Forgotten Lives by Ray Britain

 

Forgotton Lives 

By 

Ray Britain

About the Book

A man is murdered with quiet efficiency on his doorstep. A strange emblem left behind suggests a gang killing but when more bodies are found with the same emblem, and one of them a cop, DCI Doug Stirling’s investigation takes a sinister turn.

But what linked the victims in life, and now in death?

When more deaths are uncovered, miles away and years apart, but all with the same emblem left behind, pressure mounts on Stirling. Is it the work of the same person? If so, why are they killing again, and why here? One thing is clear. The killer is highly skilled, ruthless, and always one step ahead of the investigation. Is someone feeding information to them?

Working in a crippling heatwave with too few investigators, too many questions and not enough answers, when wild media speculation of a vigilante at work sparks copycat attacks, demonstrations for justice and with politicians fearing riots, Stirling needs a result - fast!

Meanwhile, Stirling’s private life is falling apart, not helped when Lena Novak of the National Crime Agency is assigned to his team. But is she all that she seems? Things could not get worse. Stirling takes a call from a retired cop. Things just got worse!

As Stirling closes in on the killer he finds the killer’s trademark inside his home - he is being targeted.

About the Author

Ray Britain is a crime writer with a difference - he's investigated serious crime.

His second novel ‘Forgotten Lives’ will publish on 10th January 2021, and follows his debut novel of ‘The Last Thread’ (2017).

As a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Ray led many specialist investigations. He was also a Hostage & Crisis Intervention Negotiator, a voluntary role, that saw him involved in hostage situations, many firearms operations and numerous suicide interventions, not all of which ended happily. In those specialist roles he supported national counter-terrorism capabilities, and travelled to the USA, India, Europe, Australia and elsewhere. He received several Commendations for his work.

He also worked with the Serious Fraud Office and the Home Office, London, and the Economic Crime Directorate of the City of London Police.

Ray’s real-world experience gives an authentic edge to his stories, immersing the reader in the grim realities, uncertainties and frustrations of crime investigation, and of human nature.

If not writing Ray might be found mountain hiking, watching rugby, skiing, reading, sailing or in the gym.

http://www.raybritain.com/ | 

@ray_britain

My Review

This is the second book in the DCI Stirlings series by Ray Britain.

Ray was a Senior Investigating Officer in the police force and this certainly shows in his writing.

Stirling is quite a character and we really get to know him a little more in this book.

The plot is very thorough and descriptive and makes you feel like you are really there, part of the team helping Stirling solve the crimes.

The story is well thought out and has lots of layers and twists and turns. The characters are strong and all work well together.

A really interesting read that goes into more depth than any other police procedural that I have ever read before, showing Ray’s knowledge of the police force. 

The story is complex and this means it isn’t fast paced but it’s enjoyable and I couldn’t put the book down. 

Great read.

Buy the Book here

https://amzn.to/33Z8P4V

COVER REVEALS - Beneath her Skin & Dying to be her by Gregg Olsen

Beneath her Skin

& 

Dying to be Her

By 

Gregg Olsen 

BENEATH HER SKIN
The girl was slumped over the edge of the old clawfoot tub, her eyes tiny shards of broken glass, her expression void of anything. Her long, wet hair dripped onto the floor. She was dead.

When the body of troubled teen Katelyn Berkley is found dead in her bathtub, the close-knit community of Port Gamble, Washington is shaken to its core. All signs point to a suicide but what makes her death even more tragic is that Katelyn survived a horrific bus crash ten years ago which took the lives of several young girls and has scarred the town ever since.

Hayley and Taylor Ryan are identical twins who grew up with Katelyn and have spent the last 10 years getting over the crash. Ever since that fateful night the twins have shared a secret: they can hear the dead and it soon becomes clear that Katelyn is communicating with them. Whilst the town believes it was a tragic accident, something much darker lies behind Katelyn’s death.

And all the time, someone is watching Port Gamble, someone who doesn’t want old secrets to surface…

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a compulsive thriller about two girls’ search to uncover the truth behind their friend’s death, with a touch of supernatural help. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Robert Dugoni and James Patterson.

This book was originally published as ENVY. This new edition has been re-edited since its publication in 2011.

 

DYING TO BE HER

Just as the lightning bolt of memory passed, a pair of hands grabbed Olivia’s shoulders and shoved her body backwards against the wooden floor. I’m not going to die here, am I? she thought, though the answer seemed all too clear. Am I?

Port Gamble, Washington: When the body of English exchange student Olivia Grant is found at the palatial home of local schoolgirl, Brianna Connors, the town assumes that it was a Halloween prank gone wrong. But when Brianna and her boyfriend Drew are spotted casually shopping the next day, people start to talk: how could they be so unaffected by Olivia’s death?

Twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan have received signs from beyond the grave for as long as they can remember. As the local police piece together the mystery, the girls begin to receive messages suggesting that something darker was at play that night. The killer had a target and they’re not done yet.

When the prime suspects disappear, the twins know that time is running out. But to get to the killer, they will first need to confront a close family member who has harboured a long-held secret and committed the ultimate act of betrayal.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an unputdownable thriller about two girls’ hunt to find a killer on the run, with a touch of supernatural help. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Robert Dugoni and James Patterson.

This book was originally published as BETRAYAL. This new edition has been re-edited since its publication in 2012.

Author bio
A #1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Olsen has written nine nonfiction books, seventeen novels, a novella, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.

The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel.

The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington's Secretary of State for the book's contribution to Washington state history and culture.

Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife, twin daughters, three chickens, Milo (an obedience school dropout cocker) and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).

Unfaithful by Natalie Barelli

 

Hello and welcome to my day on the #blogtour #review for #unfaithful by Natalie Barelli. Thank you to @nholton40 @bookouture for the opportunity 

About the book

“Thank you,” I say sweetly when she tells me I’m lucky to have such a beautiful family. But I want to tell her it’s not just luck. A family is like a fortress you have to defend all the time. You can’t relax because there’s always someone looking for a breach, always someone trying to get in. Someone just like her…

When I arrive unannounced at my husband’s studio in need of a shoulder to cry on after hearing that my best student, Alex, has died, I see a pair of wine glasses drying by the sink and my deepest fear is confirmed: my husband is having an affair.

Most women would fall to their knees in tears and throw him out of the house–but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Instead, I go home and cook a healthy dinner for our children, walk the dog and unload the dishwasher without complaint. I will make him see that I’m still the woman he married; attractive, successful, the glue that holds our perfect family together. I need this marriage to work to protect a terrible secret of my own, something that would destroy everything I’ve already sacrificed so much for.

But when the police arrive at my door asking questions about Alex’s death that I can’t answer, and threatening text messages start appearing on my phone, I know that someone close has been watching me very carefully.

The truth is, there are three people in my marriage, but only one of them is deadly…

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a twist that will knock you sideways, perfect for anyone left hungry for more after The Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us or The Other Wife.

About the Author 

Natalie Barelli can usually be found reading a book, and that book will more likely than not be a psychological thriller. When not absorbed in the latest gripping page-turner, Natalie loves cooking, enjoys riding her Vespa around town and otherwise spends far too much time at the computer. She lives in Australia, with her family.

Author Social Media Links:
Website: www.nataliebarelli.com <http://www.nataliebarelli.com>
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalieBarelliBooks

My Review

Anna is a maths professor with with a loving family and a great job.

It starts out with Anna and her best PhD student Alex and the maths problem they are writing a paper on and trying to solve.

Then Alex dies and things change. 

I was unsure where this book was going as it was not what I expected, there are lots of twists so you really don’t know where the book is going. Lots of characters that at one point or another I didn’t trust and was left wondering if they were the problem only to be proved wrong.

Great plot which is easy to read and a very original storyline.

Buy the Book Here 

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08JH3BP9KSocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/T6tH50Bwl4J
Kobo: http://ow.ly/w5pJ50Bwl3a
Google: http://ow.ly/4PMH50Bwl7C

See what everyone else is saying here 

The Boy Between by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley

 

The Boy Between 

By 

Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley

Hello and welcome to my spot on the #blogtour for #theboybetween thank you for @sarahhardy, Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley for the opportunity 

About the book

Bestselling novelist Amanda Prowse knew how to resolve a fictional family crisis. But then her son came to her with a real one…

Josiah was nineteen with the world at his feet when things changed. Without warning, the new university student’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he planned his own death. His mother, bestselling author Amanda Prowse, found herself grappling for ways to help him, with no clear sense of where that could be found. This is the book they wish had been there for them during those dark times.

Josiah’s situation is not unusual: the statistics on student mental health are terrifying. And he was not the only one suffering; his family was also hijacked by his illness, watching him struggle and fearing the day he might succeed in taking his life.

In this book, Josiah and Amanda hope to give a voice to those who suffer, and to show them that help can be found. It is Josiah’s raw, at times bleak, sometimes humorous, but always honest account of what it is like to live with depression. It is Amanda’s heart-rending account of her pain at watching him suffer, speaking from the heart about a mother’s love for her child.

For anyone with depression and anyone who loves someone with depression, Amanda and Josiah have a clear message—you are not alone, and there is hope.

About the authors 

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty five novels and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres.  Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner' and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

 

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda is a regular panellist on Channel 5's 'The Jeremy Vine Show' and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national independent Radio stations including LBC and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’ Amanda’s novel, 'A Mother's Story' won the coveted Sainsbury's eBook of the year Award while 'Perfect Daughter' was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016.

 

Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades...

 

Praise for Amanda Prowse:

 

'A powerful and emotional work of fiction' - Piers Morgan

'Deeply moving and emotional, Amanda Prowse handles her explosive subjects with delicate skill' - Daily Mail

'Uplifting and positive, but you will still need a box of tissues' - Hello!

'A gut-wrenching and absolutely brilliant read' - The Irish Sun

'You'll fall in love with this...' - Cosmopolitan

'Deeply moving and eye opening. Powerful and emotional drama that packs a real punch.' - Heat

'Magical' - Now magazine

A keen environmentalist and animal lover, Josiah (Josh) Hartley lives in a remote farmhouse in the West Country with his two idle and arrogant French Bulldogs, Dottie and Beau. Happiest following the music scene in Bristol, at a festival or watching rugby with his mates, Josh enjoys the outdoor life and often heads to the sea to surf and sit on the beach watching the sun go down.

After a stint at the University of Southampton, another at the University of Bristol and one planned suicide, Josh decided to write about his descent into mental illness and the depression that held him in its grip for the past few years. The Boy Between carries the overriding message that things can and often do get better. It is a book of reflection, raw, honest and full of hope - the proof being that Josh is still here and excited about what comes next. He’s ready to catch any opportunity that life throws his way; quite a thing for someone who only a few years ago was living in a world gone grey, ready to disappear from the face of the earth…

My Review 

I am a huge fan of Amanda Prowse and all her books, this however is very different.

This book is written by both Amanda and her son Josiah (Josh) Hartley. This book is no story though. 

Josh got depression and at aged 19 when recently starting university planned to take his own life.

This book is both Josh’s feelings and memoir of how he felt and how he feels now and what happened and also Amanda’s feelings and how she coped and felt as his mom. How the family was affected.
This book is real, very real and very brave of both Josh and Amanda to put their feelings and thoughts into paper. I know this book will help other families out there who maybe going through similar and also may help people who are lucky enough to have never experienced anything like it to understand a little better what depression really feels like and how it can affect not just the person suffering but also the whole family.

A beautifully written book that’s raw and tells it how it is.
I wish Josh all the best and onwards and upwards to him and also Amanda and the rest of the family for being so brave and supportive and to keep going when I’m sure they were at a total loss.

What everyone else is saying about the book 

See what everyone else is saying about this book here 

Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer

Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer 

Hello and welcome to my stop on the #blogtour #review of Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer.
I would like to thank @carolwyer @bookoture @s.hardy for the opportunity #booksontour

About the Book

One by one the girls disappeared…

When the frail body of a teenage girl is discovered strangled in a parking lot, shards of ice form in Detective Natalie Ward’s veins. As Natalie looks at the freckles scattered on her cheeks and the pale pink lips tinged with blue, she remembers that this innocent girl is somebody’s daughter…

The girl is identified as missing teenager Amelia Saunders, who has run away from home and her controlling father. Natalie’s heart sinks further when it becomes clear that Amelia has been working on the streets, manipulated by her violent new boyfriend Tommy.

A day later, another vulnerable girl is found strangled on a park bench. Like Amelia, Katie Bray was a runaway with connections to Tommy, and Natalie is determined to find him and track down the monster attacking these scared and lonely girls.

But when a wealthy young woman is found murdered the next morning, the word ‘guilty’ scrawled on her forehead, Natalie realises that the case is more complex than she first thought. Determined to establish a connection between her three victims, Natalie wastes no time in chasing down the evidence, tracing everyone who crossed their paths. Then, a key suspect’s body turns up in the canal, a mole in Natalie’s department leaks vital information and everything seems to be against her. Can Natalie stop this clever and manipulative killer before they strike again?

An unputdownable crime thriller from an Amazon bestselling author that will have you sleeping with the light on. This gripping rollercoaster ride is perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Rachel Caine. Prepare to be totally hooked!  

About the Author 

Winner of The People's Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer is a best-selling author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST, the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and Top 150 USA Today best-seller.

A second series featuring DI Natalie Ward quickly followed and to date her novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets, including into Norwegian, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian Slovak, Czech and Polish.

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.

To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer.
Carol also blogs at www.carolwyer.com 

My Review 

Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer is the 7th book in the Natalie Ward series which has gone from strength to strength.

I have loved all the books in the series and this is no exception.

Natalie has been promoted to DCI whilst still the main character in the book we now see much more of Lucy from her team who has been promoted to DI. They have always worked well together and this promotion for both of the team members has given the books another avenue for us to go down and explore more about the characters. I love that with each book we learn a little more about the characters personal lives as we do about their work lives and solving the crimes.

People are being murdered daily and the team really need to find the killer and get them off the streets.

The characters have all suffered abuse in one way or another and the book certainly shows the dark side of what they have been through in parts and how their lives link together.

There are loads of twists and turns as always which keep you turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down.

Fast paced, easy to read 5*

Buy the book here 

Amazon: https://bit.ly/31Bnumx

See what everyone else is saying about the Book here 

How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister

How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister

About the Book

THE GRIPPING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NO FURTHER QUESTIONS AND THE EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU

'Bravo! How to Disappear is undoubtedly her best yet. Gripping and emotional - a cracking read' Clare Mackintosh

'A relentless drumroll of suspense . . . ranks among the best psychological-suspense thrillers of recent years' A. J. Finn

You can run, you can hide, but can you disappear for good?

Lauren's daughter Zara witnessed a terrible crime. But speaking up comes with a price, and when Zara's identity is revealed online, it puts a target on her back.

The only choice is to disappear.

From their family, their friends, even from Lauren's husband.

No goodbyes. Just new names, new home, new lives.

One mistake - a text, an Instagram like - could bring their old lives crashing into the new.

As Lauren will learn, disappearing is easy.

Staying hidden is much harder . . .

About the Author 

Gillian McAllister has been writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated with an English degree before working as a lawyer. She lives in Birmingham, where she now writes full-time. She is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Everything but the Truth, Anything You Do Say, No Further Questions and The Evidence Against You.

My Review

WOW
Not sure I need to say much more.

I have loved all of Gillian McAllister’s previous books and rated them 5* but this one blows even those out of the water.

Zara only known as Girl A due to her age witnesses a murder...now her identity is out. 
Her and her mother, Lauren need to disappear and leave everything and everyone behind.

The story had me from page one, I loved the idea and it really got me thinking what would I do? Could I just disappear like Lauren and Zara? The characters are believable and behave exactly as I would have expected them to even though I was cringing and shouting at them in parts.
The whole book was fast paced and kept me gripped and wanting to turn the pages from the beginning.
BRILLIANT you must read it.

I’d give more than 5* if I could.

The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse

The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse 

Hello and welcome to my spot on the #blogtour #review for #thedayshecameback by Amanda Prowse

I would like to thank @mrsamandaprowse @s.hardy @BOTBSpublicity for the opportunity.

About the Book

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: how do you forgive the family that lied to you, and love the mum you never had?

When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient—she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim’s funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead.

As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth.

To live a full and happy life, Victoria knows she must not only uncover the truth, but find a way to forgive her family. But after so many years, is trusting them even possible?

About the Author

Amanda Prowse is one of the UK’s most prolific and loved storytellers with global sales of 8 million copies and legions of loyal readers.  Based in the West Country, Amanda is the author of 25 novels and 7 novellas with books sold in 22 countries and translated into 12 languages– no mean feat when you consider her first novel was only published in 2012!

A passionate reader since her first visit to the local library aged 6, Amanda would read everything and anything and – armed with her precious library ticket – would spend hours reading loved Enid Blyton, Anna Sewell, Judi Blume, Nina Bawden while scribbling short stories of her own. As time passed, she moved onto the more risqué delights of Lace, The Thorn Birds and A Woman of Substance; gritty, emotional stories that would inform her writing. 

A powerful storyteller and a master of the addictive plot, Amanda’s rich imagination and prolific writing talent has seen her write over 20 bestsellers with millions of copies sold across the world. She often writes for 15 hours a day and sees her plots like movies in her mind that she’s compelled to get down on paper. These heartfelt human stories have made her one of the most successful female writers of contemporary fiction today and she has become a regular interviewee on TV and radio as well as a successful journalistic writer. 

Amanda’s ambition has always been to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night; great characters that stay with you and stories that inhabit your mind so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades. She is also a passionate supporter of military charities and those that support women’s causes and holds regular ‘Evenings with Amanda’ events as fundraisers for her chosen charities.

Twitter – @MrsAmandaProwse

https://www.facebook.com/amandaprowsepage/

My Review

Amanda Prowse has a wonderful way of making quite ordinary, normal believable characters come to life on the page.

This book is about Victoria an 18year old who has been brought up by her larger than life Gran, Prim after her mother died when she was a baby.  Then Prim is taken from her. Victoria doesn’t know what she will do and how she will cope without her. 
Then at Prims funeral a strange woman turns up and will things ever be the same again? Victoria’s world is turned upside down.

I really enjoyed the book, the characters are believable and I like the relationships between them interesting and relatable. This book certainly pulls on your heart strings.

A wonderful family drama that is a lovely easy read.

Amanda Prowse has done it again another 5 star read. I loved it and highly recommend.

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