The Murder List - Jackie Kabler

 

Description

The brand new psychological thriller from the author of Am I Guilty, The Perfect Couple and The Happy Family

When Mary receives a blank diary as a present, she thinks nothing of it. Until she opens the diary, and sees it’s not blank after all…

1st January MURDER LISA, OXFORD
1st February MURDER JANE, BIRMINGHAM
1st March MURDER DAVID, CARDIFF
1st April MURDER MARY, CHELTENHAM

Is this a sick joke? But…it’s the end of January now. And a woman called Lisa was murdered in Oxford on 1st January.

Could there really be a killer out there, planning to commit a new murder each month? And is the Mary due to be killed on 1st April her?

The clock is ticking for Mary to uncover the truth, before she becomes the next victim on the killer’s list…

Review

Fast paced and a twisty ride.

The book is for the most part narrated by Mary Ellis - receiver of the Murder List.  I really liked the voice she had, so easy going and relatable, she could be anyone you know. So when she discovers her name is potentially on a list of planned murders it hits home and feels so real. 

The author was clever in making me think everyone was possibly the murderer, and I ran ahead in my mind with all sorts of theories.  When one of my theories proved right I thought I had this plot all sewn up, but of course I didn't. A few twists I didn't see coming made me turn pages faster and faster. 

It's a really original concept. A Murder List giving the police the date of who is going to be murdered and where - but it's not quite that straightforward, especially with the name David in Cardiff! From the zoom meetings to the stake outs it was gripping stuff wondering if the police would figure it all out before the 1st April.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to negalley for the ARC to review.

The People on Platform 5 - Clare Pooley

 

Description

Get ready to hop onboard this summer's unmissable book - the perfect feel-good and heart-warming read.

Readers are falling in love with The People on Platform 5:

'Incredible book, full of joy and warmth and love!'
'A great novel with some truly wonderful characters'
'The fantastic cast of eclectic characters will steal your heart & have you rooting for their happy endings'
'A feel-good, once-in-a-lifetime story'
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Every day at 8:05, Iona Iverson boards the train to go to work with the same group of people who she makes assumptions about, even giving them nicknames. As a seasoned commuter, she knows there are rules that everyone should follow:
· You must have a job to go to
· Don't consume hot food
· Always pack for any eventuality
· You must never speak to strangers on the train

But then, one morning, Smart-but-Sexist-Surbiton chokes on a grape right in front of Iona. Suspiciously-Nice-New Malden steps up to help and saves his life, and this one event sparks a chain reaction.

With nothing in common but their commute, an eclectic group of people learn that their assumptions about each other don't match reality. But when Iona's life begins to fall apart, will her new friends be there when she needs them most?

Review

I loved The Authenticity Project - but I loved this book even more.

What a super read this has been, I loved it from page one. I found myself looking how long was left in the book, not because I was bored, but because I was scared it was going to end too soon.

A host of fabulous characters who all have preconceived ideas about each other on the daily commute. Even when they begin to find out more about each other those ideas persist, until eventually everyone's secrets come out.

My absolute favourite character was Iona - how I am going to miss her and her wonderful stories. She is seen as a dinosaur at work because she doesn't understand what Millennial readers want from her long established magazine therapist column. Soon with the new friends she makes on the train she begins to understand the new ways - including Tik Tok. Afterall she was an original IT girl back in her day.

Each of the characters grows through the book by the connections they make with each other on the train. This comes after years of just seeing each other, observing the rules - no talking to strangers. When they do find each other such marvellous things happen.

If you are looking for a feel good read with so many true to life observations, then this is definitely the book for you.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Bullet Train - Kotaro Isaka

 

Description

Five killers on a bullet train from Tokyo are competing for a suitcase full of money. Who will make it to the last station? An original and propulsive thriller from a Japanese bestseller.

*NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE*

Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a viciously cunning psychopath. Kimura's young son is in a coma thanks to him, and Kimura has tracked him onto the bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard.

Nanao, the self-proclaimed 'unluckiest assassin in the world', and the deadly partnership of Tangerine and Lemon are also travelling to Morioka. A suitcase full of money leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will get off alive at the last station?

A bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller which fizzes with an incredible energy as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwinds to the last station.

Review

A complex read.

I wanted to read this book long before it was a movie, as it's set in Japan and on a Shinkansen (bullet train) both of which I've experienced. I think without that background I may have stopped reading the book early on.

It took until 50% into this book before I really started to enjoy it. Not that many characters in the book, but the way the action takes place, with it going backwards and forwards between everyone on the train, it was hard to keep track. Then some of the action gets played back again from another character's perspective. 

There's a little respite from the train journey with some back story flashbacks of the characters lives before the train journey. It has to be said that it is indeed a clever psychological thriller but for me most of the time it felt like I was listening to a therapist describe why someone acts they way they do. Whole pages of inner dialogue did not make for light reading.

I can totally understand this book as a film as there's no need for the recaps of who saw what and heard what, that can all be achieved in a moment on film. Reading it is a very different matter and you need to invest serious time in this book to get through 452 pages - it actually felt a lot longer. 

My favourite part of the book occurs towards the end. I can't reveal it as it would totally spoil it for you, but it was one of the times I actually enjoyed, rather than endured the book.

I think this book has a limited audience in the UK, however, now we have the film.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Scoops - Sam McAlister

 

Description

She is the woman who clinched the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew, described as ‘a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion’. She is many things beside: the first in her family to go to university; a trained barrister; a single mum; a master of persuasion. In her former BBC colleagues’ words, she was the ‘booker extraordinaire’, responsible for many of Newsnight’s exclusives over the past decade, including Stormy Daniels, Sean Spicer, Brigitte Höss, Steven Seagal, Mel Greig and Julian Assange.

After 12 years producing content for Newsnight, McAlister reflects with candour on her experience, sharing not just the secrets of how the best news gets made, but also the changes to the BBC, the future of ‘mainstream media’ in the age of clickbait and the role of power and privilege in shaping our media landscape.

This is a backstage pass to the most unforgettable journalism of our times.

Review

Absolutely brilliant.

I saw the author talking on TV about her book and she was so engaging that I thought I would look to review her book. Luckily for me the audio was available and I listened to it in two sittings.

Sam McAlister narrates the book herself and it really made me feel like she was just telling her tales  directly to me. She's got all the right tone in her voice and although it is fast paced that really suits the subject. There is no boring details it's just like a work experience day with her. She must have kept some very good diaries because the detail is amazing. I could have listened to her forever. 

I am not really that interested in politics or the news but the fact that the author was previously a barrister drew me in. It's a career she fell into and the early part of the book covers her life growing up and going to Uni, where she literally fell into law. Deciding the stress was not for her she then ventured into radio and then Newsnight. Her skill set turned out to be the perfect match for these roles and listening to how she prepared for interviews was fascinating. I never really knew what a producer did, but I do now.

I'm giving this audio book 5 out of 5 stars.  My thanks to netgalley for the audio to review.