Book after Book

Welcome to the blog tour for The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou ! More about the book… London, 1954. Zina Pavlou, a Cypriot grandmother, waits quietly in the custody of the Metropolitan police. She can't speak their language, but she understands what their wary looks mean: she has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law. Eva Georgiou, Greek interpreter for the Met, knows how it feels to be voiceless as an immigrant woman. While she works as Zina’s translator, her obsession with the case deepens, and so too does her bond with the accused murderer. Zina can’t speak for herself. She can’t clear her own name. All she can do is wait for the world to decide... IS SHE A VICTIM? OR IS SHE A KILLER? More about the author… Eleni Kyriacou is an award-winning editor and journalist. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Grazia, and Red, among others. She’s the daughter of Greek Cypriot immigrant parents, and her debut novel, She Came To Sta...

By Neil White Published by Bonnier Zaffre Synopsis: When Lizzie Barnsley is murdered along a canal after escaping her abusive boyfriend, Dan Grant is called in to represent her alleged killer, Peter Box. The evidence is strong, but did he actually do it? He didn't know Lizzie, so why would he kill her?  As Dan and his investigator, Jayne Brett, begin their case, they discover a number of murders and disappearances along the canals, including the brutal killing of fourteen-year-old Rosie Smith ten years earlier. Rosie's stepfather Sean had been accused of her murder, but then Dan finds out that Peter tried to confess to that crime as well and was ignored.  With a client who won't tell anyone what really happened, Dan and Jayne have their work cut out, but when it becomes clear that Peter Box can't have been involved in every murder and disappearance, they realise that they may have stumbled on to something far more sinister. But the clock is ticki...

A huge welcome to the Street Cat Blues blog tour, presented by Rachel’s RandomResources ! Today it’s my turn to introduce you to Aubrey the tabby cat and the rest of the team, both human and feline. However, before I do that, I am super excited to have author AlisonO’Leary answer my questions about her new book! Hi Alison! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Street Cat Blues ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: The novel opens with the death of Mr Telling who may be the latest victim of a serial killer who appears to be targeting the elderly. Aubrey, and some of the other cats in the neighbourhood, are upset because Mr Telling was a mate of theirs. Aubrey and his crew Vincent, a street-wise cat, and Moses, loveable but dim, decide to do a little investigating. Although there is a cast of cats in the book it is set very firmly in the human world. I think it could probably best be described as ‘cosy crime’ but it has a defi...

The second episode of What Page Are You On? was on contemporary true crime – or the darkness of the human spirit, as they put it – and started with a warning. Will you get upset by stories of rape, abuse and murder? If you think you will, don’t listen. I thought it was a nice touch. My review is not going to include any gruesome details though so, if you are a little bit curious, keep on reading! Bethany and Alice , the hosts of this podcast, ask big questions – How far back in someone’s life can you trace evil? Can you do anything to stop it? – and proceed to discuss the merits and the faults of books they have read, like Alexandria Marzano-Lenevich’s The Fact of a Body and Emmanuel Carrère’s The Adversary . Apart from finding their observations interesting, what I enjoy most of this podcast in general is the synergy between the two women. You can tell they’re friends and – most of all – you can tell that they’re passionate about books! They might not get to answer those in...

By Hans Koppel Translated by Kari Dickson Published by Sphere It is safe to say that my choice of reading material is not usually truculent. That’s why I surprised myself when I decided to read a novel whose front cover prominently displays a quote describing it as a ‘terrifying crime novel’. I started to read expecting the worse and - it being impossible to put the book down - a few hours later I was trying to understand what had hit me. Let’s be clear: I loved this book and I’m grateful to Sphere for publishing this Swedish novel by author Karl Petter Lidbeck who, being a children’s literature author, decided to have it published under the pen name of Hans Koppel. I can see why he doesn’t want to have the two genres mixing on the bookshelves! The plot is simple enough: one day after work, Ylva does not return home. When she hasn’t returned 24 hours later, her husband Mike starts to worry and calls the police. Ylva seems to have disappeared without a trace and, month after month, Mike...

By Jeffery Deaver Reviewed by Natazzz Jeffery Deaver is an international bestselling author of crime novels, having written over 25 books in the last 20 years. Yet somehow I'd never read any of his novels, let alone heard of him. After finishing Edge (2010), I wish I'd discovered him sooner. Edge is a crime novel, which, at first glance, looks kind of average and run of the mill. However, once I started reading I could not stop and it had me interested and intrigued throughout. Edge tells the story of Corte, a protection officer whose job it is to protect a family targeted by a lifter named Henry Loving. The last time Corte came across the man, he ended up killing one of his mentors. Needless to say, Corte is very determined to catch Loving and not let him hurt anyone else every again. The members of the family he is protecting aren't making his job easier with all their personal drama, but in order to find out who hired Loving he does have to delve deep into their lives...

By Tana French Reviewed by Natazzz There are crime novels that you read to pass the time and crime novels that you truly enjoy. Faithful Place (2011) by Tana French is one of the latter. Having already read her previous two novels - In the Woods and The Likeness - which I thought were both great, I was eager to get started on this one. Luckily, it did not disappoint. Faithful Place tells the story of Frank Mackey, an undercover cop in Dublin (who was also a main character in the previous novels). Twenty years ago he planned to run away with his then girlfriend Rosie, but she didn't show up and he never heard from her again. He decided to leave home anyway and hasn't looked back since. That is, until he hears that Rosie's suitcase has been found. Frank is forced to return to the place where he grew up and get reacquainted with his dysfunctional family. Back home, Frank is soon to discover exactly what happened all those years ago. It is your typical crime novel, but with...

By Sheila Quigley Reviewed by Natazzz I'm a fan of crime novels, but picking the right one can sometimes be tricky. A good story combined with a nice paperback cover is sure to get my attention, but it's not until you actually start reading that you notice if it's any good. At that point things can go either way. A crime novel that looked very promising can disappoint, while a novel that you did not really expect too much of can surprise you. Living on a prayer (2006) by Sheila Quigley falls into the latter category. This novel is set in a small town in the UK, where just before Christmas a teenager commits suicide. His mother is convinced he couldn't have killed himself and the local police also find the circumstances of his death suspicious. Once they start looking into the boys' life they find out he and his friends were involved in all kinds of stuff, including a weird, creepy, religious cult. Whenever a religious cult shows up in a crime novel you know that t...

By Meg Gardiner Reviewed by Natazzz I'm a big fan of crime novels. In fact, it's one of my favourite genres when it comes to books. Over the years I must have read hundreds of crime novels and I have a pretty good idea of what they usually entail and what I like and dislike about them. I picked up the paperback of Kill Chain by Meg Gardiner (2006) at a book fair last year because the cover appealed to me and I thought I would enjoy it. The book didn't disappoint but it also did not stand out much. Kill Chain tells the story of Phil Delany, whose car is found at the bottom of a ravine. The cops think Phil just wanted to disappear but his daughter Evan finds out he's been kidnapped by some very bad people. They tell Evan her father will die is she doesn't give them something they want within 72 hours. In order to do so she has to figure out what exactly they are looking for and where to find it. Evan ends up travelling all around the world, stopping at nothing to sa...

By Lesley Thomson Published by Myriad Editions It is the summer of 1968. The Ramsays are spending the holidays in their majestic country house in Sussex and their youngest child, Eleanor, is introduced to Alice, the daughter of the village postman. Their parents believe that the two girls will enjoy playing together, despite the evident clash of personalities. Eleanor is as adventure-seeking and unruly as Alice is quiet and obedient. Always polite, Alice shocks herself when she starts taunting Eleanor with a secret that she discovered about Mrs Ramsay. That’s why, despite having been told not to go to there, she follows her companion to the Tide Mills. The ruins of a deserted village, they are Eleanor’s favourite playground and - with all their nooks and intricate vegetation - a perfect place to play hide and seek. When it is Eleanor’s turn to hide, Alice vanishes without trace. Lesley Thomson’s engaging writing style skilfully explores the obsession and the sense of guilt, hope and de...