The Last Lost Girl by Maria Hoey

This is a debut novel published by Poolbeg under their new Poolbeg Crimson imprint which offers 'Fiction with an edge'.  This is the story of Jacqueline Brennan. Set in two time periods; the long hot summer of 1976 when Jacqueline's sister Lily disappeared and years later when Jacqueline returns to her home at Blackberry Lane to look after her aging father. We learn that Jacqueline is the youngest child, the misfit, the loner. Lily was the beauty queen, while middle sister Gayle was the homemaker, the peacemaker. Jacqueline's family have never been able to shake off the sadness, the mystery surrounding the unexplained disappearance of Lily and one by one they had scattered, all except for her Dad who had remained in the family home, stagnant. When Jacqueline returns it as though time has stood still. In 1976 Jacqueline had tagged along after her older, glamorous sister, never quite accepted, a nuisance. Lily had been seeing a boy who worked at the carnival and he had been questioned by police but no-one was ever arrested and Lily's body was never found so Jacqueline has always harboured the hope that her sister simply ran away that she is out there somewhere, waiting to be found. An old postcard of an English seaside town gives Jacqueline a clue about where to start her search but Jacqueline learns as much about herself and her place in the world as she does about her missing sister. This is a beautifully written book about family, secrets and growing up. It's a thriller but it's also very much a family story. Excellent writing. I found it unputdownable.

Thanks very much to Poolbeg for a copy. The Last Lost Girl is out now in paperback. 

The Books that Made Me M.L. Rio

Today I welcome M. L. Rio to the blog to tell us all about some of her favourite books in this week's edition of The Books That Made Me.

The first book I have distinct memories of is The Hobbit. My mother read it out loud to me and my brother when we were too young to read it ourselves. It was what we did after dinner instead of having dessert, and we looked forward to it the same way other kids probably looked forward to ice cream or Oreos. I still have a soft spot for Tolkien, because he was the first author who really captured my imagination and invited me into a new world. Middle Earth, with all its mythology and all its tangible detail, was where I lived and got lost in the long afternoons of elementary and middle school. Sometimes I still go back to visit.
Around the same time I embarked on The Lord of the Rings on my own, I discovered Shakespeare in my parents’ library. The first play I read was The Comedy of Errors, and though it’s not the best play, I immediately wanted more. I tore through the Complete Works, and by the time I turned thirteen I had read every play and every poem, most more than once. A year later I appeared in my first Shakespeare play—I was Feste in Twelfth Night—which only fueled the fire of Bardolatry. I was captivated by the language. It’s so rich and complex that ten years later I still discover new things hidden between the lines every day. You might say Shakespeare is my muse. His works have not only been the focus of my graduate degree but the inspiration for my first novel, If We Were Villains (which takes its title from my favorite play, King Lear). Miraculously, I’m not any less in love with Shakespeare now than I was when I read him for the first time.
Like Shakespeare, John Knowles had a significant impact on my reading and writing habits. I first read A Separate Peace in a sixth grade English class (I was eleven), and then proceeded to re-read it almost every year that came after. It was my first campus novel, my first war novel (in a way), and the first novel that really upset me. Up until then, I hadn’t realized that fiction could be so unfair. I had grown accustomed to happy endings and moral absolutes and Knowles ripped the rug out from under me. It is a brutally beautiful book, and it will always have a place on my shelf, wherever in the world I may be.

M.L. Rio is the author of the phenomenal thriller that everyone is talking about this summer If We Were Villains, it's been compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History and has won widespread critical and popular acclaim. Available now from Titan Books (UK).

Defy The Stars By Claudia Gray

This book came in the post one day last week and as I already had three other books on the go I had no intention of starting straight away but I opened it, read the first line and I was instantly hooked. The first line lets you know immediately that you are in the company of a master storyteller. 

'In three weeks, Noemi Vidal will die - here, in this very place.'

Obviously I wanted to know more and so I read on and on and finished the book later that day. However I didn't gobble it all in one sitting every so often I stopped just to savour the cleverness of the plot and the characters; oh my the characters. This book is a masterclass in creating wonderful, compelling, complex characters. 

Noemi is a soldier from the planet Genesis; settled many years before by colonists from Earth. Now however Earth and Genesis are at war. Earth seeks to exploit the resources of the other planets just as it destroyed it's own. Genesis has become a haven for people of faith and technology is limited while the people of Earth have pushed technology to it's very limits creating the ultimate robot warriors. When Noemi ends up on an abandoned spaceship she comes face to face with one of these mechs and although their initial response is to try and kill each other they somehow end up helping each other out. Soon they are facing a race against time to travel across the galaxy and try and save Noemi's home planet. On the way they make a variety of friends and enemies and as they learn more about the world they live in and each other they start to question everything they've been taught. 

Blending high stakes adventure with science fiction, romance and a thrilling plot this is a book that deserves to be huge. Fantastic storytelling. Wow. Claudia Gray just wow. Perfect for fans of  Star Wars, V. E. Schwab, Becky Chambers and Sarah J. Maas. Published by Hot Key and available on e-book and in paperback. The kindle edition is currently only 98p. Thanks a million to Tina at Hot Key who sent me a copy. Buy this book now you will not be disappointed. 

Lullaby Girl Blog Tour

Today I am delighted to be hosting the Lullaby Girl Blog Tour. Who is the Lullaby Girl? Get your hands or your kindle on a copy of this fantastic debut novel from Aly Sidgwick and find out. Aly's debut novel is a thrilling, suspenseful and intriguing tale of psychology, love and memory. A young woman is washed up on the shore of a remote Scottish loch. How did she get there? Who is she? She does not speak and she doesn't remember anything, but she sings a haunting Danish lullaby over and over. The Press christen her The Lullaby Girl and scramble for her picture and her story, but no family comes forward to claim her. When caseworker Rhona is assigned to look after the girl she is determined to find out who she is and where she came from. In Rhona's experience of dealing with patients suffering from trauma and breakdown the girl's loss of memory must mean that she has suffered terrible hurt. At the remote care home she is taken to the girl begins to remember and with memory comes fear. Interlacing the present day and the past this cleverly written tale is the most thrilling debut I have read this year and will appeal to those who loved the unreliable narrative of Gone Girl as well as those with a fondness for Nordic Noir.

The author Aly Sidgwick was kind enough to stop by and tell me about her dream cast if Lullaby Girl were made into a film. Here's what she said

I was asked who I’d like to play my characters if Lullaby Girl was ever made into a film. Wow, it’s been tough to decide! Okay...

Kathy

Kathy’s a difficult one, because the people I imagined her as are no longer the right age to play her. I think of her primarily as a young Kate Bush, with hints of PJ Harvey and Juliette Lewis. I like Rooney Mara but don’t know if she could do the right accent! Hmm, maybe Hannah Murray? She has the right look to her, and she has the slightly awkward, unusual manner that’s key to the character.

Magnus
Magnus is so difficult, too! His strong accent is important, so I’d prefer a Scandinavian actor, but can’t think of one who’d fit. They’re all a bit too bulky, whilst Magnus has a wiry, rock star build. I think of him as a cross between a young Vincent Gallo, Gustaf Noren and Nicke Hellacopter. Only one of whom is an actual actor, haha!
Gustaf Noren 

Rhona
Maybe Tamsin Greig? She has that down to earth quality, and she’s instantly likeable. Rhona is all about empathy, but she also has a fragilty in her that she tries to hide away. A psychiatrist friend told me that most counsellors require counselling themselves... So there’s a balancing act between weakness and strength in her. I can see Laura Dern as Rhona too.
Tamsin Grieg

Joyce
Joyce is an easy one. Tilda Swinton! I frickin’ ADORE Tilda Swinton. Everything she does is incredible. She’s so versatile she could probably play any of my female characters, but she would be my perfect Joyce.

Mary
Mary doesn’t speak, so there’s no problem with accents there! She has to look really innocent, so.... Maybe Lily Cole? Kate Micucci also has the ’Mary’ factor.

Mrs Laird
Maggie Smith, hands down.

Mrs Bell
Supergran! Or Grace Zabriskie.

Hans
I can totally see Hank Von Helvete as Hans. He has the crazy eye! Or Benicio Del Toro, but then the accent would be all wrong.

Kolbeinn
A cross between Udo Kier and Christopher Walken.

Tim
Tim is very warm, easy going and a bit scatty. Visually, I imagined him a bit like Jamie Bell or Matt Smith.

Lina
Lina should be classically beautiful, with piercing eyes. Emma Stone maybe?

Sølvi
Viktoria Winge in her teens would have made a perfect Sølvi.

and there you have it the dream cast now go and read the book. Thanks so much to Janne at Black &White Publishing for a copy of the book and for asking me to take part in the blog tour. Available now on kindle and in paperback.

Blog Tour for The Long Fall by Julia Crouch

Today I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Julia Crouch's latest novel which is published today in TPB and e-book. Get you hands on a copy now. Julia writes thrilling creepy stories about trust and relationships that are simply unputdownable. Follow her on twitter @thatjuliacrouch. Thanks so much to Elizabeth Masters at Headline and Bookbridgr for the chance to take part. I will be reviewing this book later today so stay tuned.

I asked Julia about her favourite "domestic noir" novels and she sent the most amazing reply (see below), so get ready to add oddles of books to your wish list.

My Top Five Domestic Noir Novels
Julia Crouch

This task has been both completely enjoyable and utterly impossible. Just five? Give me a break.

Looking back over my crammed bookshelves – like most writers, I have more books than available walls – I realised that almost every single book I have loved, whatever the publisher’s classification, could fit into my definition of Domestic Noir.

Domestic Noir is about the things people do to each other in the name of love. It’s about the levels at which we can deceive ourselves and others, and how we manage to live with our secrets. It can include police and murders, but that’s certainly not essential. The mystery lies in the why- rather than the whodunnit.

So, for example, I could include Wuthering Heights, one of my all time favourite novels. But I’m not going to, because a) there are another five that I’d put in front of that now and b) I may have read it about ten times, but that was in my teens and twenties, so it’s not so terribly fresh in my mind.

Also missing from this list are any Barbara Vine books, simply because to choose one favourite is like choosing your favourite child. It’s simply not on. However, flicking through my well-thumbed copies, I realise how formative her writing has been for me – subconsciously I have picked up some very similar themes in my own work.

Another more controversial contender was Ian McEwan. I love his work, particularly his early novels such as The Comfort of Strangers, A Child in Time and The Cement Garden – they are dark, about the outer limits of relationships and sexuality, and explore love and loss. I often wonder, if he were to start writing today, how a publisher would sell him – would he be on the New Blood panel at Harrogate, for example?

Anyway. Enough about what isn’t on the list. Here’s what is, in no particular order.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I love the first person narration, the fact that we only see events through the eyes of the nameless second Mrs de Winter, so, although we learn early on not to completely trust her world view, we are still surprised at how events unfold. There are great set pieces too – the drama of the burning house, the mystery and the placing of the action set up by the first line: Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... and the sea salted, foggy atmosphere that permeates the book.

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
I adapted this for the stage many years ago, so it is really quite intimately in my blood. Again, we’re dealing with an unreliable narrator, and again with a famous, scene setting first line: This is the saddest story I have ever heard. If you haven’t
read it, do. It’s like a quadrille: four people dancing around each other, changing partners, looking for happiness and love, and failing catastrophically.

Something might Happen by Julie Myerson
I love Julie Myerson’s work. It was reading this particular book that made me want to write. I particularly admire the sparseness of her writing, and the way in which she manages even so to capture so much domestic detail. This is the story of the brutal murder of a woman in a Suffolk seaside town, and the effect it has on her closest friends. As Alfred Hickling put it in The Guardian: ‘while we are offered the paraphernalia of detective inspectors, sniffer dogs and bereavement counsellors, the reassuring certainty of conventional crime fiction is disturbingly absent.’ It is cruel, unflinching, yet also compassionate.

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
Erin is such a fantastic writer and I love all of her books. I had to choose just one, and it was really hard, but The Poison Tree is so dark and mysterious, so witty and so lusciously written, that it had to be the one. Also, it came out about the same time as my own first novel, Cuckoo. I didn’t know Erin at the time, but we are now good friends and have often remarked how close the worlds of our books are. Erin’s Biba and my Polly could even be sisters under the skin. It’s often why we love particular books, isn’t it? Because we just get what the writer is doing.

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Such a chilling story, so brilliantly told. Because of the structure, where Eva is trying to work out things for herself, the reader is constantly asking questions – What happened? What’s going to happen? Who did it? Why? Like all the books on my list, Kevin offers no easy answers. It’s up to the reader to do a bit of work as well.

So, that’s the five.

But hold on. What about Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson? Or Room by Emma Donoghue? Or Tideline by Penny Hancock? Or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn? or…

Oh no. Have I got to start all over again?

**************

So what you think of Julia's selection? Which have you read? Which are you hoping to get your hands on? I have only read two on this list The Poison Tree and Rebecca both of which are fantastic dark and thrilling reads. I will be looking out for the other three as soon as possible.

Thanks so much Julia for coming up with this great list.

Unravelling Oliver

Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent is one of the most beguiling and intriguing debut novels I have read in a long time. Liz is well established as a writer for television and radio but she has certainly not played it safe with her first novel; with multiple viewpoints and a charismatic but horrifyingly nasty protagonist she invites us all into the mind of a monster. With each chapter told through the eyes of many different people in his life we come to know Oliver as layer by layer the truth of his childhood and the dark secret he carries are revealed.

The book opens with the stark line "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her." It soon becomes clear that Oliver has beaten his wife Alice so badly that she is in hospital and unconscious. The facade of a charmer, a dreamer, an artist is over and Oliver is exposed. The novel then reveals his life through his story and the stories of those who knew him or thought they did. Perfect if you enjoy a dark psychological drama, for example Barbara Vine or Daphne du Maurier. A writer to watch. thanks to Cliona Lewis of Penguin Ireland for a review copy of this book.

Inceptio by Alison Morton

Inceptio is the first in a series of books featuring Karen Brown and set in the mysterious land of Roma Nova. The book is alternate history which is a new genre to me but one which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book begins with Karen in present day New York where she finds herself in trouble with the authorities and on the run. The only people she can trust are those sent from Roma Nova; her mother's birthplace to protect her. In Alison Morton's alternate world Roma Nova was established in central Europe by the leading Roman families who fled Rome as it converted to Christianity. A matriarchal society it has remained mysterious and closed off to outsiders. This of course makes the American's very nervous. Despite the high security her new home offers her, Karen; now Cara is still in danger. Inceptio is a high concept thriller, a nail biting page turner and a thumping good read. Alison has included notes on the alternative time line and a dramatis personae which are very useful. This book will appeal to fans of thrillers and historical fiction and I can see it really appealing to anyone who enjoyed Tom Harper's The Orpheus Descent which I reviewed last year see review here It is a must read for fans of Manda Scott and Kate Mosse.

Published by SilverWood Books and Thank you to the author for a review copy.

Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach

Lottie Moggach's first novel was the subject of a bidding war between eleven different publishers, she had a lot of pressure on her as the daughter of bestselling novelist and a real favourite of mine; Deborah Moggach (check out Deborah's hilarious rules for writing here) I wondered whether the daughter would live up to the promise of the mother.

I can certainly say that Lottie's book is as good as some of Deborah's work though not as good as my favourite Tulip Fever but that's probably because she writes in a very different style and that's not a bad thing, just a different thing.  Kiss Me First fits neatly in the category of post Gone Girl female led thrillers. There seems at the moment to be a shift towards a darker edge in contemporary women's fiction and I don't think there is any sense that writers are jumping on the bandwagon, rather writers are simply responding to the zeitgeist and the sex and shopping and cosy humour at either end of the scale during the "chick-lit" boom is of no interest to writers or readers in a post financial crash reality. 

Kiss Me First is the story of Leila she is a socially awkward young woman who has lived in a very closed world, her adult life has been focused on looking after her Mum who suffered from MS and now that she has died she has no-one. Her whole life takes place on-line. In between on-line role playing games she works remotely as a software tester. It is after she joins a philosophy discussion site called Red Pill that her world begins to change. The site administrator Adrian singles her out for attention and noticing her liberal views on euthanasia her tasks her with taking on the on-line persona of a woman who has chosen to die called Tess. Tess and Leila never meet in person but through on-line chats, emails and facebook Leila studies Tess and learns about a life utterly different to her own. Tess has had a priveleged upbringing and an expensive education, she is an artist suffering from bi-polar disorder who has traveled widely, experimented with drugs and had realtionships with a lot of men. Leila finds her fascinating.

However as the story begins with Leila searching for Tess at a commune in Spain we know from the start that it all goes wrong and the drama lies in how exactly it all unravels. This is a short book and it is well written and tightly plotted. I think Lottie Moggach has touched on the dangers of our reliance on social media and the need to make genuine connections. This is a sharp and fast paced thriller which I would highly recommend. Kiss Me First is out now from Picador. Thank you to Francesca Main who sent me a copy to review.

The Disappearance of Emily Marr

Louise Candlish’s latest book is an intriguing take on morality and celebrity culture. Emily Marr is a dissatisfied thirty year old who longs for more from life, her mother died when she was young, her father suffers from dementia, her job is poorly paid and she is bored with her long-time boyfriend. When she meets Arthur she feels her life has truly began but she couldn’t have known the tragic sequence of events that had been set in motion, events that will make her infamous and hated. Tabby has been abandoned by her boyfriend while they were travelling; she has made her way to France and the beautiful Ile de Re. She is penniless and desperate, contemplating sleeping rough when she overhears Emmie repeat the access code to her front door, thinking that she won’t be back for a day or two Tabby lets herself. Caught by Emmie asleep in the house Tabby expects to be reported to the police instead Emmie invites her to stay and slowly as the women bond she reveals her story. The twist when it comes in unexpected and incredibly clever. Do not mistake this book for a fluffy romance it is gripping, intense and will get book groups talking everywhere.  A perfect beach read with a dark thread. Ideal for fans of Emily Barr and Hannah Richell.

Thanks to Stacey Bartlett of The Bookseller for the chance to read this book before publication.

Never Forget By Lisa Cutts

Never Forget is the first in a thrilling new detective series from a British author who is an experienced and serving police officer. The detective in question is DC Nina Foster who is drafted in to her first murder investigation after a young woman is found brutally stabbed. As the victims mount up so do the suspects and it soon appears that the crimes are linked to Nina’s own past and a traumatic event in her childhood. The action is fast and well paced, the characters interesting and believable and the storytelling is gripping. Lisa Cutts is a talented writer and she brings to life the reality of the Major Incident Room, the witty banter, the relentless paperwork and the genuine hard graft of real policing. Nina is a great character fond of a drink and often a disaster on the romance front and when the killer seems to be coming ever closer to home she proves herself a worthy heroine. I know this will appeal to a lot of crime fans who want to know more about the reality of crime investigation. Perfect for fans of Cath Staincliffe and Elizabeth Haynes.

Originally reviewed for http://www.welovethisbook.com/
Never Forget will be publised by Myriad Editions on July 11th and will be available in paperback and e-book formats.

The Orpheus Descent

This review was originally published as a guest review earlier this week over at Shaz's Book Blog. You can check out Sharon's great blog here http://shazsbookboudoir.blogspot.ie/ and see the original review here http://shazsbookboudoir.blogspot.ie/2013/06/crime-fiction-week-guest-review-tom.html

I was delighted to be given the chance to do a guest review for Shaz’s Book Blog as it has introduced me to a new author I really liked. This is my first encounter with Tom Harper which surprises me as he has written a number of historical mystery novels and his books will appeal to fans of Kate Mosse and Manda Scott.

The Orpheus Descent is a dual time mystery following the philosopher Plato as he journeys to Italy to meet a friend and discovers a tiny golden orphic tablet; the secret to a life changing mystery, before returning home to write the texts which made him famous. The book is also the story of Lily an archaeologist who while working at a dig in Italy discovers a tiny golden tablet and her husband Jonah who arrives at the dig to find that Lily has disappeared. The story follows Plato and Jonah on their separate but parallel journeys across Greece and Italy and the plot includes Greek Mythology, the riots and unrest in modern Greece and the secretive group of university friends who might know more about Lily’s disappearance than they are pretending too. My only criticism is that the climax of the story is a little drawn out stretching over a number of chapters, although it leads to a satisfying conclusion.

The Orpheus Descent is out now in hardback from Hodder.