she now teaches her own Writing Crime course. She is the bestselling author of five crime thriller novels, all of which have received widespread critical acclaim from household names including Val McDermid, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Martina Cole and Ian Rankin. Three of her novels have been optioned for television.
Rattle, her debut, has been translated into several languages and Marcel Berlins wrote in The Times: ‘Amid the outpouring of crime novels, Rattle is up there with the best of them.’ Fiona was selected for McDermid’s prestigious New Blood panel at the 2017 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, where her novel was nominated for a Dead Good Reader Award for Most Exceptional Debut. A sequel, The Collector, was published in February 2018 and David Baldacci described it as ‘A crime novel of the very first order’.
Her third novel – standalone thriller The Neighbour – was published in April 2019. Ian Rankin called it ‘creepy as hell’. Her fourth novel When I Was Ten, an Irish Times bestseller, was published in April 2021. Into The Dark, Fiona’s fifth novel, was published in April 2022 and was described by Sarah Vaughan, author of Netflix smash-hit Anatomy of A Scandal, as ‘Complex. Inventive. Twisty. Unsettling.’ The Daily Mail said it was ‘breathtakingly good’. Her sixth novel, All Of Us Are Broken, will be published in July 2023.
When Fiona is not writing, she can be found on Twitter, eating biscuits or walking her dogs. She lives in Essex with her family.
The 20th July is a busy day for publications! Lots of books are out today on the first day of the Theakston Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate. There are two that I’ve had the chance to read early so thank you to Sphere for A Game Of Lies by Clare Mackinstosh, Riverrun for The Conspirators by G.W. Shaw, and NetGalley for providing the advance proofs. Happy publication day to Clare and William!
The Conspirators by G.W. Shaw
The Blurb
Jacob Meaney makes so little money as a translator that his girlfriend has given up on him. Then Eloise, an Australian digital marketer, appears out of the blue, offering him unheard of sums for a couple of weeks’ work.
A private plane and helicopter take him to a showcase villa in Carinthia and all the luxury he could ever want. Here he meets the owner of the house Bondarenko. Unwillingly Jacob has become part of an organised crime conspiracy, held captive there by armed guards.
His task is to interpret between Hindi, Russian and English during Zoom calls with Nazim, an Indian criminal whose gang have taken over the manufacture and distribution network of the wonder fertility drug that Bondarenko has been selling on the internet. It becomes clear to Jacob that his employer is in far deeper and more dangerously than he realises. The gang’s plan is to take over the entire operation by any means.
The villa has become a lethal gilded prison to Jacob and Vlada, the maid who’s a trafficked worker. When Nazim finally strikes which side will Jacob take to survive?
My Review
Following on from ‘Dead Rich’, GW Shaw has targeted the elite rich again in a rather different tale (although a small boat does feature). Jacob is a translator, not an interpreter. There is a difference. He focuses on literary translation, poems mostly and has a rather unique set of language skills, including Hindi and Russian. It’s this that brings him to the attention of Eloise, a forthright Australian who won’t take no for an answer when she offers him a job. As a poor translator, the money persuades him rather than Eloise. When he arrives, he quickly discovers that he’d rather stay poor.
The action takes place in a well-guarded and gated mansion in Austria. I started reading this when I was in Vienna and I was hoping for a bit more Austria in the book. In some ways, the mansion could have been anywhere, but knowing GW Shaw, there will be a reason as to why it’s Austria.
This is definitely a story where brain triumphs over brawn. Outgunned on all fronts, Jacob has to think quickly and wisely in order to get out of the situation he finds himself in. Although, it’s very much a case of two steps forward, three back. I felt his frustration at every knockback. He’s such an unlikely hero that you can’t help but warm to him. I’m not sure what GW Shaw will look at next but if you’re rich and corrupt – watch out!
They say the camera never lies. But on this show, you can’t trust anything you see.
Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they’ve signed up for.
Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won’t just be eliminated – they’ll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they’d ever imagined, and they’re trapped.
The disappearance of a contestant wasn’t supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she’s watched on screen, and find out who these people really are – knowing she can’t trust any of them.
And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.
My Review
We’re back in Wales with DC Ffion Morgan, and this time, she seems a little subdued. Not surprising really after the events and trauma of The Last Party. There’s a shift in her relationship with Seren, she’s having to go into the office to work, and she didn’t reply to DS Leo Brady’s last text message. So she jumps at the chance to go and investigate when a bone is found at a campsite on a Welsh mountain. But this isn’t any old campsite, this is Exposure – a new live reality TV programme. However, Ffion and the contestants soon discover that ‘exposure’ has nothing to do with camping out in the elements but all to do with exposing the contestants’ secrets.
I think it’s fair to say that the first chapter of A Game Of Lies, is probably the best first chapter I’ve ever read. I’m not going to explain further – you’ll have to read it yourself! Once more, Clare Mackintosh cleverly weaves the different strands together as we hear from the contestants, the production team and the police. DS Leo Brady is back but appears to be getting on better with Ffion’s colleague, Georgina, than her. There is constant tension throughout with everyone on edge. I couldn’t work out who was responsible until the reveal. The book ends nicely set up for the next one in the series and I’m already intrigued as to what Clare Mackintosh has planned.
We had our second Murder In Merton event on Tuesday 20th June, with Crime in the Library, at Wimbledon Library, hosted by Wimbledon Bookfest and Merton Libraries. Our panellists were Olivia Kiernan, Saima Mir and Robert Gold. I wish I could remember everything they said so I could write it all down but we discussed quite a lot of things – from settings to points of view to father figures.
But I can tell you about their books and some of the things they said.
Photo by Beth Kluver
The End of Us by Olivia Kiernan
It all started to go wrong the day the Wrights moved in next door
Myles and Lana Butler live on a gorgeous new development in Wimbledon, leaning on a mortgage that is just within reach. When one of Myles’ investments fails they are bound to lose everything.
Gabriel and Holly Wright have just moved in next door. The Wrights are sophisticated, ambitious and apparently very wealthy. At an after-dinner drink with their new neighbours, Myles and Lana share their worries and a solution is suggested between the couples. Life Insurance fraud. For a cut of the pay out, the Wrights would help them.
No one thought they were being serious. No one agreed they’d actually go through with it. And no one mentioned it would involve murder.
As Olivia’s book is set in Wimbledon, this was an intriguing read for me and very interesting for our Wimbledon audience to hear about. Olivia had visited Wimbledon Village and the Common previously, and in true crime writer fashion, she’d started to think about what possible crimes could happen in such a location. By setting the novel in a small gated neighbourhood of just six houses, Olivia Kiernan has created a claustrophobic atmosphere. This is increased by the first person viewpoint of Dr Myles Butler. We only see the story through his eyes. As the story develops, Myles begins to unravel.
Photo by Craig Sisterson
The Khan by Saima Mir
Be twice as good as men and four times as good as white men.
Jia Khan has always lived like this.
Successful London lawyer Jia Khan is a long way from the Northern streets she knew as a child, where her father, Akbar Khan, led the Pakistani community and ran the local organised crime syndicate.
Often his Jirga rule – the old way – was violent and bloody, but it was always justice of a kind.
Now, with her father murdered, Jia must return to take his place. Justice needs to be restored, and Jia is about to discover that justice always comes at a cost.
Saima Mir wanted to write about her home city of Bradford (creating a fictional area) and used her experience as a crime journalist as inspiration. She told us about a time when she was reporting on a shooting of a police officer. It drew in a crowd of journalists, including the big newspapers. Saima went into a local curry house and was followed by the Daily Mail reporter. As a local journalist, Saima knew who to speak to, to get a lead. The Daily Mail guy knew this too. So, Saima switched to Urdu to talk to one of the workers. Saima got the scoop. It made her think about how second and third generation British Asian people combine their Britishness with their Asian heritage, and that’s what she explores through her protagonist, Jia Khan.
Photo by Craig Sisterson
Eleven Liars by Robert Gold
Journalist Ben Harper is on his way home when he sees the flames in the churchyard. The derelict community centre is on fire. And somebody is trapped inside.
With Ben’s help the person escapes, only to flee the scene before they can be identified. Now the small town of Haddley is abuzz with rumours. Was this an accident, or arson?
Then a skeleton is found in the burnt-out foundations.
And when the identity of the victim is revealed, Ben is confronted with a crime that is terrifyingly close to home. As he uncovers a web of deceit and destruction that goes back decades, Ben quickly learns that in this small town, everybody has something to hide.
Eleven Liars is the second Ben Harper story. Ben is a journalist and Robert Gold used to work for CNN. One of the things he discovered as a journalist, was that you could just knock on someone’s door and ask questions. And that’s exactly what Ben Harper does in the fictional town of Haddley, based on Putney. Robert chose to fictionalise the setting as he thought it might be a bit weird to have actual places where the murders are set, especially as he lives in Putney! But Robert does bring in other local towns such as Richmond and Isleworth to create that South West London atmosphere.
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It was an absolute pleasure to chair such an entertaining panel and I think the audience enjoyed it too. Thanks to Craig Sisterson and Beth Kluver for the photographs. Thanks also to Wimbledon Bookfest and Merton Libraries for setting up the event, and to Wimbledon Waterstones for selling the books. If you couldn’t make the event, signed copies of the books are available to buy in Wimbledon Waterstones.
Our third Murder In Merton for Crime Reading Month is a crime writing workshop with Biba Pearce and myself, this coming Saturday 24th June 11.30am-1.30pm. There are still some places left and you can book at wimbledonbookfest.org . Cost is £20 or free to Merton residents living in CR4, CR7, SM3 and SM4 postcode areas.
In case you’ve missed it, June is Crime Reading Month and there are events happening up and down the country. Check out crimereading.com to find events in your local area. I have three events for Crime Reading Month which I’m doing under the banner of Murder In Merton. The first was the Crime Authors Fair which was held on Saturday 10th June at West Barnes Library.
It was a very hot day to come out but the library has air con! Four authors came to talk about their novels, chat to readers and sell a few books too. Amer Anwar gave a short talk on his extraordinary publishing journey. Huge thanks to Amer Anwar, Sarah Clarke, Biba Pearce and ML Rose for coming along.
We had a quiz for our audience, which I didn’t think was too hard, but apparently it was, as only one person got full marks! The winner took home a selection of books, a notebook, pen, mug and, most important of all, a bag of my triple chocolate cookies!
The wonderful staff at West Barnes Library ordered in copies of our authors books and they’re now available to be borrowed. A couple of authors, Lucy Martin and Alex Khan, weren’t able to take part but their books are in the library too.
We had a great afternoon in the coolness of West Barnes Library and might try doing this again late autumn.
Thanks, as always, to Sarah McAlister from the Friends of West Barnes Library who I organise events with, to the staff of the library for putting up with me creating displays and generally causing havoc, and to my husband and daughter for helping to set everything up. My daughter also took the photos and permission will be needed to reproduce them.
But June isn’t over yet and there are two more events to come with Wimbledon Bookfest and Merton Libraries! On Tuesday 20th June at 7pm, at Wimbledon Library, I’ll be chatting to Saima Mir, Olivia Kiernan and Robert Gold about their latest books. Tickets are free but booking is required. Then on Saturday 24th June 11.30am – 1.30pm, also at Wimbledon Library, Biba Pearce and I will be running a crime writing workshop. Cost is £20 but free for Merton residents who live in the postcode areas of CR4, CR7, SM3 and SM4. To book for both events, go to wimbledonbookfest.org
Very excited to announce the launch of Murder In Merton: Crime Writing Events across the London Borough of Merton. I’ve been running author events with the Friends of West Barnes Library in Motspur Park for a few years, and now, I’m branching out to other parts of the borough. I’ll be partnering with Merton Libraries and Wimbledon Bookfest to make this happen. Thank you to Fiona Razvi from Wimbledon Bookfest and Silvia Leal de Oliveira at Merton Libraries.
June is Crime Reading Month with the CWA and the Reading Agency. It’s therefore a great time to start Murder In Merton with three events. Check out crimereading.com to see what’s going on in your local area for June.
Saturday 10th June 2-4pm at West Barnes Library – An Authors’ Fair
With Sarah Clarke, Lucy Martin, Biba Pearce, M L Rose, Amer Anwar & Alex Khan. There will be books available to buy and the opportunity to chat with the authors.
2:15pm Author introductions
3:00pm Amer Anwar will talk about his writing career.
Refreshments will be provided for a small cost. And there’ll be a competition to enter. No booking or entry fee – just turn up and stay as long as you like!
Tuesday 20th June – Crime in the Library at Wimbledon Library – 7-8.15pm.
I’ll be interviewing Saima Mir (TheKhan), Olivia Kiernan (The End Of Us) and Robert Gold (Eleven Liars) about their latest novels. Entry is free but you must book. To do so click here.
Saturday 24th June – Introduction to Crime Writing at Wimbledon Library 11.30-1.30
I’ll be running a beginner’s workshop along with Biba Pearce. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at crime writing or maybe you’ve been writing for a while and would like some feedback, then here’s your chance. £20 for the session but there are some limited free tickets for unwaged/low-income customers. To fund out more, click here.
There’ll be more from Murder In Merton throughout the year and some of you may have spotted a separate page for it here on my blog. I’ll keep it updated with future events. Hope to see you at any of the events above!
Happy publication day to Will Dean for The Last Passenger! Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an early read. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
The Blurb
A luxury cruise liner, abandoned with no crew, steaming into the mid-Atlantic. And you are the only passenger left on board.
Caz Ripley, a cafe owner from a small, ordinary town, boards the RMS Atlantica with her boyfriend Pete and a thousand fellow passengers destined for New York.
The next morning, she wakes to discover that everyone else on board has disappeared.
And that’s just the beginning. Caz must prepare for a crossing that will be anything but plain sailing …
My Review
I’m going to start this review by referring back to Bad Apples, one of Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson’s books. In that story, we got to see what happens when Will lets his imagination run riot. He’s done something similar in The Last Passenger.
Caz Ripley is being whisked away by her partner, Pete, on a once-in-a-lifetime trip – crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the UK to New York. But after the first night on the ocean liner, Caz wakes up to find Pete gone, along with everyone else. Caz is the last passenger on board.
What follows is confusing and terrifying but Will Dean knows how much to give away and when to do so. It certainly wasn’t a calming read before bedtime! I don’t want to give away any of the plot though because it’s so important that readers find this out for themselves. What I will say though is, in the same vein of Bad Apples, Will Dean has written a controlled descent into chaos and madness. It’s deliciously clever, terrifically tense and has an ending that I hate him for. But this really is Will Dean at his absolute best.
Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.
joykluver 