Murder by Natural Causes - Helen Erichsen

Description

A double life with a single purpose, getting away with murder. Cilla is a 22-year-old contract killer, specialising in the dry job: a murder interpreted as death by natural causes. Her main client, Vladimir Haugr, is the owner of TGR's bridge club in London. In return for a flat, a retainer and expenses, Cilla does five jobs a year. She occasionally works freelance. Neither strong, nor beautiful, Cilla isn't your typical female protagonist. In fact, she is so unremarkable as to render her almost invisible, an advantage in her line of work. She has survived because she is clever, stubborn and lucky. But Cilla knows that, statistically, her luck is about to run out. She must find a way to reinvent herself. Soon.

Review

If you like Killing Eve then I think you will really enjoy this book.

Cilla is a contract killer and her client Haugr owns a bridge club. The beginning of the book focusses a lot on the bridge playing aspect,  it may deter you from reading on if you aren't into gambling. This doesn't last very long and you don't really need to understand bridge to make sense of the rest of the book.

The storyline is dual in that we visit Cilla in her youth and find out about her upbringing, and what has led her to the present day career. A career Cilla has decided doesn't have a long term future for her. At only 22 she's already killed a lot of people and got away with it. But she wants something else for her life before she gets caught. 

She might only be 22 but her character has such depth and has lived on her wits for so long that she has a maturity of someone much older. I really liked her character and was intrigued by her methods of delivering the hits her freelance clients desire. 

It's a fast paced read and a real page turner. I was interested to find out if Cilla really could outwit everyone or would she finally be turned on by those she works for.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Pigeonhole for the readalong of this book.

The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods

 

Description

The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Review

A magical and enchanting read.

The book is set over two time lines. One begins in the 1920s and the other is present day. There are three narrators and we see the story through their experiences. 

The story is very surreal, which will not appeal to everyone. However, it is not all magic and fairy tales. There are some very real abuse against women issues explored, and they aren't sugar coated. My emotions flitted between calmness, interest and disgust as I read. Appreciation for the wonderful writing was my overall feeling though. How the author imagined all of this story within a story is amazing. 

There are some strong female characters in the book, which I liked. Opaline in particular is not really of her era with her views and vision. Henry in the present time line reminded me of someone from the 1920s. At times I wondered if that was to be the twist, of which towards the end there were a few. When the final twist did come I was open mouthed as I had not figured that one out at all.

A great read, particularly if you like books within books and a bit of a mystery too. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for the ARC to review and for the invite to the #readalong this week.

The Street - Susi Holiday

 

Description

Their neighbours welcomed them with open arms. Now they’ve vanished without a trace.

Anna and Peter desperately need to escape London for a fresh start. And they’ve found just the place: a perfect house on a perfect street in a perfect new development on the Scottish coast. But before they’ve even unpacked, they discover that the community they’ve moved into might be keeping secrets of its own…

Eager to fit in, Anna and Peter spend their first evening with their new neighbours, a couple who turn up on their doorstep to welcome them with open arms. But when Anna pops over the next morning to thank them for their hospitality, there’s no answer. The house is bare and unoccupied, and the neighbours have vanished without a trace. What’s more, everybody else on the street is convinced that no one ever lived there at all.

As she battles a growing obsession with the mystery, Anna finds herself becoming increasingly paranoid. She thought she’d escaped her own troubled past, but as the truth catches up with her, life starts to unravel. Maybe she’s not the only resident of The Street with something to hide…

Review

Overall a page turning read.

Anna and Peter have moved to a brand new estate, and it felt a little like Stepford wives to me. With everyone seemingly living in a dream house and denying anything was amiss.

After their neighbours disappear and the other people on The Street deny their existence I needed to suspend disbelief. If it had been one person they could have been delusional, but two was stretching it a little. Anna won't let it go though and keeps digging as something feels off to her. 

There are flashbacks into the lives of some of the residents before they lived on The Street. There is also some narration by an anonymous diarist which was very was intriguing. Certainly the writing did leave me feeling more than a little uneasy at times, but still wanting to know, why was everyone acting so strangely?

With so many characters it did get confusing at times. I thought that we never really got to know any of them, not even Anna and Peter. So I did feel a little disconnected from them all, but maybe that was intentional as part of the ambience of the plot.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Street is published on 6 June 2023. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

None of this is True - Lisa Jewell

 

Description

Pre-order now and prepare to be hooked . . .

The nail-biting suspense from the addictive number one bestselling author.

'Twisty twisty twisty' Emily Henry
'A moody, slippery novel' Gillian McAllister
'A pitch-black fever dream of a novel' Ruth Ware
'One hundred percent brilliant' Clare Mackintosh
'Gloriously dark' Lucy Foley
____________

Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th birthday. They are, in fact birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie has been listening to Alix's podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for Alix's series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Alix agrees to a trial interview. Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.

Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has inveigled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.

Soon she begins to wonder who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Review

I'm still reeling from this book.

I was drawn into this book from the first pages and never wanted to stop reading. Although a little like car crash tv at times I didn't want to know - but I did!

All kinds of things were racing through my mind as Josie and Alix both celebrating their 45th birthdays separately in a restaurant find out they are birthday twins. Not only are they both 45 but they were in fact born on the same day, in the same hospital. 

Later on Josie puts herself forward as a subject for Alix's podcast and Alix agrees to the idea. In parts the story is told through the podcast and partly through a Netflix documentary, we gain glimpses of what happens next. This only made it all the more madly intriguing and resulted in me finishing this book within 24 hours. 

As the story progresses and Josie worms her way into Alix's life it began to feel a little claustrophobic. What would you do in this situation? Just as I was fearing the worst it seems as if all is going to be ok and then the twists and turns begin.

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

This book will be released on 20 July 2023.

Mrs Porter Calling - A J Pearce

Description

THE FEEL-GOOD NOVEL OF THE SUMMER

A heart-warming, heart-wrenching new wartime story from Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird, AJ Pearce.

Emmy Lake is the much-loved agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine, relied upon by readers across the country as they face the challenges of life on the Home Front. With the problem page thriving and a team of fantastic women behind her, Emmy finally feels she is Doing Her Bit.

But when a glamorous new owner arrives, everything changes. As the Honourable Mrs Porter tries to charm her way around the rest of the team, Emmy realises that she plans to destroy everything readers love about the magazine.

With happiness quickly turning to heartbreak, and war still raging in Europe, will Emmy and her friends find the inner strength they need to keep keeping on - and save the magazine they love?

Review

This is the third book in the series featuring Emmy Lake. It can be read as a standalone novel.

I loved the first book, I felt the second book dragged in places, but I can say that with the third book the author has won me over. A charming story, although not without a few tears being shed.

Emmy continues to work at the magazine as in the previous two books, answering letters in war time on various subjects. Everything is going along swimmingly when the magazine is inherited by a socialite. At first it seems she is harmless enough but then she begins to entertain ideas of her own making should feature in the magazine. Out of touch with working people in war time she even suggests "everyone has a sixpence to spare" and to feature more expensive fashions.

I disliked the character Mrs Porter enourmously and was hoping that she wouldn't undue all the wonderful work that had been done previously at the magazine. In the main all the characters in the book are "good sorts" so it somes as a shock to find Mrs Porter in amongst them. I'll leave you to find out what happens, but it was a fabulous read.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

One Puzzling Afternoon - Emily Critchley

Description

A mystery she can't remember. A friend she can't forget.

I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years . . .

It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother - who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community - she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.

When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .

Then Lucy goes missing.

2018. Edie is eighty-four and still living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .

Review

I read this book with Pigeonhole. Being close to someone who has dementia meant at times this book hit home a little too hard for me. It is probably the best writing I have read regarding someone with dementia, as it was very true to life. It was also told from the perspective of Edie who has dementia and that has actually helped me a lot in real life. 

I could have stopped reading but the mystery that Edie recounts kept me going, as I was so intrigued as to what had happened in 1951.

A book that will stay with me for a long time.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Between Us - Mhairi McFarlane

 

Description

‘Everything you want from a rom com and satisfyingly knotty with proper, recognisable characters. She just gets better and better’ JOJO MOYES

‘I LOVE her books PASSIONATELY and this is her best yet’ MARIAN KEYES

‘She’s so ridiculously talented . . . consider this recommendation my personal gift to you and your life’ EMILY HENRY

When Joe and Roisin join their group of friends for a weekend away, it’s a triple celebration – a birthday, an engagement and the launch of Joe’s new crime drama on TV.

But when Roisin sees secrets she shared with Joe play out on the TV screen, she knows that between us means nothing at all.

Roisin finds herself searching for clues to the truth – about her life, their history, and the man she thought she loved. And it’s then that Roisin finds the most unexpected plot twist of them all. Among those same old friends, there’s a surprising potential for new beginnings . . .

Review

This was nearly a DNF for me, and I have loved all of Mhairi's previous books. The first 20% of the book had too much scene setting for my liking.  I began to wonder what the overall point of the book was going to be. It was encapsulating the lifestyles of a group of 30 somethings, none of whom I really clicked with and that's all I could get from it.

Once Roisin left the weekend away and returned to her teaching role I began to get interested. It turns out that Roisin is really rather smart and sassy and I liked that a lot about her. Just a pity it took me a lot of the book before that totally shone through.  

Her Mum is also a part of the book and she was quite the comedian. I liked her character but maybe not all of her actions. It would give too much away to say anything about the other characters traits but I didn't really warm to any of them.

I've always said that Mhairi's books are not rom-com in the truest sense. I think this one is proably the closest to that description, and maybe why I didn't gel with it so much.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.