Book after Book

Hello Jay! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Mercutio ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: Thanks so much! Mercutio is a queer historical novel that revisits the world of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to explore Mercutio’s story. I wanted to delve into his world to try to understand what was going on with him; what made him tick. Why was he the life and soul of the party one moment and then raging with madness and sorrow the next? The answer, of course, is love. He’s been in love with his best friend, Romeo, since they were children, and despite Romeo’s many girlfriends, Mercutio is sure that their lifelong friendship will always take precedence. However, when he sees true love blossoming between Romeo and a certain young lady at the Capulets’ summer ball, Mercutio fears the day has finally come that he has lost the man he loves to someone else, setting him on a collision course with his own tragic yet glorious fate… It’s avail...

By Veronica del Valle Synopsis: Set in a whimsical town called Inkwell, a place with an ancient secret history, this fairytale-like adventure will uncover the key to the power hidden within words. The Word-Keeper is a tale about a savvy bookmark named Ben that unwillingly becomes an evil imp with only one objective: follow the orders of his master and destroy the words that live inside books. Only one girl can stop him. Her name is Florence Ibbot. She is eleven years old, oddly eloquent and a quiet observer of the world. But above all, Florence is a keen logophile and is willing to sacrifice everything to protect the words.  She sets out to discover who is behind all this. The journey will take her to the origins of writing and inspiration. But she’ll also have to face the most treacherous adversary, Zyler, a ruthless sorceress whose sole mission is to ruin one of humankind’s most precious possessions: the gift of language. As the final battle approaches, Florence wi...

By Riku Onda Translated from the Japanese by Alison Watts Synopsis: On a stormy summer day in the 1970s the Aosawas, owners of a prominent local hospital, host a large birthday party in their villa on the Sea of Japan. The occasion turns into tragedy when 17 people die from cyanide in their drinks. The only surviving links to what might have happened are a cryptic verse that could be the killer's, and the physician’s bewitching blind daughter, Hisako, the only family member spared death. The youth who emerges as the prime suspect commits suicide that October, effectively sealing his guilt while consigning his motives to mystery. Inspector Teru is convinced that Hisako had a role in the crime, as are many in the town, including the author of a bestselling book about the murders written a decade after the incident. The truth is revealed through a skilful juggling of testimony by different voices: family members, witnesses and neighbours, police investigators and of course the m...

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Andy Paulcroft ’s hilarious new novel, Killing ThemWith Kindness . Can’t wait to find out more about it? Lucky for you, the author himself agreed to share all the juicy details… Enjoy! Hi Andy! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Killing Them With Kindness ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: It centres on a woman called Deirdre Cossette who believes that everybody should have the choice to live – and die, in the manner that they choose, and if they decide to leave her a bequest in their will afterwards, well, that’s entirely their choice isn’t it?  She has five friends that she helps, and they all have stories that are revealed along the way. These stories feature Oliver and Archie, growing up gay in the forties and fifties. Margery, whose impulsive tryst with her boyfriend the night after the moon landings leads to a comfortable life that is destroyed by a knock on the door. Stan who l...

The blog tour for The House by the Sea by Louise Douglas officially kicks off today and I’m very happy to be one of the lucky bloggers selected to spread the word about this emotional new novel. But don’t let me distract you with my prattle! Here’s the behind-the-scenes as told from the author herself… Hi Louise! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of The House by the Sea ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: Hello, it’s lovely to be here!  The House by the Sea is about a couple, Edie and Joe, thrown apart after a tragedy for which Edie blames Joe’s mother, Anna. After Anna’s death, Edie and Joe are reunited in Sicily to sell the family villa. Edie’s icy heart begins to thaw in the Italian sunshine as the villa reveals its mysteries and secrets. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing the book or did it take an unexpected turn as the characters grew on the page? A: I never know where a story’s...

By Elizabeth Buchan Published by Corvus Synopsis: Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated - a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby's shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.  Prague, 1985. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences.  It is only years later, having created the museum,...

By Ruth Ware Published by Harvill Secker Synopsis: When Rowan stumbles across the advert, it seems like too good an opportunity to miss: a live-in nanny position, with a very generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten by the luxurious ‘smart’ home fitted out with all modern conveniences by a picture-perfect family. What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare – one that will end with a child dead and her in cell awaiting trial for murder. She knows she’s made mistakes. But she’s not guilty – at least not of murder. Which means someone else is… How did this book end up in my hands? I read a serialisation of this novel via The Pigeonhole app. Was it a page-turner? Definitely. I could hardly wait to read on. I love book serialisations but the wait is especially tough at times! Did the book meet my expectations? Yes, it did. I loved the letter format and I loved being kept on my toes, even if I had to check what was behind...