BOOKSIMO

Description THE ONLY THING MORE SHOCKING THAN THE FIRST CHAPTER . . . IS THE LAST. Everything changed the night Flora disappeared. Heather and Jess were best friends -  until the night Heather's sister vanished. Jess has never forgiven herself for the lie she told that night.  Nor has Heather. But now Heather is accused of an awful crime. And Jess is forced to return to the sleepy seaside town where they grew up, to ask the question she's avoided for so long: What really happened the night Flora disappeared? 'Amazing. A twisty whydunnit that I finished in just two days. Smart, gripping and atmospheric, readers will love  Then She Vanishes' Gillian McAllister , bestselling author of  Everything But The Truth Review It's not often I agree with book blurb  - but this was spot on! THE ONLY THING MORE SHOCKING THAN THE FIRST CHAPTER . . . IS THE LAST. . .  The book begins with a quite shocking scene that involves Heather. We then...

Description When John Cadbury came to Birmingham in 1824, he sold tea, coffee and drinking chocolate in a small shop on Bull Street. Drinking chocolate was considered a healthy alternative to alcohol, something Cadbury, a Quaker, was keen to encourage. In 1879, the Cadburys moved to Bournville and created their ‘factory in a garden’ – an unprecedented move. It is now ironic that today’s Bournville is surrounded by that urban sprawl the Cadburys were so keen to get away from. This book looks at some of the social impact this company has had since its inception, both on the chocolate and cocoa business in general and on the community at large, both within and without the firm of Cadbury. In 2024, Cadbury's will be celebrating 200 years of the first store opening. This is the story of how the company began, how it grew, and how they diversified in order to survive. Review This book charts the history of Cadbury from it's beginnings to the present day - although rat...

Description How far would you go to save your reputation? The stunning new noir thriller from the author of the bestselling The Missing One and The Other Child. Perfect for fans of I Let You Go and The Ice Twins. Professor Olivia Sweetman has worked hard to achieve the life she loves, with a high-flying career as a TV presenter and historian, three children and a talented husband. But as she stands before a crowd at the launch of her new bestseller she can barely pretend to smile. Her life has spiralled into deceit and if the truth comes out, she will lose everything. Only one person knows what Olivia has done. Vivian Tester is the socially awkward sixty-year-old housekeeper of a Sussex manor who found the Victorian diary on which Olivia's book is based. She has now become Olivia's unofficial research assistant. And Vivian has secrets of her own. As events move between London, Sussex and the idyllic South of France, the relationship between these two women grows more en...

Description Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak,  Masha's life has been forever changed  by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum, and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's  lido . Then a chance encounter with  two extraordinary women  - the fabulous and wise  Kitty Muriel , a convent girl turned magician's wife turned seventy-something roller disco  fanatic, and the mysterious  Sally Red Shoes , a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again.  But just as Masha dares to imagine the future, her past comes roaring back ... Review I didn't read Ruth Hogan's previous book so I came new to this author. The book started out a little confusingly with the introduction of two characters, how or why will they be connected? Then we fast forward to the same charac...

Description Every working mum has had to face it. The guilt-fuelled, anxiety-filled first day back in the office after maternity leave. But this working mum is one of a kind. Meet Alexis Tyler. An elite covert agent within Her Majesty's Secret Service. Her first project back is a high-stakes hit of global significance and the old boys network of government espionage is  far  from ready for the return of an operational mother. But woe betide anyone who ever tells Alexis Tyler 'you can't'. She will have it all. Or she'll die trying . . . And yes, she damn well  will  be home for bath time. Review I felt like a more light hearted read so reached for this book. At first I thought it was going to be just a little too fluffly for my liking as trained killer Alexis reached for her gun and a half eaten rice cake was stuck to the barrel. The book then went through the usual back to work hang ups any new Mother experiences, together with the male c...

Description Lost letters have only one hope for survival . . . Inside the Dead Letters Depot in East London, William Woolf is one of thirty letter detectives who spend their days solving mysteries. Missing postcodes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names - they are all the culprits of missed birthdays, broken hearts, unheard confessions, pointless accusations, unpaid bills and unanswered prayers. When William discovers letters addressed simply to 'My Great Love' his work takes on new meaning. Written by a woman to a soulmate she hasn't met yet, the missives stir William in ways he didn't know were possible. Soon he begins to wonder: Could  William  be her great love? William must follow the clues in Winter's letters to solve his most important mystery yet: the human heart. Review The idea of this book appealed to me so much that perhaps I let myself think it was going to be a different ...