The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

The Museum of Extraordinary Things
By Alice Hoffman
Published by Simon & Schuster (15 March 2015)
ISBN: 978-14711112157

Publisher's description
Coney Island, 1911: Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the impresario of The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a boardwalk freak show offering amazement and entertainment to the masses.

An extraordinary swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl and a 100-year-old turtle. One night, she stumbles upon a striking young man alone in the woods photographing moon-lit trees. From that moment, Coralie knows her life will never be the same.

The dashing photographer Coralie spies is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from this father's Lower East Side Orthodox community. As Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, he comes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman's disappearance.

My verdict
The Museum of Extraordinary Things is a book of love, mystery and conformity, carefully weaving together fact and fiction. The reader is transported to Coney Island in 1911 New York, where life is hard, particularly for anyone who doesn't fit in with the 'normal' society.

Coralie's father owns a small 'freak show' museum on the Coney Island boardwalk, filling it with anyone with a deformity or unusual ability. Coralie herself was born with webbed hands and is a gifted swimmer, trained to hold her breath under water for long periods of time.

Russian immigrant Eddie Cohen is rebelling against his orthodox Jewish past, abandoning his devout father and his faith in search of his own destiny. He inherits a photography business, and spends his days photographing and investigating horrendous crimes.

The two star-crossed lovers fall under each other's spell after just one brief meeting, yet circumstances keep them apart. Both characters have to come to terms with the past in order to move on.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things contains vivid descriptions set against a fascinating historical background of freak shows and Coney Island life. It was a little slow in places, particularly in relation to the interaction between the two main characters. I would have preferred it if the mystery that Eddie needed to solve and his actual meeting with Coralie had come earlier in the book. However, this is still an interesting story about struggling to fit in.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

AUTHOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Keith Nixon

I am delighted that KEITH NIXON is joining me on my blog today. His crime fiction book - The Corpse Role - was published on 10 April 2015 by Gladius Press. 

So Keith, what inspired you to write a book in the first place?
I've wanted to write as long as I can remember, but I kept hunting for an idea to hang the story off. The Eagle's Blood came from a visit to Maiden Castle. The Fix came from coming to terms with losing my job - I killed an ex-boss!

Where do your ideas come from?
Most of them - no idea! The initial kernel for a story really is the key to the whole thing. Usually this is character based - people are stories, after all. But writing is a constant stream of ideas.

Have your personal experiences influenced your writing? And if so, how?
Yes, and no. I've never murdered anyone, seen a dead body or been in the middle of a pitched battle between Romans and Britons. But I can write about them through research and imagination. And there are people I've met and conversations I've had that inspire certain events. Ultimately, books are a product of experience.

Describe your writing style in 10 words or less?
Short, punchy, dialogue anf character based, dash of humour

Do you have any strange writing habits?
Not really. I tend to write early in the morning before everyone else is up. And I typically get stuck 30% into a novel and have a serious look back, but neither are strange...

Do you plot out the whole book before you start or just start writing and see where it leads you?
A mix. I'll have the idea, some chapters plotted, an ending (which usually changes) and some characters. But beyond that, it evolves as the writing flows.

What do you consider to be the hardest part of your writing?
Getting beyond the 30% point! Being flushed with the idea creates a lot of energy, but once you're awash with problems and challenges to solve it becomes more of a grind. Persistence is the key requirement in being a writer.

Do you read? If so, who are your favourite authors?
As much as I can, I review for two blog sites. There are so many to list, but Ian Rankin I admire greatly, the late Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell and Tony Black. There are also indie authors pleasing a trail - Ryan Bracha, Mark Wilson and Gerard Brennan among many.

How has your life changed since becoming a published author?
I have a lot more to do now. I attempt to keep up a constant stream of writing, which requires time. My social media contact has expanded greatly, and I get a lot out of talking to writers and readers.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would be the title?
'Really?'

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Just keep writing - there's no such thing as an overnight success.

And lastly, why should people read your latest book?
People should read The Corpse Role, because it's a crime thriller with a hell of a twist at the end you'll never see coming!

About Keith Nixon

Keith Nixon has been writing since he was a child. In fact, some of his friends (and his wife) say he's never really grown up. Keith is currently gainfully employed in a senior sales role, meaning he gets to use his one skill, talking. Keith writes crime and historical fiction novels. His crime work is published by leading indie house Caffeine Nights. I'm Dead Again was published on 12 May 2015 - a follow up to The Fix, which was published in 2013. Keith also reviews books for Crime Fiction Love and Al's Books & Pals blog.


Find Keith Nixon on his Facebook page and follow Keith on Twitter: @knntom


The Corpse Role
Published by Gladius Press (10 April 2015)

Synopsis:
Not everything that gets buried stays buried… sometimes things have a nasty habit of resurfacing…

When the body of a security van driver implicated in an unsolved £1.2 million heist turns up in a shallow grave two years later, it's just the beginning for Detective Inspector Charlotte Granger. She embarks on an investigation that takes her into dangerous territory - a world of dirty cops, dodgy private investigators, local villains and nosy journalists. Meanwhile events from Granger's own past are threatening to come back and haunt her.

As people are killed to silence them and vital information vanished from files, can DI Granger get to the truth. And if she does, what will that truth reveal?

Read my review of The Corpse Role here 

Find The Corpse Role on Amazon UK here

Amy Snow by Tracy Rees

Amy Snow
By Tracy Rees
Published by Quercus (9 April 2015)
ISBN: 978-1784291457

Publisher's description
Abandoned on a bank of snow as a baby, Amy is taken in at nearby Hatville Court. But the masters and servants of the grand estate prove cold and unwelcoming. Amy's only friend and ally is the sparkling young heiress Aurelia Vennaway. So when Aurelia tragically dies young, Amy is devastated. But Aurelia leaves Amy one last gift. A bundle of letters with coded key. A treasure hunt that only Amy can follow. A life-changing discover awaits… if only she can unlock the secret.

My verdict
I fell in love with the book Amy Snow. It's beautifully written, with the language and phrases used in the narrative and dialogue in keeping with the time period in which it's set. The story flows from beginning to end, making this fascinating book difficult to put down.

Amy Snow was discovered as a newborn by eight-year-old heiress Aurelia Vennaway. She was brought up on the grand Hatville Court Estate but is shunned by the household, especially Aurelia's parents. Amy has no idea who she is or where she came from. When Aurelia dies at a tragically young age, Amy is sent away by the family, seemingly with no money or possessions. But Aurelia has a surprised planned for Amy - even death can't destroy their friendship.

On reading Amy Snow, I felt like I was in middle of a period drama, living and breathing every scene. This would make an amazing television adaptation or even a film on the big screen. The story is full of life, with brilliant characters, vivid descriptions of people and places, secrets to unveil and an intriguing underlying story.

I really didn't want Amy Snow to end, and I envy anyone who gets to read this for the first time.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Don't Talk to Strangers by Amanda Kyle Williams

Don't Talk to Strangers
By Amanda Kyle Williams
Published by Headline (Paperback - 29 January 2015)
ISBN: 978-0755384266

Publisher's description
Sheriff Ken Meltzer, from the small town of Whisper, finds the decomposing body of a girl deep in the Georgia forest. Next to her, the skeletal remains of another girl. One victim had been there for sixty days, the other for 10 years.

Drugs, theft and reckless speeders are the main worries in Meltzer's country; homicide is not his speciality. A friend at the Atlanta Police Department recommends a freelancer Meltzer has never heard of - former FBI profiler and private detective Keye Street...

My verdict
This is my first Keye Street novel, but it certainly won't be my last.

Don't Talk to Strangers has a great plot and fascinating characters. The bodies of two teenage girls are discovered deep in the forest; both have been killed in a violent manner, but the murders took place 10 years apart. It's clear that the girls were held and tortured for some time before they were murdered. Keye Street is called upon by the local sheriff for her expertise. When another girl goes missing, the race is on to find her.

I really enjoyed this book. It contains a bit of everything - well-formed characters, a well-constructed plot, humour, romantic interest, forensics, tension, twists and a mystery to solve. Keye Street is feisty, not afraid to speak her mind and a talented investigator. The book reminded me of Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum novels, which I used to read years ago, but in my opinion this was far better. I was completely surprised by the ending - I thought I had guessed the murderer's identity correctly.

If, like me, you haven't read an Amanda Kyle Williams' Keye Street book yet, this can easily be read as a standalone.

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

Rise of the Enemy by Rob Sinclair

Rise of the Enemy
By Rob Sinclair
Published by Clink Street Publishing (30 April 2015)
ISBN: 978-1909477896

Publisher's description
Everyone has a breaking point. Carl Logan might just have found his. 
For the past 19 years, Agent Carl Logan has devoted his life to his work for the Joint Intelligence Agency; an intelligence agency controlled jointly by the USA and the UK. Policing, espionage and elite armed forces combined in one secretive and powerful network.
When the JIA sends Logan on a routine mission to Russia it should have been simple. But when his cover is blown, he's transported into a world of hell he thought he would never see again.
Something is different this time, though, and before long doubts begin to surface in Logan's mind as to why the assignment went so wrong. Logan has never been short of enemies. And sometimes the enemy is closer to home than you think.
Could his own people really have set him up? The odds are against him. But Logan isn't a man who likes to be cornered. And when you poke a caged animal, you'd better be prepared for the consequences...

My verdict
Yet again Rob Sinclair dives straight into the action. In his latest book Rise of the Enemy, special agent Carl Logan is captured and tortured for three months. He is left wondering whether he has been abandoned by his Agency. And he has no idea who to trust. The story switches between past and present - Logan's current situation on the run and what happened to him over the last three months.

Rob Sinclair has a descriptive way of writing, incorporating facts about his characters without making this a chore to read. So even someone's eye colour or clothing seems relevant, and nothing is superfluous. His characters are so well developed that you feel like you know them personally by the end of the book. The intrigue and action last from beginning to end.

This is a great book for fans of Jack Reacher and Ben Hope. I hope that the author has a third Carl Logan book planned.

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

Read my review of the first book - Dance with the Enemy - here.

Dance with the Enemy by Rob Sinclair

Dance with the Enemy
By Rob Sinclair
Published by Clink Street Publishing (2 March 2015)
ISBN: 978-1909477087

Publisher's description
Carl Logan was the perfect agent. A loner, with no real friends or family, he was trained to deal with any situation with cold efficiency, devoid of emotion. But Logan isn't the man he used to be, or the asset he once was. Five months ago his life changed forever when he was captured, tortured and left for dead by Youssef Selim, one of the world's most violent terrorists. When Selim mysteriously reappears in Paris, linked to the kidnapping of America's Attorney General, Logan smells his chance for revenge. Pursuing his man relentlessly, oblivious to the growing trail of destruction that he leaves in his wake, Logan delves increasingly deep into the web of lies and deceit surrounding the kidnapping. Finally, he comes to learn just what it means to Dance with the Enemy.

My verdict
Dance with the Enemy will appeal to fans of Jack Reacher and Ben Hope. The book contains a bit of everything you would expect from an action thriller - fast-paced writing, dramatic chase scenes, deception, revenge and even a hint of romance.

Carl Logan is a special agent, rescued from life as an unruly teenager with little future and trained to become a killing machine. He has a habit of acting before thinking, which can leave disaster and dead bodies in his wake. Yet he gets the villain in the end.

The action kicks off straight away, which really drew me into the story, and I found the book hard to put down. I loved the well-developed characters, particular Logan and his interaction with his boss Mackie and FBI agent Grainger (who brought out his softer side).

I couldn't wait to read the next book - Rise of the Enemy - so read it straight after this one. I hope a third Carl Logan book is in the planning.

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

Read my review of the second book - Rise of the Enemy here.

The Broken by Tamar Cohen

The Broken
By Tamar Cohen
Published by Random House (23 April 2015)
ISBN: 978-0552779371

Publisher's description
Best friends tell you everything; about their kitchen renovation; about their little girl's schooling. How one of them is leaving the other for a younger model.

Best friends don't tell lies. They don't take up residence on your couch for weeks. They don't call lawyers. They don't make you choose sides.

Best friends don't keep secrets about their past. They don't put you in danger.

Best friends don't always stay best friends.

My verdict
The Broken is a chilling psychological thriller focusing on the dangers of getting too involved in friends' relationship problems. And how you may discover that you don't really know your best friends at all.

This is the story of best friends Dan and Sasha and Josh and Hannah, and what happens when Dan decides to leave Sasha for a younger model (literally). As Dan and Sasha's marriage breaks down, cracks start to appear in Josh and Hannah's marriage too. All four lives are plunged into turmoil, as they struggle to adapt to their changing relationships. Josh and Hannah are unsure where their loyalties lie as conflicting stories are revealed. It's difficult to know which one - Dan or Sasha - they should trust.

Tamar 'Tammy' Cohen has the knack of creating believable characters, so normal that they would be right at home in your own backyard. These days, it's fairly commonplace for marriages to break down, and this book felt very real. I could imagine myself in very similar scenarios and experiencing the same feelings as Josh and Hannah.

The memoir of a young girl dotted throughout the book keeps the suspense going. I did guess the twist at the end, but it was still cleverly written. The author leaves the book hanging, which doesn't always work but I felt that it did in this particular case.

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