The Confession by Jo Spain

The Confession
By Jo Spain
Published by Quercus (25 January 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

Late one night a man walks into the luxurious home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie. The man launches an unspeakably brutal attack on Harry as a horror-struck Julie watches, frozen by fear. 

Just an hour later the attacker, JP Carney, has handed himself in to the police. He confesses to beating Harry to death, but JP claims that the assault was not premeditated and that he didn't know the identity of his victim. With a man as notorious as Harry McNamara, the detectives cannot help wondering, was this really a random act of violence or is it linked to one of Harry's many sins: corruption, greed, betrayal?

My verdict
The Confession is a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit. We know from the start who beat Harry McNamara to death, as JP Carney has confessed to the crime, but this is very much the psychology behind the incident and a look into the lives of the people involved.

The book is well written and compelling with realistic characters and a chilling plot. The narrative switches between Harry's wife Julie, Alice (the detective investigating the crime) and JP. The description of the attack is vivid and violent, setting the scene for a gritty psychological thriller with plenty of depth. I was intrigued from the start and wasn't sure which way the book was going.

Secrets were clearly bubbling underneath the surface. I wondered if there were links between the main characters, though I had no idea how, what or why - or whether maybe I was just reading into everything too much, which is so easy to do with psychological thrillers. Then gradually the layers were unpicked one by one, like a game of Jenga, and the blocks came tumbling down, revealing the truth. My feelings for the characters changed as I delved into their lives - a sign of great writing, great characterisation and great plotting.

The Confession is a book of revenge and betrayal, family secrets and tragedy. It's filled with twists and turns. Surprising and intriguing - a book that was hard to put down. Highly recommended!

BEST OF CRIME with Matt Wesolowski

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 

Today I'm delighted to welcome 

MATT WESOLOWSKI

for his Hydra blog tour

to share his BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS
Benjamin Myers; his style is rustic and visceral rural noir. Writing that you can lose yourself  in. What's more is that it's set in the north. Highly recommended.

... FILMS/MOVIES
I've still never seen a crime themed film that was better cast, acted and written than Se7en. It still holds sway over anything else today.

... TV DRAMAS
The Kingdom, an obscure supernatural crime/supernatural drama by Lars Von Trier. It's like ER with ghosts.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS
I have to say I enjoy the work of the possessed artist, Clayton,  in Lauren Beukes' magnificent Broken Monsters. 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 
Whilst I'm fairly indifferent to the forces of good; Thomas Enger's Henning Juul is a character I find I can get behind. Faultlessly  portrayed.

... MURDER WEAPONS
I think it's a case of not 'what' but 'how'...Guns are pretty boring though.  How about a scythe? You don't get a lot of scythes in crime writing...

    

... DEATH SCENES
Not to give away any spoilers but there's a wonderful image in Antti Tuomainen's The Man Who Died involving a beauty spot in rural Finland and a samurai sword. That scene still lingers in my mind...

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES
If I'm lurking online, the place to find me is /nosleep on Reddit!

... WRITING TIPS
Never stop. Learn as much as you can, attend every workshop within your vicinity and read...read widely, read books that you think 'aren't your thing'.

... WRITING SNACKS
I'm bad for snacking. Pitta chips are my downfall.

About MATT WESOLOWSKI

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor and leads Cuckoo Young Writers creative writing workshops for young people in association with New Writing North. Matt started his writing career in horror and his short horror fiction has been published in Ethereal Tales magazine, Midnight Movie Creature Feature anthology, 22 More Quick Shivers anthology and many more. His debut novella The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller Six Stories was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia. 

Find Matt Wesolowski on his Facebook page and on Twitter - @ConcreteKraken

About HYDRA

Publisher's description

One cold November night in 2014, in a small town in the north west of England, 26-year-old Arla Macleod bludgeoned her mother, father and younger sister to death with a hammer, in an unprovoked attack known as the 'Macleod Massacre'. Now incarcerated at a medium-security mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose ‘Six Stories’ podcasts have become an internet sensation.
King finds himself immersed in an increasingly complex case, interviewing five witnesses and Arla herself, as he questions whether Arla’s responsibility for the massacre was a diminished as her legal team made out. As he unpicks the stories, he finds himself thrust into a world of deadly forbidden ‘games’, online trolls, and the mysterious Black-eyed Children, whose presence extends far beyond the delusions of a murderess...
 

Read a snippet of my review

'Hydra is yet another powerful novel from Matt Wesolwski, the second book in his Six Stories series. It reads like classic crime, but with a modern twist. I'm hoping there will be more.'

To read the rest of my review, click here.

Hydra was published by Orenda Books on 15 January 2018.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

Follow the Blog Tour

Coming Home to Island House by Erica James

Coming Home to Island House
By Erica James
Published by Orion (11 January 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy through the Lovereading Readers' Panel.

Publisher's description

It's the summer of 1939, and after touring an unsettled Europe to promote her latest book, Romily Temple returns home to Island House and the love of her life, the charismatic Jack Devereux. 

But when Jack falls ill, his estranged family are called home and given seven days to find a way to bury their resentments and come together. 

With war now declared, each member of the family is reluctantly forced to accept their new stepmother and confront their own shortcomings. But can the habits of a lifetime be changed in one week? And can Romily, a woman who thrives on adventure, cope with the life that has been so unexpectedly thrust upon her?

My verdict
I smiled my way through Coming Home to Island House, with its uplifting writing and gentle humour. Not many books give me a warm feeling inside, but this one certainly did.

Author Romily Temple, who is used to leading an independent adventurous lifestyle, and her dysfunctional stepfamily are thrown together unexpectedly after Romily's husband Jack falls ill. His family have grown apart over the years. Not only do they not know Jack married Romily but they hadn't even met her - so this is a shock when they arrive.  Each member of the family is very distinctive, with their own little quirks and beliefs, creating a diverse array of characters. It's their diversity that keeps this story flowing, as they learn to accept one another for who they are - and as Romily copes with her new role in life.

This book is about family dynamics and sibling relationships but also political uncertainty at a time of war. The story takes place mainly in the UK, but also covers the situation in Germany and Italy, highlighting the plight of Jews as the Nazi movement rises in Europe. In many ways, the book's theme is war itself - between family members and also countries - and the impact it has on people's lives.

I highly recommend Coming Home to Island House if you're looking for an easy read - perfect for cold winter nights with a mug of hot chocolate at your side. Go on... treat yourself!

The Devil's Claw by Lara Dearman

The Devil's Claw
By Lara Dearman
Published by Trapeze Books (7 September 2017)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley 

Publisher's description

The six drowned girls stared up at them from the photographs. All young. All attractive. All dead. 'It is a lot of dead girls. And it's a very small island.'

AN ATMOSPHERIC NEW CRIME SERIES SET IN THE CHANNEL ISLANDS

Following a traumatic incident in London, Jennifer Dorey has returned to her childhood home in Guernsey, taking a job as a reporter at the local newspaper. 

After the discovery of a drowned woman on a beach, she uncovers a pattern of similar deaths that have taken place over the past fifty years.

Together with DCI Michael Gilbert, an officer on the verge of retirement, they follow a dark trail of island myths and folklore to 'Fritz', the illegitimate son of a Nazi soldier. His work, painstakingly executed, has so far gone undetected. 

But with his identity about to be uncovered, the killer now has Jennifer in his sights.

My verdict
The Devil's Claw is an atmospheric murder mystery in a claustrophobic Channels Islands setting.

I found this to be an intelligent read with plenty of history at its heart. The book is set in a close-knit town where strangers are noticed, yet murders have remained unsolved (and even covered up) for 50 years, considered to be 'drowning by suicide' instead. The narrative switches between journalist Jennifer, police officer Michael and the yet-to-be-revealed killer. Plenty of twists and turns kept me guessing right until the end.

I learnt a lot about Guernsey - not only in terms of its culture and history, but also about the people who live there. I even found myself Googling local legends and folklore to learn more. I have never visited the Channel Islands thought it's on my bucket list - and the author's stunning descriptive prose of the landscape and landmarks made me even more determined to make sure I get there one day.

I particularly love books with a journalist as the main protagonist, as long as they are portrayed realistically (journalists tend to get a lot of bad press). I found that Jennifer ticked all the boxes in terms of her inquisitive nature, inner strength and also vulnerability. Jennifer and Michael are both well-developed characters and I'm interested to see how they continue to develop in the next book.

The Devil's Claw not only entertained and intrigued me but also improved my knowledge of the world. An enjoyable debut.

BEST OF CRIME with C.J. Tudor

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 

Today I'm delighted to welcome 

C.J. TUDOR

for her The Chalk Man blog tour

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

Tough to pick just one but I’ll plump for Harlan Coben. I’ve read every one of Mr Coben’s books. I love his twists, his humour and his colourful characters. 

... FILMS/MOVIES

Memento. I don’t watch many crime/thriller type films. I tend to avoid anything too serious – the last film I watched was Paddington with our little girl. I love Memento though. Surprising and clever. And I’m a big fan of tattoos! 

... TV DRAMAS

CSI (Vegas) – sorry, you can keep your serious, gritty British drama. Give me OTT, tongue-in-cheek stuff like this any day. The thing is with CSI, it’s actually very self-aware. Plus, the characterization is great and the plotting – although often outlandish - is spot on. I was gutted when it finished - I’m just about to start my box sets from the beginning. 

... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Has to be Hannibal Lecter. I like my killers charming, evil and partial to human flesh.

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

Columbo. The raincoat, the stoop, the cigar. Plus, I love that Columbo turned crime drama on its head because you knew who had done it right from the start. You were just rooting for Columbo to prove it. Oh, and just one more thing . . . 

... MURDER WEAPONS

I always remember an episode of Tales of the Unexpected in which the wife killed her husband with a frozen joint of meat. Then she cooked it and served the ‘evidence’ to the detectives! Oh, and there was an episode of CSI where someone was killed with a bee. I kid you not. 

    

... DEATH SCENES

Hmmm. One that always stayed with me was when Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling dine on the Deputy Assistant Attorney General’s brain while he is still alive before Hannibal kills him with a crossbow. Euergh – still makes my stomach turn. 

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

I don’t really have a ‘go to’ site – I’m a bit of a Google magpie. When it comes to writing guidance I always turn to my well-thumbed copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. 

... WRITING TIPS

Write what you love – not what you think people want to read. Don’t submit too soon – let your ms rest a little. And my favourite from Mr King – enter the scene late. Leave it early! 

... WRITING SNACKS

Pre 7pm – tea, biccies, sweets

Post 7pm – Wine/G&T and crisps

About C.J. TUDOR

C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter.

Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, waitress, radio scriptwriter, voiceover, television presenter, copywriter and dog walker.

Her love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert. Her English teacher once told her that if she didn’t become a successful author he would be ‘very disappointed.’

That was thirty years ago.

He may also have told her to turn her homework in on time.

Find C.J. Tudor on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @cjtudor

About THE CHALK MAN

Publisher's description

The Chalk man is a creepy coming-of-age murder mystery. It’s set in 2016 and 1986 - that’s when we first meet twelve-year-old Eddie and his friends. They invent a game: drawing chalk figures on the ground to pass secret messages. But the game turns sinister when the figures start to appear on their own and lead them to the body of a girl.

Thirty years later, Ed thinks the past is behind him Then he receives a letter containing just two things - a drawing of a stick figure and a piece of chalk . . .

Read a snippet of my review

'The Chalk Man reads like a timeless 'old school' classic with an '80s vibe, yet the hint of horror and supernatural flavour give it a definite contemporary feel.'

To read the rest of my review, click here.

The Chalk Man was published by Penguin on 11 January 2018.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

Follow the Blog Tour