The Killer Next Door - Alex Marwood - Guest Book Review

Published by Sphere

Guest book review by Janice Lazell-Wood

Synopsis

No. 23 has a secret. In this bedsit-riddled south London wreck, lorded over by a lecherous landlord, something waits to be discovered. Yet all six residents have something to hide.

In the dead of night, a terrible accident pushes the neighbours into an uneasy alliance. But one of them is a killer, expertly hiding their pastime, all the while closing in on their next victim...

Review

No.23 Beulah Grove is a rotten old house divided into bedsits, and it’s owned by the most revolting of landlords, Roy Preece, a vile and obese creature with no morals or hygiene.  He’s desperate for the sitting tenant of the house to die, so he can sell up, move away and live comfortably on the rent proceeds, but she’s not dying nearly quickly enough, so he hatches a plan to help her on her way, a plan that goes horribly wrong.  A plan that leaves the residents unable to go to the police, for fear of their own secrets being discovered, for they have many secrets amongst them…

Cher is an underage care home runaway, living a dangerous day to day existence, Thomas is lonely, boring and just wants some friends, Hossein is an Iranian asylum seeker, Collette is on the run from some very nasty men after doing a bunk with lots of their money, there’s a mysterious man who keeps himself hidden away, playing his music at all hours and interacting with no-one, and finally, there’s sitting tenant Vesta, the matriarch of the group, a woman approaching 70, who’s lived in the house all her life, with nothing to show for it but dusty ornaments and a tea set that once belonged to her parents.

One of these residents is a murderer and we are given full access to their modus operandi in all its graphic and gory detail.  If you can stomach the novels of Mo Hayder and Val McDermid, you’ll be ok reading this, if not, then be warned, it’s not for the fainthearted.  There are shades of how real life killer Dennis Nilsen disposed of his victims here, as well as great detail on how the Egyptians took care of their dead…  The fact that the novel is set during a heatwave, just cranks up the rancid atmosphere of the house!

For me, this was a page turning psychological thriller, one that was devoured in a day.  I have just one gripe, the ending.  It left a question unanswered, however, don’t let this put you off.  Read, enjoy, and treat yourself to a restorative G&T afterwards, you might just need it!

Thanks to Lindsay for the chance to read and review this novel.  I look forward to reading more by the author, Alex Marwood.

Many thanks to Janice for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library!

The Sacred River - Wendy Wallace - Guest Book Review

Published by Simon & Schuster

Guest book review by Josie Barton

Harriet Heron is the cosseted daughter of an upper class Victorian family. Her severe asthma, in smog ridden London, necessitates her staying indoors, where her fascination for Egypt and the Egyptian Book of the Dead carries her through the worst of her illness. Tentatively, on the advice of her doctor, Harriet embarks on a journey to Egypt with her mother, Louisa and her eccentric Aunt Yael. On the boat to Alexandria they are befriended by an enigmatic artist, Eyre Soane, whose interest in Harriet and her family can only be regarded as suspicious and whose association with them continues throughout the novel.

Their arrival in Alexandria is filled with the sights, sounds and scents of a city so foreign that Harriet’s senses seem to come alive and she is enchanted by what she sees around her. Her health improves, and she is able to immerse herself in the history and culture of a country which has long fascinated her. However, for Louisa and Yael, Egypt is not just a land of contrasts, but is also a place where they must try to find some sort of inner peace. 

From the start of the novel, the author cleverly intertwines the story of three very different women and shows just what it was like to live within the closeted world of Victorian sensibility. They each have their own secrets, aspirations and hidden yearnings, and as the languid torpor of Egypt starts to influence them, their hopes, dreams and fears of the past are laid open to scrutiny in a fascinating journey of self discovery. Egypt is so beautifully described that it becomes vibrantly alive, from the contrast of valleys tinged with the gold of its ancient tombs, through to the poverty and turmoil of a land at odds with itself.  The whole character and nature of the novel revolves around the effect that this beautiful country has on Harriet, Louisa and Yael.

Overall, I thought that there was much to enjoy within the novel. The slow and languorous nature of the narrative is entirely in keeping with the unhurried atmosphere of nineteenth century Egypt, and I am sure that this book will appeal to fans of well written historical fiction.

Many thanks to Josie for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library. Please do also visit Josie's fab book blog JaffaReadsToo!

The Judas Scar - Amanda Jennings - Guest Book Review

Published by Cutting Edge Press 

Guest review by Leah Moyse

About the novel:

Will and Harmony's seemingly idyllic marriage is left shattered after she loses a baby she didn't realise she wanted. While at a friend's party, she raises the subject of trying again, and Will's reaction leaves her hurt and confused.

Removing herself from the crowd, she encounters an enigmatic stranger whose advances she rejects, only to later discover that the handsome man is Will's childhood friend from boarding school, Luke.

When Will, struggling to confront the culture of bullying that marred his childhood, reveals a secret too painful for her to bear, Harmony is left caught between the husband she loves and the promises made by an obsessive stranger...

Leah's thoughts:

I would like to start by saying I am a huge fan of the publisher Cutting Edge Press. They really push the boundaries and provide engrossing fiction that can be gritty, dark and intelligent.

This is a story of a marriage and difficult childhoods. An interesting look at how the events of our childhood can shape our futures, sometimes for the better but sometimes leaving us damaged and permanently scarred. In addition how emotional damage can actually affect our future relationships, decisions we make or don't make and how really some things can haunt us forever.

I must admit to not particularly warming to the characters, but for me this added to the feeling of wondering what they are really capable of and how far they would go. I really loathed Luke with a passion, such a seemingly unfeeling man who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. What really happened all those years ago at boarding school, to make him this way?

In places shocking, I was thinking to myself did that really just happen. Equally however I found it to be an ultimately sad story in that we can never have our childhood back and have a different start in life.

I thought this book was dark, brooding and the tension amongst the pages was palpable. I feel as if I have been on a roller coaster of emotions and didn't know until the final pages where the destination was. A relatively short novel at under 300 pages, but so much happens and so many issues are tackled. Amanda Jennings is a very good writer indeed, one not to miss and I will certainly be getting a copy of her first book, Sworn Secret.

About the Author:

Amanda Jennings studied at Cambridge and has worked at the BBC. She is married with three children and lives in Berkshire. Her website is: www.amandajennings.co.uk

Many thanks to Leah for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library! Leah blogs at Reflections of a Reader, do visit and read her fab blog too!

Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop - Abby Clements - Guest Book Review

Published by Quercus

Guest book review by Tracy Terry

About the novel:

When Imogen and Anna unexpectedly inherit their grandmother Vivien's ice cream parlour, it turns both their lives upside down. The Brighton shop is a seafront institution, but though it's big on retro charm it's critically low on customers. If the sisters don't turn things around quickly, their grandmother's legacy will disappear forever.

With summer fast approaching, Imogen and Anna devise a plan. Rather than sell up, they will train up, and make the parlour the newest destination on the South Coast foodie map.

While Imogen watches the shop and conjures new marketing ideas, her sister flies to Italy to attend a gourmet ice cream-making course. But can their best-laid plans survive their warring family, tempestuous love lives - and the great British Weather? One thing is for certain - this summer will be like no other . . .

Tracy's thoughts:

What a wonderful cover, perfect for the book. What you can't see looking at the image is how the blue is actually embossed with the prettiest blue foil effect. 

Light and fluffy and ultimately just about as sweet as ice cream itself, whoever coined the phrase 'holiday read' may well have had this in mind.

And yet, with memories of a certain retro ice cream parlour I've visited since I was a child in mind, as much as I really wanted to like this book it somehow didn't quite hit the mark.

OK, so its Chick-lit and everyone knows that part of the appeal of Chick-lit is that the reader is guaranteed their happy-ever-after ending. Nothing wrong with that per se but in this instance there were just so many incidents which got the happy-ever ending treatment that there was no mystery whatsoever as to how the plots, for there were several threads to the story, might play out.

Still, on the plus side, there were some rather scrumptious sounding ice cream recipes at the end of the book which should keep fans of the foodie novel happy.

Many thanks to Tracy for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library! Tracy blogs at Pen and Paper - do pay a visit there and read her fab book blog!

The Silversmith’s Wife - Sophia Tobin - Guest Book Review

Published by Simon & Schuster

Guest book review by Josie Barton

In the winter of 1792, Pierre Renard, the eponymous silversmith, is found dead in London’s Berkeley Square. With his throat cut and his pocket watch stolen, his murder could have been the work of an opportunist pickpocket, but as the story progresses it becomes obvious that, whilst on the surface, Pierre Renard was a man of means and self importance, he had more than enough enemies who wished him dead. At the heart of the story is Mary, the silversmith’s wife, who is completely overshadowed by her erstwhile husband, and yet by necessity, must play a pivotal role in the evolution of events. It’s a time of great uncertainty, not just for Mary as she copes in the aftermath of her husband’s murder but also for the continuation of Mary’s silversmith business, when a woman alone and defenceless was seen as the ultimate weakness.

From the beginning, I was drawn into the dark and dismal world of Georgian London where the patrolling night watchmen sink their sorrow into the bottom of an ale cup and where the great and the good of the city divide their time between squandering their wealth and interfering in other people’s lives. The Silversmith’s Wife takes the reader on a journey into the complicated world of Georgian melodrama and into the hub of the silversmith trade in the very heart of Bond Street, a place where petty jealousies run rife, and where thwarted passions and long buried hostilities threaten to overshadow everything.

There is no doubt that the author has a real skill for storytelling and in The Silversmith’s Wife, she conveys an introspective story, which whilst keeping at its heart the mystery surrounding Renard’s untimely death, also looks at the minutiae of daily life and the sadness which pervades Mary’s role as the unhappy wife. Reminiscent at times of Michel Faber’s, The Crimson Petal and the White, this story oozes quiet elegance and a decadent charm, which lingers in the way the story, evolves at its own pace. I found much to enjoy in the story, the plot kept me guessing, and I was so sympathetically drawn to Mary’s character, that by the end of the novel I only wished for her a long and happy life.

I would definitely recommend The Silversmith’s Wife to those readers who enjoy well written historical fiction.

Huge thanks to Josie for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library! Josie blogs at Jaffa Reads Too, do visit her wonderful book blog too!

The Pearl That Broke It's Shell - Nadia Hashimi - Guest Book Review

Published by William Morrow

Guest book review by Sue Knight

I enjoyed reading this story so much I find it difficult to believe it’s a debut novel, and really hope that Nadia Hashimi has more ‘in her’.

This is a story of two generations of the same Afghan family Rahima, the story teller and her great great grandmother Shekiba whose stories are a reflection of each other a century apart.

At first I found all the names, some of which are so similar, confusing, but I soon settled into the rhythm of the changing stories (which are clearly indicated in each chapter) and got to know the characters within each story.

The story is gripping and insightful, the prose very descriptive and the subject matter engrossing, educational, emotional, and at times, painful.  I’m not sure I could stand to watch a film adaptation if it were true to the book.  There are many stories within the story but the writing is so good that you absorb these almost without realising as you get to understand the differing relationships.

I’m sure that most of us have some understanding of the male/female hierarchy in the Muslim world but I’m sure that this book will reveal more to most readers – the custom of bacha posh for instance, which allows a young girl to be dressed and treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age (this is no spoiler as it is on the back cover!)

I like a book that makes me want to go off and look something up – this book did that – I had not previously heard of Queen Soraya and now know she is considered the most eminent and revolutionary woman in Afghan and Oriental history.  Sadly although she no doubt changed some things, not enough to avoid the fate of Rahima and her sisters.

As the book covers says this is reminiscent of Khaled Hosseini and others, but I would recommend that you read this book even if you have not read and/or enjoyed these authors as this is a story that deserves to be heard – if only to remind all of us in the ‘western world’ how lucky we are.  When things are getting you down I suggest you recall Shekiba’s words “I have no reason to complain, though.  I am married to a man with a respectable position ……… he keeps us fed and clothed in an esteemed neighbourhood …. He provides for his children and does not beat me.  What more could I have asked of Allah?"

All in all I give this book 10/10 and very much look forward to reading more from Ms Hashimi.

Many thanks to Sue for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library!