Sleep by M K Boers

Sleep
By M K Boers
Published on 1 September 2019
I received an Advance Reader Copy

Publisher's description

A marriage made in heaven, a murder made in hell.

Why kill the man you love?

Lizzy was struggling, everyone knew that.

He shouldn't have done those things.

He shouldn't have pushed her so hard.

And now, her children, her marriage, her hope - gone.

It was all her fault, she knew that, but was there a chance of redemption?

Lizzy Dyson’s on trial for her life. She knows she must pay for what she did, even if it wasn’t planned, but will the jury believe her?

My verdict
Sleep is a compelling read - a character-led psychological thriller and courtroom drama.

Lizzy is on trial for murder, spending most of her time locked in a cell, which means she has plenty of time to think about the past. And she certainly has plenty to think about it.

By getting into Lizzy's thoughts and following her conversations with her friends, family and legal team, the tiny details of her marriage are gradually revealed, with secrets unravelled and heartache exposed. This is well-written domestic noir with great characterisation - as well as a believable insight into a woman's breakdown and the impact of miscarriage and stillbirth (and the need for support).

This is one of those books where you think you know the story at the start, but your views and allegiance change as the book progresses. It made me want to shout and sigh and cry. I wanted to shake Lizzy at times to help her see the truth, to realise she wasn't the monster she thought she was and that she was much stronger (deep inside) that she had been led to believe.

I really felt that I knew Lizzy by the end - her honesty, her grief, her remorse as she took herself on a journey of self-discovery, all she could really do to pass the time. I found myself turning the pages faster and faster, and felt bereft when there were no more. The ending of the book was perfect - satisfyingly so.

Check out the Blog Tour in September

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Thirteen
By Steve Cavanagh
Published by Orion (E-book - out now; Paperback - 14 June 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.

HE'S ON THE JURY...
'To your knowledge, is there anything that would preclude you from serving on this jury?'

Murder wasn't the hard part. It was just the start of the game.

Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He's done it before. But this is the big one.

This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house.

But there's someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn't the man on trial.

Kane knows time is running out - he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.

My verdict
Wow, I really did love Thirteen, and this sums up my thoughts:

In case you can't read my writing (most people can't, so you're not alone), it says: 'A nail-biting, page-turning rollercoaster ride of a read!!'.

This is the fourth book in the Eddie Flynn legal thriller series - I've read the first two (The Defence and The Plea) and still need to read the third (The Liar). It didn't matter that I'd missed one out, as it didn't take me long at all to get back into the characters' lives and remember how much I love Eddie Flynn.

Thirteen is such a clever read, with a highly intelligent and very organised serial killer (a master in deception) on the jury. So you, as the reader, know exactly who it is - or do you? This has a gripping, twisty plot from beginning to end, with an intriguing hook that pulled me in straight away. Although there are plenty of courtroom scenes, there's so much else going on too, from getting inside the mind of the serial killer to following Eddie's personal dramas.

This really is a nail-biting read - the type of book that's hard to put down and keeps you reading into the early hours. And it's also great fun. Even the courtroom scenes are fast-paced, shocking and highly entertaining.

If you like legal thrillers, courtroom dramas and/or serial killer crime novels with a fantastic lead character and plenty of humour, then pick up all of the Eddie Flynn series - and start reading them now!

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Anatomy of a Scandal
By Sarah Vaughan
Published by Simon & Schuster (11 January 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

A high-profile marriage thrust into the spotlight. A wife, determined to keep her family safe, must face a prosecutor who believes justice has been a long time coming. A scandal that will rock Westminster. And the women caught at the heart of it. 

Anatomy of a Scandal centres on a high-profile marriage that begins to unravel when the husband is accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is sure her husband, James, is innocent and desperately hopes to protect her precious family from the lies which might ruin them. Kate is the barrister who will prosecute the case – she is equally certain that James is guilty and determined he will pay for his crimes.

My verdict
When I finished reading Anatomy of a Scandal, I was suffering from flu. I didn't have the brain power to write a full review, so I created a Twitter banner instead.

This Twitter banner really does summarise my thoughts:
'Anatomy of a Scandal is twisty, gripping, thought-provoking, multi-layered, heart-stopping and breath-holding brilliance. Very much a novel of modern times. The writing is sublime. Wow!'

And now I'm attempting to put my thoughts into something longer and more coherent. But I'm still struggling as there's so much I want to say and I don't feel I can do this book justice. I'm not mentioning anything about the plot (so no spoilers) and I'm not mentioning specific characters either - but I am mentioning the themes.

Anatomy of a Scandal is a courtroom drama combined with psychological thriller. It's a believable and gripping dissection of an affair and a marriage, a window into the lives of politicians and barristers and a thought-provoking insight into class divide. There's the topical 'Me Too' theme, about the strength of women and issues surrounding consent. This multi-layered plot is filled with moral dilemmas and themes of revenge, truth, lies and privilege.

For me, my enjoyment of the book wasn't about the twists, shocks and surprises - that doesn't mean there aren't any, but I did guess certain things. Instead, I appreciated how much this book got right under my skin, right until the end. And how it raised so many questions.

I read Anatomy of a Scandal with another reader, stopping after a few chapters and discussing our thoughts. I'm so glad that I read it in this way, as this book needs to be discussed and dissected,. Anatomy of a Scandal is a perfect choice for a reading group/book club, and the type of book that I would read again and again.

The Pinocchio Brief by Abi Silver

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for The Pinocchio Brief by Abi Silver. The Pinocchio Brief was published by Lightning Books on 23 July 2017.

The Pinocchio Brief
By Abi Silver
Lightning Books (Ebook - 10 July 2017; Paperback - 23 July 2017)

Publisher's description

A 15-year-old schoolboy is accused of the murder of one of his teachers. His lawyers, the guarded veteran, Judith, and the energetic young solicitor, Constance, begin a desperate pursuit of the truth, revealing uncomfortable secrets about the teacher and the school. But Judith has her own secrets which she risks exposing when it is announced that a new lie-detecting device, nicknamed Pinocchio, will be used during the trial. And is the accused, a troubled boy who loves challenges, trying to help them or not? 

My verdict
The crime market is flooded with psychological thrillers and domestic noir, so it was a welcome change to read The Pinocchio Brief, which is a courtroom drama and legal investigation.

The story centres around quirky & academically gifted 15-year-old Raymond, who has been accused of murdering his teacher at his private school. The two other main characters are his legal team - Judith (the older, experienced and more reserved one) and Constance (younger, more reckless and very enthusiastic).

Abi Silver has a great knack of describing her characters, both in terms of appearance and their thoughts and feelings. The chapters alternative between the points of view of Raymond, Judith and Constance. But, unusually, within every scene you get inside each person's head (known as head hopping). I don't often see this in crime fiction.

The premise of the novel - a lie-detecting device used in courtroom trials - is an interesting and intriguing one and instantly grabbed my attention. You can tell that the author has a legal background and is also a great researcher, as there's a lot of information packed within the pages. The book is divided into four parts, but I really found it to be a book of two parts. The first half (parts 1 and 2) contained a lot of scene setting, developing the characters and the build up to the courtroom drama. The second half (parts 3 and 4) was written at a much faster pace with lots of surprises.

Abi Silver certainly kept me guessing and knows how to plot a twisty book. I'll be interested to see what she comes up with next.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Abi Silver talks about The Pinocchio Brief

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All The Little Pieces by Jilliane Hoffman

All The Little Pieces
By Jilliane Hoffman
Published by Harper Collins (4 June 2015)
ISBN: 978-0007311705

Publisher's description
She could have stopped an awful crime. She could have saved a life. She tried to forget about it. But now, the truth is out.

Faith Saunders is the perfect wife, mother and sister - loved and admired by all who know her.

One night will change everything.

As she drives home in the pouring rain, a dishevelled young woman appears out of nowhere, pleading for help. The isolated stretch of road is dark, and with her four-year-old daughter Maggie asleep in the backseat, Faith refuses to let the stranger in.

What she sees next will haunt her forever.

When the missing-person posters go up, Faith's guilt consumes her. Then the girl's body turns up and her perfect life begins to unravel. Because it turns out Maggie wasn't asleep that night and - unlike her mother - she's not afraid to speak up. Maggie's testimony leads to an arrest, but Faith is the only one who can identify a second man who was at the scene of the crime. She has one chance to convince a jury of what happened. If she fails, two murderers will go free - two men who have killed before and who will undoubtedly kill again. And they know exactly where to find Faith and her family.

My verdict
All the Little Pieces is a roller coaster read. It's an enjoyable mixture of courtroom drama, psychological thriller and crime novel.

Faith seems to have the perfect life, until you delve beneath the surface. Driving home from her sister's house late at night, in the middle of nowhere, a girl's battered face appears at her car window, asking Faith for help. Faith panics and drives off into the darkness, determined to protect her young daughter who is sleeping in the car.

When her daughter identifies the murdered girl on a news bulletin, Faith's nightmare begins. Her daughter wasn't asleep after all. Faith realises that she may have prevented a violent murder if she had just opened her car door and let the stranger in. The guilt over what she has done leads her state of mind to spiral out of control and puts her and her family's lives in danger.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Its fast-paced writing kept my heart pumping throughout the book. However, I was slightly let down by the ending, which left me hanging and didn't feel complete.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through the Lovereading Reviewer Panel in exchange for an honest review.