Thursday, November 17, 2022

Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons

 

Hidden Scars 

By 

Angela Marsons



About the Book 

The boy’s dark hair shone in the bright lights. His lips seemed about to speak. But his body was cold and his blue eyes would never open again.

When a nineteen-year-old boy, Jamie Mills, is found hanging from a tree in a local park, his death is ruled a suicide. 
Detective Kim Stone’s instincts tell her something isn’t right. Why, when his mother is told, does she not break down in tears? And how could Jamie have climbed the tree with a recent injury?

Kim should be easing back into work gently after a harrowing case left her body and mind broken, but quickly taking charge of her team, Kim is shocked to learn that Jamie’s parents had sent him to a clinic to ‘cure’ him of his sexuality.

The clues to smashing open this disturbing case lie behind the old Victorian walls of the clinic, run by the Gardner family. They claim that patients come of their own accord and are free to leave at any time. But why are those who attended the clinic so afraid to speak of what happens there? And where did the faded restraint marks on Jamie’s wrists come from?

Kim makes a further chilling discovery – the head of the clinic, Celia Gardner, was sent there for conversion therapy when she was sixteen.

Then the body of a young woman is found dead by suffocation, her death also staged to look like a suicide.

Scarred from a previous case that nearly took her life, can Kim unearth the dark secrets within the Gardner family and is she strong enough to stop a terrifying killer silencing the clinic’s previous patients one by one?

A compulsive page-turner that will have your heart hammering in your chest and leave you absolutely reeling when you discover the explosive final twist. If you’re a fan of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid, and Robert Dugoni, you’ll love Hidden Scars.

About the Author 


Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 5 million in 7 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise, Dead Memories and Hidden Scars reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.


Sign up to Angie's newsletter to receive a download of ONE HOUR - a FREE and exclusive short story about a life-changing moment for a young Kim Stone.

My Thought


Without wanting to sound repetitive 

I love Angela Marsons
I love Kim Stone
I love this book! 

Book 17 in the series and I am still as excited about the series and the stories as I was on book one.

Kim is back but meant to be taking things easy…in true Kim style she’s back and diving straight in (even though she said she wasn’t going too).

Easy to read, fast paced and gripping.

The characters are well written and work so well together. I don’t want to give away any spoilers…just read the book.

You can buy it here:

HIDDEN SCARS by Angela Marsons (Detective Kim Stone Book 17)



Thursday, March 24, 2022

A Life for a Life by Carol Wyer

 

A LIFE FOR A LIFE

BY 

CAROL WYER 




MY REVIEW

Another fabulous read by Carol Wyer.
This book had me gripped from the first page and kept me gripped throughout.

People are dying and there doesn’t appear to be a link at all. DI Kate Young is up against it and find out who’s committing these crimes before more innocent people die. At the same time she’s dealing with her own personal issues.

I love this series Kate is a strong character with lots of issues herself that unfold with each book in the series.

A great read




Friday, November 19, 2021

Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten

 

Dead Mercy

By 

Noelle Holten


About the Book

‘Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin on Dead Inside

A brutal murder…

When a burned body is found with its teeth missing, DC Maggie Jamieson discovers that the victim may be the husband of one of her probation colleagues.

A dark history…

As the body count rises, the team becomes increasingly baffled by how the victims could possibly be connected until a clue leads them to a historical case that was never prosecuted.

A terrible secret…

In order to catch the killer, Maggie must piece together what happened all those years ago before it’s too late.

About the Author 


Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:

Subscribe to Newsletter: http://ow.ly/cgww50BkBtt

Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/

Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/

Instagram: @author_noelleholten

Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk

Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB

My Review

The fifth book in the Maggie Jamieson and they are just getting better and better.

I’m really enjoying this series, easy to read, shortish chapters which keep a great pace and the book is gritty.

There’s a murderer out there but can Maggie find out who it is before anyone else dies. Her and her team work closely with different departments to get to the bottom of these crimes and it’s good to see the relationships and how they work together. Maggie is a strong character who I like.

Quite a dark story with parts that made me feel the pain.

The characters are really building now as we get to know more about them. I love this series and can’t wait for the next one. 

Read what everyone else is saying 



Sunday, November 14, 2021

Stolen Ones by Angela Marsons

 

Stolen Ones 

By 

Angela Marsons 



About the Book

25 years ago he took a girl. Today he takes another.

One August afternoon, eight-year-old Grace Lennard skips into the garden of the childcare centre she attends and vanishes into thin air. Rushing to the scene of Grace’s disappearance, Detective Kim Stone finds a chilling piece of evidence: the engraved heart bracelet belonging to Melody Jones – the little girl who was taken from a playground exactly twenty-five years ago.

Hours before, Steven Harte had walked into Halesowen police station and confessed to having information that would lead Kim to Melody. And he told Kim she’d have a more urgent problem to deal with first. Now Kim must play Steven’s twisted game if she’s to find Grace alive.

With only twenty-four hours to make every second of Steven’s interrogation count, and scan his behaviour for hidden clues, Kim and her team soon link Steven to the abduction of several vulnerable girls – two were kept for a year and then released, unharmed – but where are Melody and the others?

Then small bones are discovered in the grounds of a local park, and Kim fears the worst.

Kim may think she’s close to convicting a killer, but the case is about to get even more complex. Steven is hiding one final explosive truth and he’s not the only one. Dr Alex Thorne – the evil woman Kim did her best to keep behind bars is about to reveal a shocking secret to Kim that will hit her where it hurts the most. Kim knows she must put aside her own demons to save Grace and find the other missing girls in time. But can Kim untangle Steven’s web before any more innocent lives are lost?

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave your heart in your mouth. You will be totally hooked on the utterly addictive, number one, multi-million-copy bestselling Detective Kim Stone series.


About the Author 


Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 4 million in 5 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.

My Review

Yes I’m going to say it again….Angela Marsons has done it again!! Produced yet another gripping Kim Stone book.

This is book 15 in the Kim Stone series and they never grow tiring or boring.

Melody Jones disappeared 25 years ago. Steven Harte turns up at the station and wants to talk to Kim, he has information about her….but the help is on his terms. 

Another girl disappears does Steven know anything about this too? 

Kim has her work cut out to try and see if there is a link between the missing children and getting this one back alive…can Steven Harte really help? Should she play his games? 

Then just as you think you can’t get anymore gripped…. Alex Thorne appears just to make Kim’s life a little bit more complicated.

Unputdownable, twists and turns that keep you 

See what everyone else is saying




Wednesday, September 15, 2021

COVER REVEAL - Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten



 

Dead Mercy 

By 

Noelle Holten


About the Book

Hugely confident … harrowing, visceral … recommended’ Ian Rankin on Dead Inside

A brutal murder…

When a burned body is found with its teeth missing, DC Maggie Jamieson discovers that the victim may be the husband of one of her probation colleagues.

A dark history…

As the body count rises, the team becomes increasingly baffled by how the victims could possibly be connected until a clue leads them to a historical case that was never prosecuted.

A terrible secret…

In order to catch the killer, Maggie must piece together what happened all those years ago before it’s too late.


About the Author 

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside – her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:

Subscribe to Newsletter: http://ow.ly/cgww50BkBtt

Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/

Blog FB page: https://www.facebook.com/crimebookjunkie/

Instagram: @author_noelleholten

Website: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk

Bookbub Author page : https://bit.ly/2LkT4LB

Thursday, July 8, 2021

If Only by Angela Marsons



 

If Only

By 

Angela Marsons 


About the Book
I want Michael Hunter to fall so deeply in love with me that he can’t bear to be more than fifty feet away,” Cher declares to her best friends over cheesecake and wine. But what if she’s searching for happiness in the wrong place?

As Cher types up letters about overflowing rubbish bins in a job she hates, she dreams of Michael Hunter. He’s gorgeous, smart, funny and he’s about to become her new boss. But he barely looks at Cher except to ask for a coffee refill. How can she get him to notice she’s the perfect girl for him?

While Cher ignores the warning from workmate Dan that Michael is bad news, her friends have their own problems to fix. Sarah is longing to start a new life with a man who won’t commit, and bride-to-be Deb should be looking forward to her wedding, but her future mother-in-law is turning it into a nightmare from hell... If only her fiancĂ© could see it that way.

So, when one summer evening, over several glasses of wine, Cher, Sarah and Deb stumble across an old book and decide to cast a wishing spell, they don’t think for one minute that it will come true. It’s just three best friends having a laugh and throwing some herbs around the garden. Or is it?

Totally unputdownable, absolutely full of laugh-out-loud ‘I’ve so done that’ moments, and plenty of emotional twists and turns that will keep you refilling your wine and racing through to the end. The perfect romantic comedy for fans of Shari Low and Sophie Kinsella.

About the Author 
Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 4 million in 5 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.

My Review
Angela Marsons has gone rogue and written a RomCom and has shown she’s as good at writing those as she is at writing crime.

I love her Kim Stone series so wondered what this would be like but she’s done it again and written a winner!

If only is a fun story about three best friends who are all very different and all are wishing for something more from their lives….but be careful what you wish for.

An easy read that is funny and lighthearted. A perfect summer read.

See What Everyone Else is Saying 

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

A Cut for a Cut by Carol Wyer




 
 

A Cut for a Cut 

 By 

Carol Wyer


Today is my spot on the #blogtour for #acutforacut by @carolwyer 

I would like to thank @carolwyer @amazonpub @damppebbles @damppebblesblogtours for the opportunity.



About the Book 

DI Kate Young can’t trust anybody. Not even herself.

 

In the bleak countryside around Blithfield Reservoir, a serial murderer and rapist is leaving a trail of bloodshed. His savage calling card: the word ‘MINE’ carved into each of his victims.

 

DI Kate Young struggles to get the case moving—even when one of the team’s own investigators is found dead in a dumpster. But Kate is battling her own demons. Obsessed with exposing Superintendent John Dickson and convinced there’s a conspiracy running deep in the force, she no longer knows who to trust. Kate’s crusade has already cost her dearly. What will she lose next?

 

When her stepsister spills a long-buried secret, Kate realises she’s found the missing link—now she must prove it before the killer strikes again. With enemies closing in on all sides, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to bring them down. But time is running out, and Kate's past has pushed her to the very edge. Can she stop herself from falling?

 




About the Author


USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People's Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction. 

 

A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.

 

To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.

 

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

 

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy... who is very, very grumpy.

 

When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

 

 

Social Media:

Website www.carolwyer.co.uk

Blog www.carolwyer.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolEWyer/

Twitter https://twitter.com/carolewyer

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolwyer

Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/carolewyer

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-wyer-407b1032

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14925467.Carol_Wyer

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5O-lvkAYO19S0AMW8VqJQ


My Review


This is the second book in the DI Kate Young series.

This can be read as a stand-alone however I feel you will get much more out of the book by reading an Eye for an Eye the first in the series to begin with.

This is a dark, gritty police procedural and if anyone knows how to write this genre it’s Carol Wyer. 

Kate is still dealing with her past and her stepsister is back in the uk so she wants to find time for her and her nephew Daniel but bodies of women with MINE scratched into them have been appearing and she needs to find the killer and stop anyone else coming to harm.

This series has strong characters that work well, you want Kate to do well and find the killer but it’s not always that easy.

The chapters are quite long however I’m left at the end of each page wanting to know what’s happening next so still fast paced.

A great read


See What Everyone Else is Saying Here

 



Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3pCnXyX

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2TXmOGn

 

 

Publishing Information:

Published by Thomas & Mercer in paperback, audio and digital formats on 29th June 2021