One of us is Dead by Peter James (Roy Grace #21) [BOOK REVIEW]

November 7, 2024November 7, 2024 innah96Leave a comment

About The Book:

Pages: 464

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Fiction

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★

Hunting him would be murder . . .

When James Taylor arrives late for a funeral, he has to stand at the back of the small church. But, as the service progresses, Taylor notices a man six rows in front of him. At first he thinks he must be mistaken, but the more he looks at the man, the more convinced Taylor becomes that this is his old school friend Rufus Rorke.

Except it couldn’t be him, could it? Because two years ago Taylor attended Rufus Rorke’s funeral. He even delivered Rufus’s eulogy.

On the other side of Brighton, at Police HQ, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has been alerted to a number of suspicious deaths that he can’t get out of his mind. But how are they linked? And how could they possibly be connected to Rufus Rorke?

Roy Grace is about to find out just how dangerous a dead man can be.

My Thoughts:

“One of us is Dead” is a tremendous book, and was well worth my time. It intrigued me from the very first chapter.

“Mediocrity recognizes nothing higher than itself. It takes talent to appreciate genius.”

It really starts with such a bang. I could imagine myself being in Taylor’s shoes. Going to a friend’s funeral and seeing a person in the crowd that died two years ago. How freaky is that, right? And surely impossible. Same as Taylor, undoubtedly, you would start asking questions. And little do you know, the police are trying to figure out the same thing.

“They’d vowed they would always stay in touch, but of course life had other plans.”

I cannot reveal too much as I don’t want to spoil it for others. “One of us is Dead” is very fast paced and never runs out of action. The slight downside is that it can be a bit predictable at times, although not with the ending. Speaking of the ending, I was slightly disappointed. Firstly, because I am a sucker for justice, and I don’t feel that we got true justice. And secondly, we only get the crumbs about what happens next with certain characters. There were a few people “still awaiting justice” and this was not good enough for me.

Overall, I think Peter James did a good job with this book, and I now definitely have him on my radar and will probably pick up some of his older books. This book is actually book number 21 in the Roy Grace series. But, as you might already know with these kinds of books, they can all be read as standalones. They are all unique stories in themselves, with only the detective Roy Grace featuring in them as a common denominator. What was the last crime / thriller you read?

“When I was a young kid, my mum taught me how to make clouds disappear. She told me I had magic powers and that I could dissolve clouds. If I just stared at a small cloud hard, really hard, and kept staring at it, it would break up and disappear… I do still look at clouds today and make them dissolve.”

About The Author:

Peter James is a UK No. 1 bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 20 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 23 million copies to date, and has been translated into 38 languages. Her Majesty Queen Camilla has announced that Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is her favourite fictional detective

Author Website

The Last Summer (The Wild Isle #1) by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW]

July 15, 2024July 15, 2024 innah96Leave a comment

Another Karen Swan novel, and another book that entirely gripped me. The Last Summer is the first book in the Wild Isle Series, with the Stolen Hours being published this year (2024). Set in the remote Scottish island of St. Kilda, it was the perfect blend of wilderness and romance.

About The Book:

Pages: 400

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island.
Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .

Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.

Three months later, St Kilda falls silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl’s estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows. And when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind.

My Thoughts:

Life at St. Kilda is very remote, and we get to find out more through Effie’s adventures. When the island has some new guests, one in particular is about to catch Effie’s eye. After a few days of adventure, and what seems to be, the start of a love story, the islands receive the news that they are to be evacuated for a better life on the mainland.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about. A girl’s perfectly safe flirting with a man she knows can never marry her, especially the son of an earl. It’s the men who can marry you that you should be wary of.”

The book is split into two parts, before and after the evacuation and the change of tone and atmosphere is evident.

“But I’m not poor, sir.”, she replied, with sudden defiance. “That’s just it. I have everything I need here. A poor man needs what he does not have, but I want nothing more.”

People find it hard to adjust and I couldn’t help but feel for them. I know it doesn’t compare, but it reminded me of me coming to the UK for the very first time. Thinking I know English, and yet, not quite capturing the accent and asking people to talk slowly to me. Not fully understanding the culture and humour, and not quite fitting in.

“I know it’s hard. Hardest of all on the two of you. In a couple of months, our lives are going to change forever. We’ll leave here and everything we know will be different. Every single thing. Some will be better, some will be worse. But I also know a day will come when we’ll look back on this moment – on the three of us sitting on the grass, with feathers in our hair and dead birds by our feet – and there’ll be something of it that still remains.”

This book was a bundle of emotions, but I enjoyed every moment of it. It made me really want to visit Scotland, and especially St. Kilda. I am now quite intrigued and excited to continue this journey and also read The Stolen Hours.

“Their gazes locked again and she had it again – that sensation of falling, far scarier than anything she’d ever known on a rope; a tension seemed to exist between them that paid no need to barriers the factor had warned must keep them apart.”

About The Author:

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author of twenty books and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Greek Escape and for winter, Midnight in the Snow, The Christmas Secret and Together by Christmas.

Book Review · Books

The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW]

July 30, 2020 innah9616 Comments

★★★★★

I had the most amazing opportunity this month! Thanks to the team at Tandem Collective UK, I participated in a #Readalong on Instagram for The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan. The book is published by the amazing team at Pan Macmillan.

And I can immediately say – this experience was, so far, the highlight of my reading year!

Together with a number of amazing bookstagrammers, we read this book in 5 days, chatting about the plot twists and the ending. By the end of the second day, we were all in love with Karen Swan’s writing and decided to do another readalong for August. I also had the chance to participate in a Live Q&A session with Karen Swan herself and win a prize for being a runner-up to the quiz. And on top of everything, I visited my mum on the weekend, and we talked about books we’re reading. And to my surprise, she owns FOUR books of Karen Swan already! So we decided to swap some books, and I came home with four more books I want to read!

We will be reading The Greek Escape by Karen Swan in August – so please shout if you have this book and want to join us!

I shared my readalong journey on my Instagram, and the highlights are still up, in case you want to have a look at my journey! I always share posts and stories of the books I am currently reading – so don’t forget to follow for more updates.

Synopsis:

In the oldest part of Stockholm, Bell Everhurst is working as a nanny for an affluent family. Hanna and Max Von Greyerz are parents to 7 year-old Linus, and 5-year old twins Ellinor and Tilde, and Bell has been with the family for over two years.

One early Spring morning, as she’s rushing out to take the children to school, she answers the phone – and everything changes. A woman from a clinic she’s never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake.Bell is confused. She clearly just saw Max walking out of the house a few minutes earlier, but the woman mentioned Hanna by name…

When she gets hold of her employer, the truth is revealed: Hanna’s first husband fell into a coma seven years earlier, following a terrible accident. He has been in a Persistent Minimally Conscious State since and there was very little hope of further improvement. But now he’s awake. And life is going to change for them all.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely adored this book! I loved it so much, that I am unsure how to contain all my impressions in a well-written review.

Let’s start with the setting.

It is set in Stockholm, on the coast, during summer. The descriptions about the place and the season really fit the mood. There is also a midsummer festival in the book which made me feel as if I was transported there, dancing with people from the town and enjoying the sunshine.

The characters have that aura about them, that makes you want to know them. Or they happen to remind you of someone you know, but you can’t just recall where you know them from. They are so familiar, but distant at the same time. Each of them carrying their weight on their shoulders and each of them having their separate story.

We meet Bell – the nanny, who has her own reasons of why she decides to become a nanny and stay in Stockholm longer than she needed to. Her love for the children, especially for Linus is so adorable, and I can understand why she is so protective of him.

I felt for Linus.

The trauma he is going through in this book is heartbreaking, he’s introduced to his real father, but he doesn’t remember him. The way some situations are handled also doesn’t do him any favours and just contributes to his confusion and anger, and I completely understand him. It is a very difficult situation to be in.

The most intriguing character in this book is definitely the husband that was in coma. Losing seven years of your life is devastating. One day – you have everything, and then you wake up to find out that your wife is with another person, happy, and has more children of her own with another man. And all you want to do is bring them back. Just like it was. Like time never passed. But time did pass. And people continued living…

Very emotional read.

I had all emotions flowing in me at certain moments. Sometimes I had conflicted opinions about some decisions the characters made. I had suspicions, hopes and anticipated a lot. And I loved it. It ended on a very (for me) satisfying ending, and I got the result I was hoping to get.

I definitely recommend you pick up this book straight ahead – it’s simply amazing! The perfect summer read with thriller elements, plot twists like you’ve never seen before and a subtle touch of romance.

Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Sisters by Michelle Frances [BLOG TOUR]

July 28, 2020 innah9612 Comments

★★★★

I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Sisters by Michelle Frances. Thank you to the team at Pan Macmillan – for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well:

Synopsis:

Is blood really thicker than water?

Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other – Abby for her sister’s looks and her status as their mother’s favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby’s perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba.

When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface. And Ellie suspects that Abby and their mother are keeping a dangerous secret . . .

But after a shocking act, the sisters have only each other to rely on. Vulnerable and scared, trusting each other will be the biggest risk of all . . .

My Thoughts:

Sisters by Michelle Frances was a very enjoyable and exciting ride for me. Not having read her previous books, I started reading without any expectations, hoping to enjoy the story for what it was. Two sisters – trying to improve their relationship, hopefully without their mother interfering.

What I got instead, was so much more! The suspense keeps building up from the very first chapter. The tension between the sisters is really awkward. The relationships between the mother and both daughters is very different and very concerning.

And then everything changes.

We have a surprising plot twists, and from that moment on, we are on a wild adventure. Old secrets will start coming up, things people thought were forgotten in the past. I did not know, and couldn’t guess who the real villain is until the very end, and that was quite enjoyable for me! Everyone will tell you stories, everyone will say their own point of view. To you, everyone will seem like a villain and a victim at the same time, and this uncertainty will make you keep turning pages until you find out. Until the end.

I am glad I read Sisters by Michelle Frances. Another amazing suspense now added to my list. I highly recommend it to mystery, thriller and suspense fans, especially the ones that enjoy family drama.

Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones [BLOG TOUR]

July 5, 2020 innah96Leave a comment

★★★

I am so happy to have the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for The Half Sister by Sandie Jones. Thank you to the team at Pan Macmillan, for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

I have heard a lot about Sandie Jones, but I haven’t read any books by her prior to The Half Sister. Sandie Jones has worked as a freelance journalist for over twenty years, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly and the Daily Mail. She lives in London with her husband and three children. The Other Woman is her debut novel.

Synopsis:

I need to mention that the original synopsis of the book may be a bit misleading. Lauren and Kate are two sisters, but they don’t get along too well and their relationship is complicated.

Kate is a reporter, married to lovely Mark, and going through many rounds of IVF treatment, hoping to start a family. Kate had a very close relationship with her father until the day he died, but was never too close to her sister Lauren and their mother, Rose.

Lauren, on the other hand, is a full time mom of three, with a demanding and overprotective husband. She is very close to her mum, and had a complicated relationship with her father, never forgiving him for understanding her in the past.

One day, while Kate, Lauren and their mum are having their usual Sunday roast, a woman knocks on their door and drops a bombshell. Jess claims to be their half-sister.

This allegation is met with denial – how could she be a secret daughter of their father. Their mother is devastated, Lauren is not surprised, and Kate doesn’t believe Jess at all. But as more secrets start to unravel, no one can know who to trust anymore…

My Thoughts:

I loved the idea of this book, even though I am not too big of a fan of domestic mysteries and drama. My impressions were that this would’ve been more psychological thriller, but I was in the wrong. However, despite this, the book is really surprisingly well-written and kept me on my toes until the very end.

The lives of Lauren and Kate in particular were very well written. I can imagine people being able to easily relate to their struggles. The difference between the two sisters is like night and day. I loved the fact that this book was not sugar coating this, and it didn’t end it with a “happily ever after”. Instead, it ended with “we know we are different, and we are working to fix our relationship in its natural course”.

The story about how Jess comes into their lives, and the whole DNA situation was extremely not believable. As well as the fact that doing another DNA test at the beginning of the novel would have solved all assumptions, rather than people believing hearsay and creating more drama. However, I am also aware that drama was needed to keep the story going, so I can’t hold a grudge.

The ending was predictable half-way through the book. Some scenes are completely unnecessary and make the story more complicated. There are many triggering moments in this book. Cheating, domestic violence and abuse, both physical and emotional and abortion. This book may also trigger people that have had difficult relationships with their parents and/or siblings.

Even though not a favorite thriller, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to everyone that loves domestic thrillers. It is a fast-paced read, and the plot twists are juicy.

Tag: Pan Macmillan

One of us is Dead by Peter James (Roy Grace #21) [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

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The Last Summer (The Wild Isle #1) by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW]

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The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★★

Synopsis:

My Thoughts:

I felt for Linus.

Very emotional read.

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Sisters by Michelle Frances [BLOG TOUR]

★★★★

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And then everything changes.

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The Half Sister by Sandie Jones [BLOG TOUR]

★★★

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★★★★★

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I felt for Linus.

Very emotional read.

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★★★★

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And then everything changes.

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★★★

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