THE CONSPIRACY-by Jack Probyn- Crime thriller                           

Jake has just joined MCU with his friend Danika from another force, both as

temporary detective constables. When a shout comes in for a robbery with

malice, Jake is called out and Danika left in the office finding information. To

Jake’s horror the robbery rings huge bells of a few years before when he was

taken hostage whilst in a bank and only the ring leader was caught. The

witness's descriptions tie up with his memories of a notorious gang in devil

masks. This time, having a new leader things are taking a different turn -

someone has been shot and there is a collar bomb device where only finding

the keys will release the victim. Can Jake and Danika and the team sort this

out before it's too late? I loved this and found myself racing through it- a

sure sign of a well written book with a tension throughout to find out more.

I liked Jake and his cheeky sense of humour and the twists and turns of the

story. His interactions with others which I can see will develop further in

the next in the series (which I very much look forward to).

A clever concept, wonderful characters and a gripping storyline. 

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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The Conspiracy (DC Jake Tanner Crime Thriller #1) by Jack Probyn #TheConspiracy #DCJakeTanner @jackprobynbooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Book Blurb: Candice Strachan can’t breathe.  A small jewellers is raided in Guildford High Street and leaves police chasing their tails. Reports suggest that it's The Crimsons, an organised crime group the police have been hunting for years.  The device wrapped around her neck is suffocating her, crushing her chest. But for rookie detective, Jake Tanner, something doesn't seem right. The heist doesn’t fit any of their previous patterns. And the last time Jake met them, he was staring down the barrel of their gun, bargaining for his life.  The men who put it there have left her to die. When the shop owner is kidnapped and a collar bomb is attached to her neck, Jake learns one of his own is involved – a police officer.  Her life now rests in Jake Tanner’s hands.  As Jake follows the group on a wild goose chase, he questions everything he knows about his team. Who can he trust? And is he prepared to find out? The Conspiracy by Jack Probyn is a tense crime thriller full of hooks and twists that will leave you guessing to the end. If you like Luther and Line Of Duty, you’ll love this series that combines tension, gripping plots, and police corruption. (Warning: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains disturbing and potentially offensive material.)

About Jack Probyn: Jack Probyn is the author of the DC Jake Tanner series. He hasn’t spent much time on the planet, but he knows what he wants: to entertain and enthral readers across the globe with his stories. Growing up as an only child and never owning a pet - something he reminds his parents of constantly - Jack spent a lot of time reading and writing.  After just about completing an English degree, he decided to turn his passion from a hobby into a career. When he’s not writing, he’s usually enjoying a sudoku or a true crime drama on Netflix. He lives in Surrey with his partner - who also one day dreams of owning a pet. Preferably a dog.

Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackprobynbooks Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jackprobynbooks Instagram: https://instagram.com/jackprobynauthor  Purchase Links: Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/3bvJEvg Amazon US: http://amzn.to/3borD27 Publishing Information: Published in hardcover, paperback and digital formats by Cliff Edge Press on 8th June 2020

The Island- C.L Taylor- Y.A fiction      

Six teenagers on a small Thai island with a guide, what could possibly go

wrong? The group have known each other since they were born- their mothers

were in the same antenatal group and have pretty much holidayed with each

other for all of their seventeen years. Only two have paired off and there is

one brother and sister. When the guide collapses and after having discussed

their phobias the night before, things start happening and Danny is convinced

that there is someone else on the island and making their nightmares come

true. Who could it be and why do such a thing? This is a very clever plot which

I tremendously enjoyed (as ever with Cally’s books). I do hope that this is

read by a wide young adult audience as it may help tackle what is still a

silence over mental health issues and the more people that are aware the

more can be helped. I won't give anything away other than to say a brave

subject handled incredibly well and made very real. A book you may find

yourself drawn into and can't put down. Clever, interesting, informative, brilliant. 

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

 

There's Only One Danny Garvey by David F Ross- sports fiction      

 

A book for football fans in particular Scottish ones but with so much more than

just about a game of two halves. Danny was a star player (hence the title)

back in the day. He even made up a story about Alex Fergusson coming

to pick him. Now he is the manager of the struggling local team Barshaw

bridge FC who have sponsorship from the local carpet firm (Piles better

being their motto which is plastered all over the ground) and he has a few

meagre expenses for players. Bottom of the league doesn't cover it.His

brother Raymond is in prison having lived on the darker side of the tracks

to Danny however he also has his past and his secrets. We are now in the

late 1990’s and Danny's limelight was back when he was a teenager. Danny

tells his story of how to got to where he is now with a tinge of sadness and

regret. I know two things about football- nothing and Gary Linekar (as he

advertised crisps and was from a town I once lived in). I think anyone

who is more into football may get even more out of this than I did

understanding more of the tensions and organisations around it. That

said it is well written however there is a lot of Scottish wording which

for some may take a while to get your head around. It's not just about

football, it's about human life and the rollercoaster ride many of us take

along the way. At times raw and emotional, others loved and cared for

. Interactions with others from the past and of trying to put things right ,

hindsight and maturity being great reflectors of what could have, may

be should have been.

 I loved the quote at the beginning which really makes you think :

“ Mother I tried please believe me, I'm doing the best I can.

I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through,

I'm ashamed of the person I am "

(Joy Division, “Isolation” )

. A different read and one to make you think. 

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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A promising young football player returns home to his tiny village, his dreams in tatters and a dark secret haunting his conscience, in a beautiful, unforgettable novel about hope and redemption, when everything seems lost…

THE BOOK

Danny Garvey was a sixteen-year old footballing prodigy. Professional clubs clamoured to sign him, and a glittering future beckoned. And yet, his early promise remained unfulfilled, and Danny is back home in the tiny village of Barshaw to manage the struggling junior team he once played for. What’s more, he’s hiding a secret about a tragic night, thirteen years earlier, that changed the course of several lives. There’s only one Danny Garvey, they once chanted … and that’s the problem. A story of irrational hopes and fevered dreams – of unstoppable passion and unflinching commitment in the face of defeat – There’s Only One Danny Garvey is, above all, an unforgettable tale about finding hope and redemption in the most unexpected of places.

THE AUTHOR David F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over 30 years. He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social media commentator, author and enabler by night. His debut novel The Last Days of Discowas shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and received exceptional critical acclaim, as did the other two books in the Disco Days Trilogy: The Rise & Fall of the Miraculous Vespasand The Man Who Loved Islands. David lives in Ayrshire.

 

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse- Charlie Mackesy

Im late to the party with this one and treated myself after receiving a book voucher.

What had I been waiting for? Oh how I wish I had bought this sooner!

For me, Its THE book to get me through lockdown and so, so much more.

A look at life in sometimes the simplest of ways that can give us the most joy

and to ask simple quetions to make us pause and think.

Theres a wistfulness about this yet so very clever and several smiles (a mole

 who loves cake!)

A book to treasure, a book to give someone who may need that long distance 

hug to know that you care. Or even better as Charlie himself says, be kind to

 yourself- so I was and fell head over heels in love with this.

A treasure, a true pleasure and one very very special book 10* if I could 

 

Girl A- Abigail Dean-psychological thriller

“Girl A,' she said. ‘The girl who escaped. If anyone was going to make it, it was going to

be you.’

A family of seven children- all but one are tied and neglected. Girl A, Lex, manages

eventually to escape and raise the alarm. we then get two storylines- of the

children as adults and of their life before the neglect. This isn't an easy read i

n places as you can imagine and anyone who has suffered abuse of neglect

may find this triggers memories.. Once discovered the children were adopted

individually by various families. The father had killed himself at the time of

the discovery and the mother was imprisoned. She has now died and they

have come together to sort out her will and the old house.Lex and Evie the

youngest want to make the house something for the community and finally

to do some good after the horrors that went on there. A harsh, stark, well

written and vividly described tale of hardship but also of determination 

and tenacity. A much hyped book with a message- one that should be

read by the oh-so-protected snowflakes- that not every family is

loving and supportive- and no, it's not just in books- this really

happens even now. 

A gritty read and one to contemplate what may happen on the other side. 

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean- Suspense Thriller

 A stunning read, a difficult read at times but one to remember. Jane is held captive

in a remote farmhouse. She has four things that are her own- a photograph, an

identity card (that shows that Jane isn't her real name), a book and her sister's

letters. Both of them came over to England with the promise of a better life and

enough wages that they would be able to send some home. It cost them each

eighteen thousand pounds to come over- which must be paid back to the

traffickers who manhandled them over here. They were promised to be working

in a shop (they’re not), they were “guaranteed” to be together and they’re not.

Jane’s sister is allowed to write but Jane can't write back. Lenn has very strict

rules. If she kills him her sister will be deported, the same if she escapes. His

friend Frank at the next farm would see to it so she is trapped where she has

been for the last five years. This isn’t an easy read- it tells of abuse and rape

and oh such a horrible existance. Yes its fiction but modern day slavery is

very much a thing and maybe books like this will highlight the issues even

more. This is about survival and being mentally strong in the very worst

of conditions. Brilliantly written and described, a heartfelt visceral read.

Certainly one I won’t forget. 5*

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WWW.LASTTHINGTOBURN.COM

INTRODUCING HODDER & STOUGHTON’S lead THRILLER OF 2021 ...

WILL DEAN grew up in the East Midlands and had lived in nine different villages 

before the age of eighteen. After studying Law at the LSE and working in London, 

he settled in rural Sweden where he built a house in a boggy clearing at the centre of

 a vast elk forest, and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

 His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s Book Club, shortlisted 

for the Guardian Not the Booker prize and named a Daily Telegraph Book of the 

Year. The second Tuva Moodyson mystery, Red Snow, was published in January 

2019 and won Best Independent Voice at the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards,

 2019. The Last Thing to Burn is his first standalone novel and his first book with

 Hodder.

‘I lived every second with the characters. A masterpiece’ JANE CASEY

‘Misery meets Room . . . a triumph’ MARIAN KEYES

HARDBACK • £12.99

Also publishing in Ebook and Audio

‘Misery meets Room – a triumph’ MARIAN KEYES

‘Ratchets up the tension to the point where

I had to check my pulse’ LIZ NUGENT

‘I lived every second with the characters.

A masterpiece’ JANE CASEY

‘An addictive and insightful thriller’

MAXINE MEI-FUNG CHUNG

 

Deadly Whispers in Lower Dimblebrook by Julie Butterfield- Cozy Mystery

Izzie is relatively new to Lower Dimblebrook and has made a friend in

Fiona through going to a Zumba class.  They have arranged to meet for

lunch, but when in the local shop, Izzie hears the village gossip say that

Fiona has just been found dead, being found in a nearby car park where

she was apparently meeting her lover. Izzie is outraged and won’t believe

a word of it. Fiona can't be dead- they were meeting for lunch and no

way is she having an affair- she dearly loves her husband having given

up so much to be with him and live with not only him but his mother

also in the big house. After a visit from DI Wainwright who pretty much

says the same thing Izzie sets out to defend her friend and scotch the

rumours- and discovers more than she anticipated. Is it coincidence

that Anthony Lambourne has lost two wives or is more going on in

the big house? 

I really enjoyed reading this- it's a fun read with some wonderful

characters. Izzie comes across as just the friend you would like, Doris

as a right old gossip but with her heart in the right place and Dave?

Let's say Dave is Dave! (you’ll have to read to find out more).

A mystery or two, a village where everyone knows things about

everyone, a little romance and a smile- what more could you ask for? Loved it.

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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Deadly Whispers in Lower Dimblebrook When Isabelle Darby moves to the delightfully cosy village of Lower Dimblebrook, she’s searching for peace and quiet as well as a chance to escape from heartbreak. After making friends with Fiona Lambourne, another newcomer to the village, Issie is left reeling when tragedy strikes and Fiona is murdered, the second wife Anthony Lambourne has lost in unfortunate circumstances. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the local gossips insist that Fiona had been embroiled in an affair before her death, something which Issie knows not to be the case. Determined to clear her friend's reputation and solve the mystery of the rumours, Issie takes on both the gossips and the handsome but stern DI Wainwright, making both friends and enemies along the way! Purchase Links Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Whispers-Lower-Dimblebrook-delightful-ebook/dp/B08L9FP2SK Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Whispers-Lower-Dimblebrook-delightful-ebook/dp/B08L9FP2SK Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/search?query=deadly+whispers+in+lower+dimblebrook

Author Bio – Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of 'always wanted to write' authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper - or rather fingers to keyboard. She wrote her first book purely for pleasure and was very surprised to discover that so many people enjoyed the story and wanted more, so she decided to carry on writing. It has to be pointed out that her first novel, 'Did I Mention I Won The Lottery' is a complete work of fiction and she did not, in fact, receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it to her husband - even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him! Social Media Links – @juliebeewriter www.Juliebutterfield.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/juliebeewriter

 

Looking for Leo- J.A Baker psychological thriller

 A little boy, Leo, has gone missing. He is safe and being looked after “until his

mother finishes work”. Lynda has started a new art class at the local community

centre with her friend and during the class can't help but feel that the

instructor is familiar- possibly someone she had to testify against over twenty

years ago. Ashton is new to doing this and would love to get into the world

of art but his background prevents him from going down the traditional route.

Sarah is a bored housewife who is now distrusting her husband Malcolm.

He once had an affair and they “lived to tell the tale” but now he seems

distant and she can’t help but feel as if something else is going on. Emily is

a single mum to Joel and has just met a new man Mo. The women meet

up to get to know each other for coffee and inevitably end up discussing

the disappearance and the coincidence of Ashton being back in the village.

I enjoyed this- there is so much more to this than “just a missing child”

there are layers to the characters and depth which comes across really

well. A brilliantly written book that had me turning the pages. 

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

 

The Silver Rose Dating Agency by Angelena Boden- Women sleuths/Cozy mystery  

(First published as “ Love Bytes Back- Edna Reid Investigates”)

 Hope Valley in Derbyshire is a pretty area frequented by visitors for

most of the year. The residents are used to this and make the most of

it with cafes and suchlike. Lonely widow Kitty joins the Silver Rose

dating agency to find companionship and hopefully love and finds

Harvey. Her friend Edna, the former cafe owner is rather more

sceptical and has read about internet scams and takes it upon herself

to find out more- as Harvey is now taking more and more money

from Kitty who refuses to believe that he isn't genuine. Meanwhile

there are some strange goings on- satanic type graffiti by the church

and hoodies with pentagrams on. This is the second in a series

(the first book-Edna’s death cafe was a brilliant read) but will

happily stand alone. A read to make you smile and to enjoy

life whilst taking care out there- even in real life not

everything is at it first appears.

A mystery, a little romance, a message and a smile. 

For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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The Silver Rose Dating Agency When lonely widow Kitty Merriweather moves to Derbyshire’s Hope Valley, she joins the Silver Rose online dating site because it offers a safe place for the over sixties to find romance. There, she meets the enigmatic Harvey, a scientist working on a conservation project in Bali who promises her “hot days and stormy nights.” Love blooms quickly but Kitty breaks all the rules laid down by the agency, putting herself at risk. When little things don’t add up she dismisses them as being unimportant. Nothing matters more than her plans for them to live happily ever after. When she confides in her new friend, Edna Reid, octogenarian and former café owner, Kitty gets angry at Edna’s implication she is likely the victim of a scam. The more Edna hears about Harvey, the more she is convinced he’s only interested in Kitty for her money. Using her knowledge of computers Edna finally uncovers the truth, but where does black magic and murder fit into this intriguing cosy mystery? Purchase Links UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08KFFMQB2 US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KFFMQB2 Author Bio – Angelena Boden has spent thirty- five years as an international training consultant, specialising in behavioural management and conflict resolution. She trained in Transactional Analysis, the psychology of communication and behaviour, her preferred tool for counselling and coaching. She originates from the Peak District but has spent a life time travelling and living in places as far apart as Vancouver, Dubai, Paris, Seville and Iran. Now semi-retired in Great Malvern, she writes every morning, walks the hills and paints landscapes every afternoon and fits family and reading in between. She is the author of two novels published by Urbane Publications (rights reverted) and two self-published cosy mysteries and a number of business books (Management Pocketbooks). Angelena is a regular blogger for a mental health publisher (Trigger) and Autumn Voices website which promotes authors over 60. Social Media Links – angelenaboden.com