Snap by Belinda Bauer

Snap
By Belinda Bauer
Published by Transworld (23 August 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley

Publisher's description

SNAP DECISIONS CAN BE DANGEROUS . . . 

On a stifling summer's day, eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters sit in their broken-down car, waiting for their mother to come back and rescue them. Jack's in charge, she'd said. I won't be long.

But she doesn't come back. She never comes back. And life as the children know it is changed for ever.

Three years later, Jack is still in charge - of his sisters, of supporting them all, of making sure nobody knows they're alone in the house, and - quite suddenly - of finding out the truth about what happened to his mother. . .

My verdict
Yet again, Belinda Bauer has written an original, highly unsettling read about love and loss.

Snap is more than just a police procedural/psychological thriller combination. While there's plenty of investigating going on, Snap is about the emotional impact of tragedy, with three abandoned children taking centre stage. Jack, the eldest, is trying to maintain some sense of normality, even though their world has fallen apart.

The book is well written. It's a slow burner at first, to set the scene and introduce the characters, but eventually moves along at a cracking place. I love the mixture of darkness and humour - sad, tragic and funny at the same time. The multi-layered plot is a little far fetched, with plenty of police incompetence and coincidences, but it's also compelling, highly entertaining and very twisty.

The children are portrayed realistically and their plight certainly pulled at the heartstrings - with Jack's alternative' parenting style and sense of duty towards his younger sisters creating some very funny moments. The police came across as caricatures, but I thought this fit in well with the nature of the book.

Snap is a fun highly memorable crime novel - not to be taken completely seriously!

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

Need to Know
By Karen Cleveland
Published by Transworld/Bantam Press (January 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer.

Your task: break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

You’re in. Five faces stare back at you.

One of them is your husband.

My verdict
Need to Know totally sucked me in and kept me hostage for a few hours!

This was a one-sitting read with my heart pounding as I held my breath and turned the pages as fast as my brain could process the words on them. I could see why other people who read this book before me had been raving about it. I couldn't put it down!

Need to Know is a story of espionage but also a marriage in crisis. Vivian, a CIA counterintelligence analyst, discovers that her husband isn't who she thinks he is, which could not only affect their relationship but, perhaps more worryingly, also national security. Is their relationship built on lies and manipulation? Is it real or not? And should she reveal the truth to her superiors and colleagues?

This is the type of book that will keep you reading late into the night or even the early hours of the morning. I admit that I had to suspend belief more than a little, but I didn't care. This is a fast-paced page turner, with tension on every page and an impressive, additive plot. It's a light, easy read - perfect escapism from the real world. It's fun and different with great writing. And I did find myself wondering what I would have done in Vivian's situation.

I can see why this book was highly sought after, and also why it's been picked up by Hollywood. It's mind-blowing and highly entertaining from start to finish, and shockingly twisty - a book written for the big screen. I'm really hoping there's a sequel!

Emma Curtis' Writing Toolkit

WRITING TOOLKIT gives you an idea of an author's writing process through the tools they use. The tools can be anything (real or virtual) that they think is essential for their writing - serious, fun or even a fetish (that they're willing to own up to)! 

I am delighted to welcome 

EMMA CURTIS

AUTHOR OF ONE LITTLE MISTAKE

TO SHARE HER WRITING TOOLKIT

Writing space

I don’t attach much importance to where I write; it tends to depend on weather and who is living in the house. Currently both kids are renting flats with partners (Hurray!) so that frees up their bedrooms.  I also have a writing shed, which though perfect in Spring, Summer and Autumn, can be a cold in winter.  It’s also used for a – ‘where shall I put this, I don’t want to get rid of it but’, items and outside furniture.  So, it’s not always conducive.  The essential thing is to feel uninhibited and because I write using Voice Recognition (more of this later), it can be difficult to find that space if my husband is home.

Creative writing books

I keep my favorite creative writing books in the bathroom to dip into when nature calls, a habit that bemuses my husband.  I love Stephen King’s On Writing, Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark’s hilarious How not to Write a Novel, Harry Bingham’s How to Write.  You think you know it all when you get your first book deal, but you really don’t. You’re only scratching the surface.  It pays to be humble and learn lessons.

Dragon

I use Dragon Voice Recognition to write my first draft because I have chronic pain in my hands, arms and shoulders.  It’s great for pounding through those chapters, but unfortunately it slows down the editing process to such an extent that I end up getting angry and pulling the plug.  It can also be tricky when you need to write a sex scene.  I wait for an empty house for that task.  Not that I write many!  I am very much a ‘less is more, use your imagination,’ author.

Silence

I can’t bear being able to hear the radio, my husband on the phone, sneezing or merely breathing near me.  I can handle noise that I have no control over – like those pesky parakeets and squirrels who enjoy a prolonged screeching session, but if I can put a stop to something, I can’t ignore it.  This morning there are builders outside my window.  I’m doing my best to blank them out.

Healthy eating

Food is definitely part of the writer’s toolkit, and a tricky one to balance.  The weight crept on.  I started 2017 with a hashtag #ThisWritersArse to motivate myself to lose it and get healthy again.  I have strict rules (I am an all or nothing person). No eating between meals, no carbs.  I have porridge for breakfast, a huge salad for lunch and for supper meat and veg – no potatoes!  It’s worked. I’m now down to a respectable ten stone.  Chocolate after lunch and supper, is my pat on the head for keeping my hand out of the biscuit tin. I keep a supply in the fridge and can become disproportionately upset if it vanishes.

Clothes

I think my most important material item for writing is clothes.  I dread neighbours turning up unannounced (which they do all too often) because I look awful in baggy old sweatpants and hideous jumpers.  But I just cannot cope with anything that fits snuggly.

A good night's sleep

I don’t work in the evenings because I have trouble sleeping so avoid over-stimulating my brain.  A TV drama followed by a couple of chapters of whatever I’m reading, usually does the trick.  I don’t like box sets because they go on for so long.  I prefer English serials like Missing, Doctor Foster and Paula and love Scandi Noir.

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, EMMA!

About Emma Curtis

Emma Curtis was born in Brighton and brought up in London. Her fascination with the darker side of domestic life inspired her to write One Little Mistake, her first psychological suspense. She has two children and lives in Richmond with her husband.

Find Emma on Twitter - @emmacurtisbooks

About ONE LITTLE MISTAKE

Published by Black Swan (15 June 2017)

Publisher's description

YOU TRUSTED YOUR BEST FRIEND . . . YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE.

Vicky Seagrave is blessed: three beautiful children, a successful, doting husband, great friends and a job she loves. She should be perfectly happy.

When she makes a split-second decision that risks everything she holds dear, there's only person she trusts enough to turn to.

But Vicky is about to learn that one mistake is all it takes; that if you're careless with those you love, you don't deserve to keep them . . . 

They All Fall Down by Tammy Cohen

They All Fall Down
By Tammy Cohen
Published by Transworld (13 July 2017)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

Hannah had a normal life – a loving husband, a good job. Until she did something shocking.

Now she’s in a psychiatric clinic. It should be a safe place. But patients keep dying.

The doctors say it’s suicide. Hannah knows they’re lying.  

Can she make anyone believe her before the killer strikes again?

My verdict
Tammy Cohen has done it again with this twisty psychological thriller. They All Fall Down is a brilliant read and I highly recommend it.

Set in a private psychiatric clinic, the book has the perfect claustrophobic setting and a whole host of unreliable fragile characters who all have something to hide. It's clear that you probably can't trust the patients, who suffer from a range of mental health problems and emotional traumas, but can you trust anyone else in the book either?

The story is told from several points of view - all potentially unreliable and very convincing. It's an emotional read and highly thought-provoking, looking into the often-taboo topic of severe depression and hospitalisation. A brave decision to use this setting, I thought when I first saw the blurb, as there's the potential to get it wrong. Yet Tammy Cohen has handled her characters' mental health issues with sensitivity and compassion, carefully weaving them into her plot and raising awareness of some difficult psychiatric issues. She has an amazing ability of getting right inside her characters' heads.

The book is cleverly plotted, unpredictable and different from the current psychological thriller trend. So many layers to peel back, and so many twists, turns and surprises that kept me guessing - and they kept on coming right until the very end. I ignored the rest of the world while I read the book, unable to put it down. This wasn't always an easy read in terms of subject matter, but the gentle dark humour helped to break up the tension.

Tammy Cohen's books get better and better. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.