#Review A Room Full of Killers by Michael Wood

This is the third book in Michael Wood’s darkly compelling crime series featuring DCI Matilda Darke.

Eight killers. One house. And the almost perfect murder…

Feared by the people of Sheffield, Starling House is home to some of Britain’s deadliest teenagers, still too young for prison. Now the building’s latest arrival, Ryan Asher, has been found brutally murdered – stabbed twelve times, left in a pool of blood.

When DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate, they uncover the secrets of a house tainted by evil. Kate Moloney, the prison’s manager, is falling apart, the security system has been sabotaged, and neither the staff nor the inmates can be trusted.

There’s only one person Matilda believes is innocent, and he’s facing prison for the rest of his life. With time running out, she must solve the unsolvable to save a young man from his fate. And find a murderer in a house full of killers… 

Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.

The prologue for this third instalment in what is fast becoming one of my "go to" detective series, opens with the most chilling and gruesome description worthy of any horror movie.

"It wasn't water pooling on the coffee table. It wasn't water dripping and splashing all over the cream carpet. It was blood. I looked up at the light; the surrounding ceiling was a mass of blood. It was dripping down, splattering against the glass, bouncing off and soaking the carpet."

I was hooked.

Repulsed. Shocked. But hooked.

It is was impossible not to read straight on - well, not impossible, I did have to double check all the doors and windows were locked first! But once I'd read Chapter One, I was well and truly 'in'! Wood's style of writing is immediately engaging and well paced. He quickly establishes an great premise for a crime novel and introduces us to his main character who is full of their own personal ghosts, grief and traumas. He reminds us of the protagonist's previous case history and the hurt, anguish and anger it has caused for all involved.

"Matilda, an advanced copy just for you. May it give you as many sleepless nights as it's given me."

Elly Griffiths says that DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine and she is right. Darke presents herself as cold and hard hearted but she is not.

"The fact the body, in this instance, was that of a convicted killer made no difference. He was still someone's son."

She is hounded and haunted by her mistakes in the past - if you've followed the series from the beginning you will be familiar with the backstory of Matilda but Wood ably recaps and makes sure any reader is up to speed with what has come before without hindering our enjoyment or distracting us from this book. We continue to see how the effects of Darke's handling of the  Carl Meagan case still follow her everywhere and how hard she has to work to prove herself again -not only to her colleagues but also to herself. I think this is a really interesting aspect of the story and it was great to see Matilda -all the key characters- really developing as the series strides confidently into its third instalment.

Darke is careful, thoughtful, considered and intelligent. She is dedicated and the reader is always rooting for her. She is easy to relate to and empathise with.

"If we don't understand the message straightaway, there'll be another body."

There is no doubt that Matilda will solve this case. She will seek out any secret, however deeply buried and however disturbing and dark.

And watch out, this really is a novel of deeply disturbing crimes and it is very dark. "A Room Full of Killers" has a cast of not one but eight killers; all evoked with the same chilling, unnerving and spine tingling fright that will haunt you long after you close the last page. Personally, although I enjoyed the chapters from Matilda and the investigation, I really enjoyed the chapters from the boys who live at Starling House. They were utterly compelling.

"I had a whole year to plan my crime and choose my victims. It didn't take long to come up with my younger brother, Jason. I've never liked him."

The use of first person is so effective and a great contrast between the sections from the third person narrative which follows Matilda. Wood challenges himself by writing from several different of the boys' points of view, but each is different and individual. The sense of psychological terror is maintained throughout every single stage of the story.

And it is psychologically terrifying.

"I can't actually remember what happened next. One minute I was lying in bed, the next I was turning on the gas canisters for the stove. I didn't think of the consequences until afterwards but I'm not sorry. They were suffocating me."

This is a very readable, very gripping, very satisfying crime novel that does everything you want from any detective book. Wood raises some questions about nature and nurture, whether evil is inherent, if there is such thing as redemption as well as all the usual questions about good, bad, victim and villain. I think the focus on the behaviour of such young boys and organisation of the institution they are part of opens such an interesting discussion and allows Wood to explore some really challenging yet fascinating themes and ideas.

It's a good read. If you love crime, detectives, murder and a generous helping of violence, then this is the book for you! It works well as a stand alone but I would recommend that once you've read this one, you go back and start the series from the beginning. Wood is a clever writer and I have really enjoyed following his series. He deserves success with Matilda Darke and I'm certain he'll get it!

"A Room Full of Killers" is published on 17th February by Killer Reads.



You can follow Michael Wood on Twitter @MichaelHWood

Michael Wood is a freelance journalist and proofreader living in Sheffield. As a journalist he has covered many crime stories throughout Sheffield, gaining first-hand knowledge of police procedure. He also reviews books for CrimeSquad, a website dedicated to crime fiction.

For more recommendations and reviews, you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

#BloggerRecognitionAward

This is the first time my blog has ever been up for any kind of award so I am so very grateful to the lovely Mairead of Swirl and Thread for her nomination! There are so many fantastic bloggers out there it's an honour to be mentioned alongside you all! To be honest, I am a bit shocked but very flattered to be part of this award! It's a privilege to be part of such a supportive community and chat with such prolific readers and reviewers everyday!



Thank you again Mairead! If you don't already follow Mairead on twitter @swirlandthread er then hello, get over there and get following!! She is an absolutely fab book reviewer and also a very generous supporter of all book bloggers. She is responsible for many additions to my out of control TBR pile and I love seeing what she is reading next! So I am indeed very flattered to have been nominated by Mairead today!

Before we go any further there are a few 'housekeeping' rules to acknowledge:

RULES OF THE AWARD:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Write a post to show your award.
3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
5. Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
6. Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide a link to the post you created.

And now, on with the award!

How did my blog start?

Last January, like everyone else, I was vaguely thinking about what personal goals I could set myself for 2016. I have always been a prolific reader and never been able to hide my passion for books so I decided to start a blog reviewing books then the next time a friend asked me for a recommendation I would have a record of what I had enjoyed. I was kind of treating it like an extension of Goodreads! I had never used blogger or Twitter before so it was a steep learning curve - and still is! Like so many other bloggers, I never for one moment thought people might actually read my posts or that it would lead to 'meeting' so many lovely fellow book bloggers and authors.

Two pieces of advice to bloggers:

1. Have a separate email account for your blog / twitter name. I have a separate account for Bibliomaniac and it has been invaluable in making sure these emails and notifications don't get swallowed up in my personal account. It also helps keep it separate in the way you keep your job separate from you private life. Oh, yeah, that leads me on to my next point....

2. Pace yourself. Blogging is a not-a-job-job! Does that make sense? Some blogs earn money but I think this is the exception not the rule, and as far as I know, Book Bloggers do not make money from it so I can't really call blogging my "job" even though it is! Obviously, it is up to me how often I blog, tweet, post on Facebook and accept review copies of new books, but I am a bibliomaniac and I am hopeless at managing my TBR pile. I spend a lot of time on my blog as I enjoy it so much but sometimes my real life demands my attention as well.......! So my advice would be to keep an eye on how many ARC's you request and how much time you spend on social media. I have finally got around to compiling a spreadsheet for the next 6 months so I can avoid getting overwhelmed with deadlines for publication day reviews. (No, it hasn't worked, I've totally ignored it because I just HAD to have THAT book!!)

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is easy to let the blog take over everything else which can then lead to a either a reading slump (a book lover's equivalent of writer's block! Deeply distressing!) or a kind of 'burnout' from too much interaction on social media - although one of the best places in the world, twitter / facebook can also induce a bit of anxiety, frustration, upset and extra pressure. It's all about that elusive 'balance'!!! Oh yes - your family and friends, they might sometimes want to see you without a book in front of your nose!

15 Bloggers to pass this award on to:

Hhmmmmm, this is the hardest question I have ever been asked.......Can I list them all?! I know some bloggers have already been nominated so I will try not to duplicate those I would have wanted to include......apologies if there are any repetitions!

cwtchupbooks
readandlivewell
LoudMouthMauraLynch
thebookwormsfantasy
bookishbeck
emmasbookishcorner
cosybooks.com
readbyjess
bookword
whatcathyreadnext
cleopatralovesbooks
bloominbrilliantbooks
lindasbookbag
portobellobookblog
ravencrimereads

Thanks also to Abbie @Bbrilliantbooks  who blogs at bloominbrilliantbooks.com - she has also nominated me for this award! Thanks ever so much Abbie - I love seeing what you are reading and reviewing and you are a terrific supporter of my blog for which I am really grateful!

Thanks again guys - I think there is only one thing left to say:

#Giveaway #FireChild #SKTremayne

For anyone who reads my blog and Twitter feed regularly, you will know that this was one of my top reads in 2016 and I really loved it. Today "The Fire Child" is out in paperback.

To celebrate the paperback publication of "The Fire Child" - a 5* read - I have TWO COPIES of the book to GIVEAWAY!!

Please enter the rafflecopter raffle below to be in with a chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SYNOPSIS

The chilling new psychological thriller by S. K. Tremayne, author of the Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller, THE ICE TWINS.

When Rachel marries dark, handsome David, everything seems to fall into place. Swept from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, she gains wealth, love, and an affectionate stepson, Jamie.

But then Jamie’s behaviour changes, and Rachel’s perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by the spectre of his late mother – David’s previous wife. Is this Jamie’s way of punishing Rachel, or is he far more traumatized than she thought?

As Rachel starts digging into the past, she begins to grow suspicious of her husband. Why is he so reluctant to discuss Jamie’s outbursts? And what exactly happened to cause his ex-wife’s untimely death, less than two years ago? As summer slips away and December looms, Rachel begins to fear there might be truth in Jamie’s words:

‘You will be dead by Christmas.’

MY REVIEW OF THE FIRE CHILD

I loved "The Ice Twins" and rated it 5/5 stars so when I saw that there was a new title from Tremayne I knew I had to read it! I was thrilled when my request for an advanced copy from NetGalley was approved!

This story is set in Cornwall and the setting is evoked as strongly and with as much atmosphere as Scotland was in her previous novel. Rachel Daly has left London, giving up a job and a "supposedly exciting life" to marry the handsome David; an older, richer widower with an 8 year old son, Jamie. She feels happy to have left London behind reflecting that she is "no longer hanging on to dear life anymore" and embraces her new start with her new husband, new son, new house which they share with her new mother in law Juliet. Rachel is excited by the prospect of continuing the renovation of the ancestral home with its 18 bedrooms, huge hall ways and drawing rooms- such a contrast from her own council estate upbringing. She also has a deeply buried past which she hopes to have truly left behind, making sure it is forever carefully hidden from David.

Rachel wants to "heal" David and Jamie who are both still in the grips of grief following the death of wife and mother Nina, who died in an accident 18 months ago in the Morvellon Mines which are owned by David's family and close to the house. Although Rachel is highly conscious that she is struggling to live in the shadow of the perfect Nina, she still sees it as her job "to rescue things" and repair this hurting family.

From the beginning Tremayne sows the seeds of suspense with the chilling description of West Cornwall as a land where "hard granite glistens after the rain, rivers run through words like deep secrets, terrible cliffs conceal exquisite caves where moorland valleys cradle wonderful houses." The landscape's rich history and captivating natural raw beauty are a perfect setting for a story full of ghostly shadows from the past. David's family have run the mines for centuries; a business which has made them wealthy and powerful but at the expense of the lives of many of their employees who were sent deep into the tunnels that run under the sea. From the drawing room, David's ancestors would sip their claret and "hear the picks of the miners working the tin that paid for the wine...crawling under the sea that sometimes broke through and poured into the tunnels .. the sea claiming them while (we) sat in Carnhallow eating canapés." Imagery is vivid and it reminded me of "Jamaica Inn", "Moonfleet", "Lorna Doone" and a very brooding version of "Poldark"!

The chapter headings count down the days before Christmas so the reader is already tense, sensing events will build towards a dramatic climax. They will not be disappointed! Tension increases as Rachel's new home, Carnhallow, though stunning, it "glares at (her) with disapproval" and she is never far from hearing the "brutal sea in the distance, kicking at the rocks beneath Morvellan...like an atrocity that will never stop." Rachel is also haunted by the shadow of Nina as her presence lingers in a way Rebecca haunted the narrator in the brilliant novel by Daphne Du Maurier. It is highly compelling.

Rachel is the prime narrator but we also hear from David and this adds a more complicated layer to the plot. There is a suggestion that Nina's death was not an accident. David reveals "only he knows the truth", a truth which torments him daily. Jamie also seems to have seen and heard things he shouldn't have on the night of Nina's accident and it seems everyone is keeping secrets about what actually happened. Although David is in love with Rachel and sees her as a refreshing contrast to Nina, admiring her as a survivor with opinions he never usually hears in his highly pressured, workaholic life as a talented QC, this affection and respect is not always obvious to Rachel. It is also questioned by the reader as Rachel's behaviour begins to change following Jamie's strange predictions about the future as he develops an unnerving conviction that he can still see Nina and Rachel overhears him to "talking" to her. Jamie makes frightening statements that threaten Rachel and claim she will be dead by Christmas. David becomes compromised and suspicious of her- disbelieving her claims about Jamie and trying to ignore her persistent search for answers. He thinks she is becoming rather unstable but she in turn becomes fearful of him, suspecting that he might have been involved in Nina's "accident" and is therefore capable of violence or even murder. Both begin to believe the other of committing murder, both see the other as dangerous and the reader is unsure who to trust and who to believe. Both narrators seem unreliable and this confuses the reader who has been led to form a fond affection for Rachel, identifying with her and rooting for her to succeed in "mending" her new family. All the way through I was kept guessing as to what had actually happened - there were so many possible explanations planted by Tremayne and several twists and revelations. Is Nina really dead? Has she come back? Is David seeing her? Did he kill her? Did Jamie? Did his mother, Juliet? How dangerous is David? How unstable is Rachel? As I said before, compelling stuff!

I liked the way the house still seemed to belong to Nina and it was impossible to escape her legacy. Rachel even imagines seeing her with them while she sleeps with David. Juliet tries to get her to wear some of Nina's clothes, observing that there is an uncanny likeness between them. As the novel progresses, Rachel seems to become more haunted. Tremayne then begins to mix the two stories - David's and Rachel's secret pasts, to create fantastic tension and mounting suspense. There is more confusion, repetition and subtle hints. The atmosphere becomes more foreboding and I honestly couldn't drag myself away from the pages! Tremayne's use of weather and location are deeply eerie and affecting. My fear was palpable and literally heart-stopping. I was truly gripped and truly scared.

This is the best ghost story I have read in a long time. Jamie's character is convincing and authentic and he helps to influence the reader of Rachel's reliability. He is a little like the boy in "Sixth Sense", as sensitive and as receptive to atmosphere and emotion but more exaggerated because of his grief and confusion. I was impressed with how Tremayne manipulated me to respond to David and how I was still trying to fit the puzzle together until the last minute. The plot is well controlled and skilfully managed.

And I was too scared to turn the light off when I eventually finished reading it late at night!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you are fans of the film "Sixth Sense" or books like Du Maurier's "Rebecca", Stephen King's"The Shining" and Sarah Water's "The Little Stranger."


THE FIRE CHILD is out in paperback on 9th February 2017 from Harper Collins.

Follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 for more book reviews and recommendations.

#BookGroup #TheSisters #ClaireDouglas

This week my Book Group met to discuss "The Sisters" by Claire Douglas.



When one sister dies, the other must go to desperate lengths to survive. Haunted by her twin sister's death, Abi is making a fresh start in Bath. But when she meets twins Bea and Ben, she is quickly drawn into their privileged and unsettling circle. 

When one sister lies, she must protect her secret at all costs. As Abi tries to keep up with the demands of her fickle friends, strange things start to happen - precious letters go missing and threatening messages are left in her room. Is this the work of the beautiful and capricious Bea? Or is Abi willing to go to any lengths to get attention? When the truth outs, will either sister survive?

"The Sisters" was published in April 2015 by Harper Collins. 

For my review of "The Sister" please click here

Questions for Book Group:

How effective do you find the dual narrative? Was there one character you felt more drawn to? Why?

This novel is very firmly located in Bath. How important is the setting in this book? Did the specific references make it more tangible to you or does it not matter?

There are some very specific cultural references in the story like “The White Company”, “Happy Mondays” and “Marc Jacobs”. Do they help or hinder your reading of the novel and your understanding of the characters?

Did your judgements, opinions and feelings towards the characters change at all during your reading of the novel? In what way? Do you think this is intentional?

What do you think about the relationship between Bea and Ben? How authentic did it feel to you?

What do you think about the presentation of friendship in the novel?

What do you think attracts Bea and Abi to each other as friends? What are the clues that tells us this relationship will be complicated from the beginning?

What do you think were the key themes in the book?

What did you make of the ending? How did affect your reading of the novel?

What question would you like to ask Claire Douglas about this book?

Our discussion of "The Sisters":

Firstly, everyone enjoyed the book and certainly had plenty to say about the lead characters! There was lots of discussion about exactly what people felt and exactly what people had understood by some of the story which highlights the level of ambiguity and intrigue in the novel! 

The group was a split over their reactions to the ending- which I won't talk about here in case of spoilers!! But some felt it was too much of a surprise, too much of a twist - particularly those who hadn't seen it coming - but others really loved the ambiguity, threat and new questions it posed. As Claire had asked us what we thought the ending meant, we discussed this at length! Ultimately we had a list of questions that we were begging the answer to - like what happened next to Abi and Bea? .....all I can reveal is that we didn't think it would end well! A few members of the group were very keen for Bea to have a happy ending where she 'saw sense' and for Abi to have a much more stable and grounded future - but we weren't sure that Claire was implying that was going to happen!!

Most of the discussion was about Abi and her unreliability as a narrator. Can we believe anything she said? How many lies has she told? How screwed up is she?! Is it grief or is it something more entrenched in her character? What exactly was her relationship with her twin like? I think the thing the group liked was that we were left wanting to know more about what might happen next and whether there was a change in Abi as she now seemed more in control. There was a lot of conversation about what motivated Abi and what her ultimate goal might be. 

We felt that the friendships in the book are not based on anything real. No one is who they say they are and the life they lead in the house is very unreal (in terms of the environment Bea has created - the attitudes and 'rules' rather than it not being convincing or believable!) We wondered about the backstories of Jodie and Nina as they were the only ones who seemed to have some concept of what it meant to be a friend! We also wondered what had happened in the house between the group of 'friends' before Abi arrived. 

There was quite a lot of chat about the cultural references and the firm location of Bath. Generally the feeling was that it would have worked just as well if the word "Bath" wasn't there. It seems people like the book to be rooted in truth but not too specific- believable but not literally named. But we also know that this is contentious and varies from reader to reader! 

One of our book group members has a twin brother so we had quite a lot of fun asking her about her relationship with her brother, being a twin and the deep, almost unexplainable bond between twins. She would like to clarify that her relationship with her brother has never ever crossed the lines that Bea and Ben have!! 

A couple of people thought "The Sisters" would make a really great film. Although casting so many similar looking people could be a challenge! 

We would like to ask Claire:

• Did you ever think of letting Ben kill Bea? What might that have meant for Abi and Ben?
• How intentional do you think Abi's car crash at the beginning was? 
• Have you ever been obsessed with someone or had trouble with an obsessive relationship? 

For an interview with Claire you can click here:

Author Q&A Claire Douglas

And here are some extras if you fancy using "The Sisters" as your book group read!

Where to hold your book group for title:

• A terraced Georgian property
• House party

What could you serve?

• To eat: Crisps, homemade lasagne, bread
• To drink: Glass of fizz or Chablis, Spring Water

What props could you use to start a conversation about title?

• A bouquet of daisies or lilies 
• A Playlist including the Happy Mondays, Waterloo sunset and Psych Killer by Talking Heads
• Daisy by Marc Jacobs (perfume)
• Handwritten letters
• A selection of costume jewellery including necklaces and things with birthstones
• A map of Bath
• Spa goodies

Quotes to start a conversation with:

• “I’ve won. He’s chosen me over her. So why do I not feel as triumphant, as delighted, as I should?” Is it ever possible to choose between a partner and a family member? Is it ever a fair position to put someone in?
• “In that moment I sense it, the bond between us; formed over a shared grief and the special relationship that can be understood by twins.” How far do you agree with this statement?
• “…..we’re twins and so we love each other more than other people….” Louise May Alcott
• What do you think about this quote? What does it add to the story by appearing at the beginning?

If you liked this book and want to read similar novels try:

• The Woman Next Door by Cass Green reviewed here
• The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins
• The Ice Twins by SK Tremayne
• The Silent Twin by Caroline Mitchell
• Sister by Rosamund Lupton
• One by Sarah Crossan reviewed here

And Claire Douglas' "Local Girl Missing" - reviewed here

Other films:

• Single White Female
• Notes on a Scandal (or the book by Zoe Heller) 

For more about Claire Douglas you can follow her on Twitter @Dougieclaire and you can follow me @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) for more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat. 

**Author Q&A** with Claire Douglas

My book group chose "The Sisters" by Claire Douglas for their read this month. "Local Girl Missing" has been one of my most read blog posts for months so with both these things in mind I contacted Claire and asked if she would mind answering a few questions. I was thrilled when she agreed!

Thank you so so much Claire for agreeing to be interviewed - I have a lot of questions and I appreciate the time you have spent answering them!

This is your debut novel. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey to becoming a published author?

I’ve been writing for years and tried to get published before (I’d written three other unpublished novels) but it wasn’t until I started writing The Sisters that a friend told me about a competition that Marie Claire magazine were holding. They wanted the first three chapters and a synopsis. So I sent off the first 6,000 words and a two-page outline, never expecting to hear anything. A few months later I received the phone call that told me I’d won. The prize was a publishing contract and an introduction to a literary agent – Juliet Mushens, of Caskie Mushens –  who was also one of the judges. I was over the moon when she offered to represent me and I know it sounds cheesy but it really was a dream come true.

How did your experience of being a journalist influence your fiction writing?

I wrote mainly human interest features for women’s magazines so I had an insight into a number of really interesting true life stories and the human psyche, which helped greatly when it came to thinking of stories and characters for my own novels. The idea for The Sisters came about after reading about an annulled marriage in a newspaper, where a couple only discovered after they were married that they were in fact twins separated at birth.

You have dedicated the novel to your sister. Has she read the book? What does being a sister mean to you?

My sister is very special to me. We lost our brother when he was a teenager, so as a result the two of us are even closer. She was one of the first people to read The Sisters. She always reads the first drafts of my novels, in their unpolished, unedited glory and gives me advice and encouragement.

You have quoted from Louisa May Alcott and Emily Dickinson in the opening page. Are these authors particularly important to you? Which other authors have influenced you?

I loved Little Women growing up and particularly related to Jo! I went through a Virginia Andrews phase as well. So many authors have influenced me; Agatha Christie (I went through a period when I only read her books), Enid Blyton, Maggie O’Farrell, Lisa Jewell, Sarah Waters, and then writers like Donna Tartt and Zoe Heller. I’ve been a big fan of Emily Barr for years, she wrote dark women’s fiction/psychological thrillers before they became really popular. One of my favourites of hers is Cuban Heels. It was reading novels by her that made me decide I wanted to write something dark and a bit twisted too.

The plot for “The Sisters” is complex and there are lots of twists and shocks. Did you always have the ending in mind and the twists planned before you started or did some things present themselves once you started writing?

I knew the major twists and I always had that ending in mind, but then I chickened out and wrote an ending which was lighter and happier and more “Hollywood” but my editor was like, “Er … are you sure about this ending?” and I admitted that I wasn’t. I told her my original ending and she gave me the confidence to go with it. I love dark, open-ended conclusions. They are the ones I remember. One of my favourite endings is in The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It gives me shivers thinking about it. That made the book all the more powerful for me.

Who was the most ‘enjoyable’ character to write about and why? Which character gave you the most headaches and why?

I think Ben gave me the most headaches. He had to be a fine line between untrustworthy but also attractive. My favourite character to write was Abi, because I loved that she was so messed up, and I prefer writing in the first person, present tense.

Have you ever had to choose between a partner and a friend / family member?

No, thank goodness. It must be a horrible situation to be in and I always think that if somebody truly loved you they would never ask you to choose.

Abi, Bea and Ben are all quite disturbed characters. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer who was interested in creating an emotionally complicated character? What problems can a writer face when creating unreliable narrators?

I love writing disturbed characters but I think, for me, I have to sometimes reign it in a bit because you want them to be believable and not too “pantomime villain”, and that can be a fine line. I think unreliable narrators still need to be relatable to a certain degree, even if you don’t like them, and only afterwards for a reader to wonder if she/he was always telling the truth. So, I think, they still have to be rooted in truth somewhere, but maybe their own version of what they think is the truth, rather than them actually lying and deceiving the reader.

Abi describes Bath as “peaceful” at the beginning of the story. Which three words would you use to describe Bath and which is your favourite place there?

Beautiful, touristy and creative. Ooh this is a hard one as there are so many places in Bath that I love. The one place I really enjoy spending time in is Victoria Park, near The Crescent.

What one question would you like a book group to ask about your novel?

What happens to Abi – and Bea?

What one question would you like to ask a book group about your novel?

What do you think the ending means?

Your second novel “Local Girl Missing” is also in a similar genre to “The Sisters”. What appeals to you about this genre?

I love dark novels and mysteries, particularly if they are a bit twisted. I love writing characters that are a little bit messed up, I find them so interesting.

Are you working on a third book? Is it in a similar genre or something different?

Yes, it’s a similar genre. It’s called Last Seen Alive and is about a couple, Libby and Jamie who agree to swap their city flat for a house in Cornwall for a week, but things take a sinister turn which makes them wonder if there is more to this simple house swap than they realised.

Claire, this has been so interesting! Thank you so so much for appearing on the blog today with this interview! It was really exciting to hear all about your novels and your writing. Good luck with Last Seen Alive - I for one can't wait to read it! 

To find out more about Claire, you can follow her on Twitter at @Dougieclaire

Click here to read my review of The Sisters

Bibliomaniac's Review of The Sisters 

Click here to read my review of Local Girl Missing 

Bibliomaniac's Review of Local Girl Missing

Click here for questions to use with a Book Group for The Sisters 

Bibliomaniac's Book Club: The Sisters

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) 

The Breakdown by BA Paris

The word breakdown has several different meanings:

1.

a breaking down, wearing out, or sudden loss ofability to function efficiently, as of a machine.

2.

a loss of mental or physical health; collapse.

Compare nervous breakdown. 

3.

an analysis or classification of something; divisioninto parts, categories, processes, etc.

This novel tackles all of these definitions. 

"It'll only take me forty minutes. Unless I come back through the woods, by Blackwater Lane."
"Don't you dare!.......Cass, promise me you won't come back that way. First of all, I don't want you driving through the woods on your own at night and secondly, there's a storm coming."

So, what would you do? You're driving home to your rural cottage, late at night, in the middle of a storm. You take a shortcut through the woods, even though your husband has asked you not to travel this way as it is so remote and isolated. You see a parked car with a woman sitting inside it. You know your husband will be furious if he finds out you've taken this route and the downpour too heavy for you to really leave the car and investigate further. Do you stop? Do you get out? Or do you drive on?

Such a great premise for a book! And yes, a familiar set up - rain, wind, dark night, isolated roads, broken down cars...... the stuff of so many urban legends and horror movies but why not? It always works!

I lived in the countryside as a teenager and spent many late nights racing back through winding lanes terrifying myself with the ghost stories me and my friends had spent the evening telling each other - too proud to say anything as they waved me off smugly from their lit doorway! I could picture everything Paris described and I could feel Cass' dilemma as she panics about whether to stop or not. 

But this isn't just a case of Cass' over imagination. When she wakes up the next day, she hears that this same woman she decided to drive past has been found dead ....... presumed to have been murdered. Now what should she do? What would you do?

I love how Paris explores how one small white lie - or a decision not to be transparent with the truth- suddenly spirals out of control and leads Cass deeper and deeper into a nightmare; a nightmare where she has to mask her true anxieties, feelings of guilt and fear of being judged. She cuts herself off emotionally from the two people she has always relied on to support her and then, as her fragile emotional state seems to disintegrate before her, she finds herself spinning more and more into a state of confusion and remorse. 

Cass starts to forget things. Little things; meeting up with friends, where she left something, whether she had opened the upstairs window or not, why she'd ordered a pram when she isn't even pregnant. Is she suffering from 'periodic amnesia' or early onset dementia - a disease from which her mother had suffered before her recent death - or was she just 'away with the fairies'? Was it trauma and grief that was making her forget things and why was she so haunted by the death of the woman in the car?

Paris does a great job of capturing Cass's rapid descent into a kind of madness. As we see everything from Cass's point of view we are as confused as her as we try to work out whether she is telling us the truth or not. We are definitely on her side and full of sympathy for her; this woman has recently lost her mother, found herself in a new house and on the brink of a starting a family with Matthew but carries a niggling worry about whether he is the right man for her, a sense of inequality in the relationship and an irrational concern that she her forgetfulness is actually part of something more life threatening. I enjoyed the way we see events as they happen to Cass but then hear the other characters - primarily Matthew and Rachel who we believe to be centred, rational, supportive people who love Cass - reveal what has actually happened and then find ourselves as caught up in the fog of confusion as Cass. 

The novel is written in a very engaging style. We are immediately drawn in by the chatty, informal voice of Cass who is a character very easy to relate to and empathise with. There is plenty of good, well paced dialogue and events move along at a satisfying pace. I found myself turning the pages and becoming totally absorbed in the novel without even realising. 

As the story progressed I did feel that Paris might have been beginning to tread a fine line between effectively raising the tension and overplaying Cass's mental anguish; there was a slight threat that she might lose the reader. For me, I did feel that I needed to suspend belief a little, particularly when Cass's medication takes full effect and there is a lack of intervention from any other characters who would surely have become concerned or suspicious about her changing personality and problems. But, having said that, I cared enough about Cass to go along with this and I was interested enough in finding out what was going on to read on. I was sure there would be a reason for everything and I knew I could trust in Paris. 

And I'm so glad I did! Just as there was the  risk of losing my sympathy and getting a little fed up with Cass's repetitively long days of drug induced sleep and forgetfulness, wham! Breakdown. 

Literally, figuratively, physically, mentally. Everything. A complete breakdown of everything the reader thought they knew, everything Cass thought she knew; a breakdown of every relationship, event, happening and even the ending we were anticipating. 

The twist begins slowly. A few observations, a few casual remarks, a gradual revisiting of past moments. There isn't a sudden penny dropping moment, but rather a slower awakening- like when you put your penny in one of those huge basin type things and it begins to circulate at the top, rolling around and around, eventually lowering itself loop by loop until the momentum builds and suddenly it hurtles towards the centre and falls into the  black hole! I really liked the delivery of these slight twists that actually changed the whole direction of the book, recaptured the pace and charged on to an electrifying ending. 

I must admit, I had an inkling of how the story might end and there was a sense of convenience about the way in which all the threads were tied up. But, sometimes it's good to know everything and sometimes it's great to walk away from a novel completely satisfied and with everything resolved. 

I liked the last line a lot! 

I would recommend this book. I think it's going to be a hit. I think it has good characters and a great plot. I think Paris handles writing about dementia and memory loss really well and I think she successfully manages to write from the point of view of a character who barely trusts themselves. It has all the ingredients of psychological thriller and will not disappoint fans of "Behind Closed Doors". Once again themes of entrapment, obsession, love and trust dominate the novel and once again carry the reader along through an atmospheric story peppered with suspense and tension.

Enjoy it! But keep an eye on what you order online and whether you've closed that upstairs window or not! 

The Breakdown is out on 9th February 2017 by HQ Digital Press. 

For my review of "Behind Closed Doors" click below:
Bibliomaniac: What is waiting behind all these closed doors?
For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) 



B A Paris

B.A. PARIS grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters.

You can follow her on Twitter @BAParisAuthor 

If I Ever Fall by SD Robertson

Is holding on harder than letting go?

The prologue of this novel opens with the most unsettling words to ever come out of anyone's mouth:

"I don't know who I am."

Not only that, this anonymous character has no idea where they are, what has happened to them and why they are struggling to come to in a strange room with a strange person. Then, before we have the chance to work out who this person is and what they might be doing there, we start Chapter one which is set in 2017 and takes the form of a letter.

What intrigued me about this book was that for a while I thought I was reading a thriller. All the ingredients for a mystery are there - a person who appears to be trapped somewhere suffering from 'retrograde amnesia', another character writing a letter in which they are surrounded by odd coincidences yet obviously hiding a secret and a third story line following another character who is suffering from depression and also has a backstory to reveal.

Of course you'll know from the blurb, it isn't a thriller, there isn't a crime to solve but the reader does have to concentrate as we alternate between the three different narratives and timelines and try to work out how these three seemingly separate story lines all in fact fit together. There may not be a crime to solve but there definitely is a little bit of a mystery and there definitely is a sense of threat for each protagonist. There are also a few twists, a few shocks and a few moments of revelation. Each character has a demon to confront and their safety (emotional or physical) to fight for.

I liked the three different narratives. Each is very different - first person, third person and the form of a letter. The letters from Maria to Sam help reveal a lot of information and fill in some of the gaps as the reader begins to piece together the main events and the relationships between the characters. Maria answers a lot of our questions for us which even if occasionally a little contrived, is actually helpful as the other two sections remain more allusive and ambiguous. The letter form encourages Maria to be more honest as it is often more confessional in style and so this helps the reader build a relationship with her and empathise with her struggle.

Dan's storyline reads very easily. It is an authentic voice of a journalist who is coming to terms with the breakdown of his marriage and his faltering relationship with his daughter. There are lots of hints about what might have happened to the family which I liked.

"They'd been so good together. Under normal circumstances, he was sure they'd still be happily married. But what they'd been through was enough to tear apart even the strongest of unions." 

Both Dan and Maria's sections explore different responses to grief, different responses to parenting and different responses to making a marriage survive after a tragedy. Neither is right, neither is wrong, neither is more likeable or more pitiable. They offer different insights and ultimately compound the sense of sadness, hopelessness and despair of the novel.

I liked the sections about "John" the most. They are very cleverly written and Robertson recreates the sense of confusion, frustration and fear really effectively as "John" struggles to remember who he is and what has happened to him. The presentation of a sluggish mind that drifts between reality, dreams and flashbacks is really well written and I liked the tension and suspense that these passages created. The mysterious appearance of the girl in red is intriguing and the repetition of words like "it's not safe here," "you have to open your eyes," and "John's" sense of anxiety create a great atmosphere of unease.

The marketing campaign for this book has involved tissues and the warning that this is a bit of a tear jerker. I didn't need any tissues but I did feel a sense of sadness and I did feel sympathy for Maria and Dan. The novel tackles a difficult subject and does it with sensitivity. There is a promise of hope at the end of the story which I welcomed and felt it was a fitting finale to the protagonists' journeys.

As the blurb on Goodreads recommends, this is a book for fans of Amanda Prowse, Kathryn Hughes and JoJo Moyes. I enjoyed discovering a new author and I will definitely read Robertson's first novel "Time To Say Goodbye".

"If I Ever Fall" is published on the 9th February by Avon.

For more recommendations and reviews you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)


S D Robertson 

Former journalist S.D. Robertson quit his role as a local newspaper editor to pursue a lifelong ambition of becoming a novelist. 

An English graduate from the University of Manchester, he’s also worked as a holiday rep, door-to-door salesman, train cleaner, kitchen porter and mobile phone network engineer. 

Over the years Stuart has spent time in France, Holland and Australia, but home these days is back in the UK. He lives in a village near Manchester with his wife and daughter. There’s also his cat, Bernard, who likes to distract him from writing – usually by breaking things.

www.sdrobertsonauthor.com
Twitter: @SDRauthor