Review: ‘The Suspects’, by Katherine Johnson

Blurb

Shallow Grave meets The Secret History in this quirky psychological thriller

Bristol, 1988. Five young graduates on the threshold of their careers buy a house together in order to get a foot on the property ladder before prices spiral out of their reach. But it soon becomes the house share from hell.

After their New Year’s Eve party, they discover a body – and it’s clear they’ll be the first suspects. As each of them has a good reason from their past not to trust the police, they come up with a solution – one which forces them into a life of secrets and lies. But can they trust each other? 

“The hugely talented Katharine Johnson has, again delivered a tense thriller! This is a compelling novel – up there with Erin Kelly and Sophie Hannah.”

Val Penny, author of The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.

“Gripping and frighteningly realistic. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end.”

Jo Fenton, author of The Brotherhood.

Continue reading “Review: ‘The Suspects’, by Katherine Johnson”

Blog Tour Calendar: ‘The Greenmen’, by Linden Forster

Aereon has found the Creators.

He’s crossed seas and mountain ranges to reach them, tangled with dwarves and ogres along the way, escaped the clutches of an icicle wielding irate yeti to rescue them and now they tell him that they weren’t in any great need of help.

A revolution has sparked in the realm of Hudikvar, because of something things Aereon might have said to a troop of homeless youths. Now, King Victarian is after Aereon and anyone associated with him.

Local woodsman, Lars, has agreed to help them flee and be their guide through Oak’s Wood, but even he cannot guess what lies in wait for them within. Not now the Lord of the Primes is about to wake.

‘He’s got a touch of destiny about him, that one,’ said the Dealer.

‘Aye. He’s got a date with her, I’d say,’ said the Trickster.

‘And she’s ordered the lobster,’ said the Teller.

Blog tour calendar: ‘The Suspects’, by Katherine Johnson

The Suspects by Katharine Johnson

Shallow Grave meets The Secret History in this quirky psychological thriller

Bristol, 1988. Five young graduates on the threshold of their careers buy a house together in order to get a foot on the property ladder before prices spiral out of their reach. But it soon becomes the house share from hell.

After their New Year’s Eve party, they discover a body – and it’s clear they’ll be the first suspects. As each of them has a good reason from their past not to trust the police, they come up with a solution – one which forces them into a life of secrets and lies. But can they trust each other? 

“The hugely talented Katharine Johnson has, again delivered a tense thriller! This is a compelling novel – up there with Erin Kelly and Sophie Hannah.”

Val Penny, author of The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.

“Gripping and frighteningly realistic. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end.”

Jo Fenton, author of The Brotherhood.

Extract Post: ‘Caught in a Web’, by Joseph Lewis

Blurb
The bodies of high school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador. Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his cousin the previous summer.

Detectives Jamie Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs, shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially George or members of his family. The three detectives come to realize that the ring has its roots in a high school among the students and staff.

Purchase Links
Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249

Extract #7 = George Receives A Note
Not just any note. George is full-blooded Navajo and was trained by his grandfather to become what non-Native Americans would call a Medicine or Holy Man. As such, George like his grandfather, believe in the spirit world and he receives “messages” by way of dreams and visions. He has had troubling dreams that he cannot explain or understand. Now added to this is this message from someone in the school.

George was in a sour mood. His smile was noticeably absent, his dark eyes more intense, his jaw set. Danny met up with him in Spanish IV and couldn’t pull him out of his funk. They stuck together because they were the only ninth graders in the class full of juniors and seniors, evenly split between boys and girls.
He smacked him on the upper arm and said, “What’s up?”
George frowned and shook his head once and Danny backed off.
The first part of the lesson was on conjugating past tense verbs, followed by a short five minute video clip of a mother talking to her daughter about shopping for a dress for her to wear on Saturday night for dinner and a play. The students had to translate the Spanish dialogue to English. For George and Danny, it was as natural and easy as transcribing English to English which was why they were in Spanish IV. The other kids in the class struggled with it and asked George or Danny for help or in a couple of cases, just looked at their papers and copied their work.
After the transcription which was turned in as a benchmark test grade, the students had to come up with a Spanish dialogue discussing the Spanish version of Don Quixote that would be presented to the class the following day. Danny and George were paired together by their teacher, Don Lehmann with the instruction to work on the symbolism of the story.
George picked up his notebook and a copy of his book and sat down on the other side of the room at a desk facing Danny leaving his backpack at his desk. He and Danny talked about the book the entire time in Spanish. Both took notes, laughed a little- Danny more so than George, but were busy the entire time. Those who sat nearby stared at them in awe.
The bell rang which for them meant first lunch. For others, another class before lunch and still others who would go to class, lunch and back to the same class.
Danny gathered his things and waited patiently for George who stuffed his book, his notebook and pen back into his backpack. He slung his backpack over one shoulder and met Danny at the door and together walked down the hallway towards the cafeteria.
They didn’t get halfway there when a girl, neither of them knew or saw before, handed George a note and said, “Some guy asked me to give this to you.” She handed George a folded piece of paper and just as quickly disappeared into the crowd moving the other direction and vanished from sight.
“Who was that?” Danny asked.
Bewildered, George stared off hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but failed to.
“What’s the note say?”
The two boys leaned against the lockers out of the way and read the note together.
George didn’t get scared easily, but he felt himself grow pale and sweat broke out on his upper lip.
“Jesus, George! You have to show this to your dad! Now!”
Rooted to the spot, he didn’t move.
“Did you hear me? Now! Go now!”
George took off, quick-walking to the guidance office dodging huddles of kids dotting the hallways before the bell rang for the next class.


Author Bio

Joseph Lewis has written five books:

Caught in a Web; Taking Lives; Stolen Lives; Shattered Lives, and Splintered Lives. His sixth, Spiral into Darkness, debuts January 17, 2019 from Black Rose Writing. Lewis has been in education for 42 years and counting as a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator. He is currently a high school principal and resides in Virginia with his wife, Kim, along with his daughters, Hannah and Emily. His son, Wil, is deceased.
Lewis uses his psychology and counseling background to craft his characters which helps to bring them to life. His books are topical and fresh and appeal to anyone who enjoys crime thriller fiction with grit and realism and a touch of young adult thrown in.

Social Media Links
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /

Audiobook Review: ‘Chickens Eat Pasta’, by Clare Pedrik, narrated by Colleen MacMahon

I’ve not reviewed an audiobook here before, although I listen to them regularly I usually review an audiobook on Audible after I finish it. Rachel’s Random Resources as branched out though and I agreed to listen to this book.

Blurb

Not just another romance, but a story of escapism, coincidences, friendship, luck and most of all… love.

Chickens Eat Pasta is the tale of how a young Englishwoman starts a new life after watching a video showing a chicken eating spaghetti in a mediaeval hill village in central Italy. 

“Here I was, 26 years old, alone and numb with boredom at the prospect of a future which until recently had seemed to be just what I wanted.”

Unlike some recent bestsellers, this is not simply an account of a foreigner’s move to Italy, but a love story written from the unusual perspective of both within and outside of the story. As events unfold, the strong storyline carries with it a rich portrayal of Italian life from the inside, with a supporting cast of memorable characters. Along the way, the book explores and captures the warmth and colour of Italy, as well as some of the cultural differences – between England and Italy, but also between regional Italian lifestyles and behaviour. It is a story with a happy ending. The author and her husband are still married, with three children, who love the old house on the hill (now much restored) almost as much as she does. 

Chickens Eat Pasta is Clare’s autobiography, and ultimately a love story – with the house itself and with the man that Clare met there and went on to marry. If you yearn for a happy ending, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a story that proves anything is possible if you only try.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chickens-Eat-Pasta-Escape-Umbria-ebook/dp/B012GZXOPY

US – https://www.amazon.com/Chickens-Eat-Pasta-Escape-Umbria-ebook/dp/B012GZXOPY

UK Audiobook  – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chickens-Eat-Pasta/dp/B07BYLZX3X

US Audiobook – https://www.amazon.com/Chickens-Eat-Pasta/dp/B07CBJRG9C

Continue reading “Audiobook Review: ‘Chickens Eat Pasta’, by Clare Pedrik, narrated by Colleen MacMahon”

Review: ‘Divine Invention’, by Linden Forster

Blurb

Most stories begin with either an unforeseen turn of events or a problem.

Krank has a problem. For centuries, the people of the island have lived on the animals and plants to be found there. It was bliss and so the population grew. It was not until very recently anyone noticed that the quantity of plants and animals had not. The delicate balance of the ecosystem has tipped and food is dwindling.

The King assigned the island’s two resident self-proclaimed geniuses, the Creators, to find a solution. The fruits of their labour ripen into the invention of the world’s first aquatic transportation device and promises to provide passage from the island to search further afield for food and resources.

So, there it is. Problem solved. End of story. Barring any unforeseen turn of events…

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Divine-Invention-Heros-Arc-Book-ebook/dp/B01BU60DOA

US – https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Invention-Heros-Arc-Book-ebook/dp/B01BU60DOA

Continue reading “Review: ‘Divine Invention’, by Linden Forster”

Promo Post: ‘Checking The Traps’, by Joan Livingston

I had planned to review this book, because I really enjoyed Joan’s last novel, Redneck’s Revenge , but I’m still not well enough to deal with e-readers.

Blurb

Isabel Long is a bit banged up from her last case with a broken collarbone and her arm in a sling. But that doesn’t stop her from pouring beer at the Rooster Bar or taking her third case with Gary Beaumont, a local drug dealer who once terrorized her. Gary is convinced his brother didn’t jump off a bridge known for suicides. Somebody pushed him.

Gary’s brother was a boozer who drove for a highway crew. But what interests Isabel and her ‘Watson’ — her 93-year-old mother who lives with her — is that the man wrote poetry.

The chief suspects are one of Gary’s business associates and a famous poet who plagiarized his brother’s poetry for an award-winning book. Yes, he was that good.

As a journalist, Isabel did regular meetups with her sources for stories. She called it checking the traps. She does the same as a private investigator, and this time, she’ll make sure she doesn’t get caught in one.

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Checking-Traps-Isabel-Long-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07NDFKS59

US – https://www.amazon.com/Checking-Traps-Isabel-Long-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07NDFKS59

Author Bio

Joan Livingston is the author of novels for adult and young readers. Checking the Traps, published by Crooked Cat Books, is the third in the mystery series featuring Isabel Long, a long-time journalist who becomes an amateur P.I. The first two are Chasing the Case and Redneck’s Revenge.

An award-winning journalist, she started as a reporter covering the hill towns of Western Massachusetts. She was an editor, columnist, and the managing editor of The Taos News, which won numerous state and national awards during her tenure.

After eleven years in Northern New Mexico, she returned to rural Western Massachusetts, which is the setting of much of her adult fiction, including the Isabel Long mystery series.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.joanlivingston.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoanLivingstonAuthor/

Twitter: @joanlivingston 

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/JoanLivingston_Author

Goodreads: www.Goodreads.com/Joan_Livingston

Promo Post: ‘Sea of Lies’, by Rachel McLean

Blurb

He abducted her. He fell in love with her. He helped her escape. Can she trust him?

Sarah Evans has returned home after being abducted and held in a dilapidated farmhouse by a group of men.

With her is Martin, who turned against the other men to help her escape. He says he’s not like them, and claims to be in love with her.

Can Sarah trust Martin? Does she share his feelings? Or should she listen to her father, himself deceitful and abusive, and turn her back on the relationship?

Sea of Lies is a chilling psychological thriller about secrets, trust, and a family falling apart.

A standalone sequel to Thicker Than Water

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Lies-chilling-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B07N5Z7F5R

US – https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Lies-chilling-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B07N5Z7F5R

Author Bio –

My name’s Rachel McLean and I write thrillers that make you think.

What does that mean?

In short, I want my stories to make your pulse race and your brain tick.

Do you often get through a thriller at breakneck pace but are left with little sense of what the book was really about? Do you sometimes read literary fiction but just wish something would damn well happen?

My books aim to fill that gap.

If you’d like to know more about my books and receive extra bonus content, please join my book club at rachelmclean.com/bookclub. I’ll send you a weekly email with news about my writing research and progress, stories and bonus content for each book. And I’ll let you know when my books are on offer.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelmcwrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelmcleanwrites/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelmcwrites/