The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows by Marnie Riches - blog tour review

I am delighted to be today's stop on the BLOG TOUR for Marnie Riches' The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows, which was published on 31 March 2016 by Maze (Avon).

The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows

By Marnie Riches

Published by Avon/Maze (31 March 2016)

Publisher's description

Europe is in the grip of an extreme Arctic blast and at the mercy of a killer, who leaves no trace. His weapons of choice are razor-sharp icicles. This is Jack Frost.

Now a fully qualified criminologist, Georgina McKenzie is called upon by the Dutch police to profile this cunning and brutal murderer. Are they looking for a hit man or a frenzied serial-killer? Could there be a link to a cold missing persons’ case that George had worked with Chief Inspector Paul van den Bergen – two abducted toddlers he could never quite give up on?

The hunt for Jack Frost sparks a dangerous, heart-rending journey through the toughest neighbourhoods in Europe, where refugees and Roma gypsies scratch a living on the edge of society. Walking into the dark, violent world of a trans-national trafficking ring, can George outrun death to shed light on two terrible mysteries?

My verdict
The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows could possibly be read as a standalone. But I suggest you read the series in the correct order to understand the relationship between the main characters, Georgina (George) MacKenzie and Chief Inspector Paul van den Bergen. This book is set two years after the previous one (The Girl Who Broke the Rules). George is now a fully qualified criminologist, but she's just as opinionated as she was in the previous books. Yet again, she's working with Paul to solve some intriguing crimes, and their personal relationship is as complex as ever.

This is certainly the darkest of the three books in the series. It's a story of child abduction, paedophile rings and brutal murders. A serial killer nicknamed Jack Frost is taking advantage of the Arctic weather conditions to kill his victims. In a seemingly unconnected plot, taking place in the past, two children go missing in Amsterdam and their parents are looking for answers, using desperate measures to discover the truth.

As with the first two books, The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows is split mainly between London, Cambridge and Amsterdam. The three different settings work well yet again, with some very strong characters in each location. It took me a little while to get to grips with the different subplots in the book, especially the switch between past and present, but the jigsaw pieces gradually slotted into place.

'The Girl Who books' are gripping and highly enjoyable, with plenty of twists and turns. They are supposed to be a trilogy, but I hope it isn't the last we see of George.

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


Click here to read my review of Marnie's first book, The Girl Who Wouldn't Die.
Click here to read my review of her second book, The Girl Who Broke the Rules.
Click here to read about her pathway to publication.

Follow the Blog Tour:

Reader, I Dumped Him by Lorelei Mathias - Blog Tour

I would like to welcome Lorelei Mathias to my blog today her Blog Tour. Lorelei talks book trailers – and Reader, I Dumped Him. Reader, I Dumped Him was published by Maze on 4 February 2016.

Q. What do Jordan Catalano, Barry from Eastenders and Lena Dunham all have in common?

A. They are all cameos in my new book trailer! Sort of.

Done in homage to one of my favourite films (with glimpses into many others), it is dedicated to anyone who's ever done a 'conscious uncoupling', or had their heart ripped out their bottom without any warning. So that’s everyone, right?

To our members, we're the first emergency service
Posted by Lorelei Mathias - Women's fiction writer on Friday, January 29, 2016

If you made it through the whole thing, then there’s a prize for whoever can tell me every single film/TV show that’s referenced (some are pretty vintage!). And there’s a bonus point for telling me how many people there are in it called Amelie. You’d need to be a bit of a geek, or to have read my first book Step on it, Cupid to get this though :)

Small bit of trivia: This film actually had it’s ‘premiere’ at the Romantic Novelists Association some years ago, when I gave a talk on ‘book marketing for little pockets’. In case you’re interested, here are the other two trailers I made for my first two, geek that I am!

Step on it Cupid – click here

Lost for Words – click here 

There’s something a bit ‘meta’ going on in the Lost For Words one, actually. It was a ‘Real Life BUC’ member’s idea to make it – so we all pulled together to make this one – much like in the book.

I could go on about book trailers all day, but I’ll leave it there for now! More here if you’re interested. And if you’d like any help making one, I’m always up for that, so please get in touch.

Thanks for watching, and reading xxx

About the Book

Reader, I Dumped Him

By Lorelei Mathias

Published by Maze (4 February 2016)

Publisher's description

Relationships come and go, but the Break-up Club membership never truly expires.

Holly Braithwaite and loveable loser Lawrence have been together for five years. But the obvious cracks in their relationship can no longer be ignored and Holly soon finds herself saying ‘it’s not you, it’s me.’

In the shock aftermath of their break up, Holly finds unlikely companions in Olivia, Harry and Bella. Together, they form the Break-up Club, as they support each other through their mutual melancholy and find ways to love, laugh and function as human beings again.

Break-up Club meets every Sunday. Each week, as the comedy and drama unfolds, they discover a new BUC ‘rule’. And, one by one, the rules become vital markers on their journey to recovery . . .

Find out more about Lorelei Mathias on her website and Twitter - @loreleimathias

Find out more about Reader, I Dumped Him and the Break Up Club by clicking here. 

The Girl Who Broke The Rules by Marnie Riches

The Girl Who Broke The Rules
By Marnie Riches
Published by Maze (20 August 2015)

Publisher's description

When the mutilated bodies of two sex-workers are found in Amsterdam, Chief Inspector van den Bergen must find a brutal murderer before the red-light-district erupts into panic.

Georgina McKenzie is conducting research into pornography among the UK’s most violent sex-offenders but once van den Bergen calls on her criminology expertise, she is only too happy to come running.

The rising death toll forces George and van den Bergen to navigate the labyrinthine worlds of Soho strip-club sleaze and trans-national human trafficking. And with the case growing ever more complicated, George must walk the halls of Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, seeking advice from the brilliant serial murderer, Dr. Silas Holm…

My verdict
Reading The Girl Who Broke The Rules was like coming back to an old friend. I think this book is even better than the first in the series. It can be read as a standalone. But if you haven't read the first book (The Girl Who Wouldn't Die), I suggest you read this before The Girl Who Broke The Rules to help you understand the main characters' backgrounds.

Yet again, the reader is transported between the dual locations of London and Amsterdam, following an investigation into a series of gruesome crimes. George is in London researching pornography among violent sex offenders for her PhD, but a disturbing case leads her to join Chief Inspector Paul van den Bergen in Amsterdam. Women are being brutally butchered, and certain evidence leads the police to suspect that this could be linked with human trafficking.

Both George and van den Bergen's personal lives are a mess. George's relationship with her boyfriend Ad is in jeopardy and van den Bergen is paranoid about his health. George is brash and hard as nails with plenty of attitude, a consequence of her difficult upbringing, and very different to sensitive van den Bergen (who is old enough to be her father). Yet not only are they friends and work colleagues, but it's clear that they are attracted to one another too.

The writing is fast-paced and highly readable with some graphic and gory descriptions. As the story progresses, the tension builds up and the body count rises. I had no idea about the identity of the murderer, and the culprit was a complete surprise.

The ending is also shocking and totally unexpected. Be warned that it will leave you hanging. It's left me desperate to read the third installment.

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