#GinPhillips #AuthorInterview #FierceKingdom

GIN PHILLIPS

FIERCE KINGDOM

HARPENDEN BOOKSHOP

13th June 2017

A Bibliomaniac Interview

If you were unable to join us at Harpenden Books to meet Gin and hear all about her latest book, then don't worry! You can listen to it all here!

Click on the link below to listen to my interview with Gin! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

https://soundcloud.com/user-297075542/an-interview-with-gin-phillips

https://ginphillips.com
@GinPhillips17

If you want to hear more about Fierce Kingdom then you can read my review and Book Club questions by clicking on the links below.

Bibliomaniac's Review: Fierce Kingdom

Bibliomaniac Book Club Questions for Fierce Kingdom

Fierce Kingdom is published on 15th June 2017 by Transworld. To buy a copy of Fierce Kingdom then please click on the link below:

Waterstones: Fierce Kingdom
Amazon: Fierce Kingdom

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk

#BlogTour #OliverTidy #HeMadeMe #BloodhoundBooks

David Booker and Jo Cash are experiencing similar stuttering starts to their new lives on Romney Marsh when Rebecca Swaine turns up seeking help. Someone is demanding a lot of money from her husband and she wants to know why.

What do the dying words of one man - he made me - actually mean? 

As the mystery unfolds people will come undone and reputations will be ruined before the answer becomes clear.

At the end of the day Mrs Swaine might end up wishing she’d let sleeping dogs lie…

This is the second instalment in the Booker & Cash series by Oliver Tidy and although I have a copy of Bad Sons, sadly I did not get the chance to read it before starting He Made Me. However, I am relieved that I do have it as I fully intend to go back and start at the beginning of the series! And, to any of you that have also not come across this author or series before, don't worry, I had no problems reading this as a stand alone.

In fact I thoroughly enjoyed every page of He Made Me. 

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this author, but what I really liked about this book was the engaging voice of David Booker and a narrative that told a good story; a story which although it is essentially a crime mystery, has a few echoes of something akin to Nick Hornby at times. Tidy has a created a character whose voice is appealing, friendly and humorous, but also able to create tension and suspense as the events surrounding the crime move towards the dramatic climax.

I hesitate to use the word "gentle" as that doesn't capture the atmosphere either but there is something less frenetic and intense in the style of this novel compared with other crime novels hitting the shelves at the moment. You won't be disappointed, there is plenty of drama, revelation, crime, complication and death in this novel and it moves at a good pace with short chapters that ensure you keep turning the pages, but I think what makes it stand out is that the characters who are hugely likeable. Booker's appreciation of the landscape and perhaps the fact that this book is set in the Romney Marshes rather than a city centre, create a different kind of atmosphere. I think perhaps the fact that Booker runs a bookshop and always makes time for a bacon roll appealed to me too!

I enjoyed reading a gripping, intriguing, intelligent crime novel that didn't leave me feeling completely battered and emotionally exhausted! Not that I don't enjoy that sort of novel too, but I was very taken with Tidy's style of prose and the characters of Booker and Cash. Booker and Cash felt like my friends, like people I might work alongside; very 'normal' and relatable. There is no angst ridden, dysfunctional aspect to either Booker or Cash and I really enjoyed their platonic relationship. I liked that Booker is our narrator but it is Jo Cash that leads the investigation and thought Booker's reference to him as a kind of Watson to Cash's Holmes very apt and fitting.

"What Jo and I had was an honest friendship borne out of our shared near-death experience and nurtured in the bosom of our recent companionship. We were equals but not partners." 

I think by taking out any simmering attraction and placing them as equals who have a strong relationship both professionally and emotionally allows the reader to focus on the investigation and enjoy watching the friendship grow and develop without any distraction or contrived element of romance. I think this was really effective and successful. Booker and Cash make a great team.

The opening line for me, captures the style of the prose and gives a clear indication of the kind of tone and atmosphere of this engaging crime novel.

"Of all the coffee shops in all the seaside villages in the UK she had to walk into mine."

It really is one of those opening chapters that makes you sink back into your chair, take a deep swig of your tea and curl up for an engrossing read. As I have said before Booker (or Tidy!) has a engaging turn of phrase, a relaxed, informal prose which allows wry smiles and an appreciation of his use of description and imagery as well as spinning a good yarn.

The characters are all very believable and easy to picture. The use of dialogue is effective and convincing. As well as the people, the location is also a key character in this book and I really liked the setting of the Romney Marshes - forever famous in my mind from Great Expectations, but utilised here to emphasis and add tension and atmosphere. I liked the detailed description of places and towns like Dymchurch and the fact that the reader is so firmly rooted in such a specific location.

There's not much more to say other than that I recommend it and I am looking forward to going back to book one to see how Booker and Cash begin their partnership. Tidy's writing was very enjoyable and this is an easy read, very accessible, entertaining and full of twists and turns to satisfy any crime reader.

Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy for introducing me to this author and for inviting me along on the Blog Tour. I am really grateful to Bloodhound Books for the review copy of this novel and for introducing me to an author I might have otherwise missed out on discovering!

He Made Me is out on 12th June 2017 and published by Bloodhound Books.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oliver-Tidy/e/B00AZIGMWW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1492156326&sr=1-1

Don't miss the other stops on the Blog Tour!

OLIVER TIDY

Oliver Tidy was born and bred on Romney Marsh, Kent. After a fairly aimless foray into adulthood and a number of unfulfilling jobs he went back to education and qualified as a primary school teacher.

A few years of having the life sucked out of him in the classroom encouraged Oliver abroad to teach English as a foreign language. The lifestyle provided him the time and opportunity to try his hand at writing.

Oliver's success as a self-published author has led to his Booker & Cash series of books, which are set mainly on Romney Marsh, being signed by Bloodhound Books. 

Oliver is now back living on Romney Marsh and writing full time.

https://twitter.com/olivertidy?lang=en-gb
https://olivertidy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Oliver-Tidy-467297426793288/

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk

#TheGirlWhoRan #NikkiOwen #Review

Dr Maria Martinez has finally escaped The Project facility that has been controlling her since birth. But in going against The Project’s rigid protocol, the powers at the very top of the organisation will go to any length to re-initiate her. Their aim? To bring her back to the tightly-regimented headquarters where their intense ‘training ‘of Maria can be completed.

Fleeing to Switzerland in an attempt to outwit her enemy, Maria must never lose sight of potential danger, but soon finds there’s nowhere to run. And as she starts to question whether she can trust even those closest to her, returning to the one place she has fought so hard to leave might be her only option.

This is book three in the trilogy and I have read the previous instalments which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have included my reviews below. As soon as I saw the final novel in the trilogy was available for request, I was keen to read it.

It did not disappoint. It is a great ending to the trilogy and it really reflected how the characters have developed, strengthened and evolved, as has the author's skill in structure, pace and style. I felt Owen was confidently in her stride in this novel and there was a real sense of assuredness in the prose.

It is important to have read the first two books as it is a complex story and there is much backstory that the reader needs to be aware of. It is a while since I reviewed the earlier novels about Martinez so I was grateful for the recaps that gave me enough to place me back in the moment but I think I might have struggled a bit to read this as a stand alone. However, I guarantee that you will fly through The Killing Files and The Spider in the Corner and be grateful to have stumbled on a new trilogy in which to immerse yourself in!

Martinez is one of my favourite protagonists. She has always felt original, brave, complicated and constantly up against the odds. I have compared her to the TV series Marcella and the famous Jason Bourne and again, these similarities were seen in The Girl Who Ran. But I think this is a compliment to Owen's ability to shape and create such a conflicted character. And I don't think either the script writers for these things or Anna Friel and Matt Damon themselves, are bad things to be compared to!!

I enjoyed being back with Martinez and seeing the world from her point of view. I like how Owen writes about her thought processes, her reasoning, her unique way of solving problems.

"I calculate the length of the edges to help my brain to think straight in the midst of the plane engine roar in the air around me, the birds in the swaying fir trees near the network of road and railways, the tremble of trolley wheels and the faint scent of distant cigarette smoke. Yet it is only when a lick of aviator fuel flicks my nostrils, jolting me upwards, that the thought occurs to me...." 

And also how her literal understanding of what people say can also not only add a bit of unintentional humour, but also remind us of how complicated she is as a protagonist.

"God," Chris says, "it's boiling in here." 
Alerted to his words I immediately assess the temperature. "It is not boiling. That would require water and a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius at a sea level pressure." 

It's very common in the thriller genre to give the protagonist something that sets them apart from the rest of the characters - a quirk, a tick, baggage, an addiction. I think Owen's choice to use asperges is really affective and, as in the previous books, well handled with sensitivity, respect but also by raising tension and suspense. Martinez is an appealing, compelling character who holds the reader's attention and sympathy through the entire story arc.

I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and the dynamics between them, particularly Maria, Chris and Patricia. There is plenty of dialogue that always feels authentic and not only drives the plot forward but also reveals more about the characters. I was also impressed with the way Owen described protocol, procedures, the project, technology and how at times is was like watching a film, the details are so well worked out and so well established.

There are dual timelines which are beautifully handled. It does require concentration but that is not hard in a story that deals with such a compelling premise and in a story so full of tension, suspense and urgency. I loved the subheadings for the chapters which included the "time remaining" until the "project re-initiation".

I recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys a good main character and is looking for a thriller that is complex, disturbing and exciting.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Owen writes next!

The Girl Who Ran is published by HQ Digital on 15th June 2017.




Review The Spider in the Corner




Review of The Killing Files

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk

#WomanoftheHour #JaneLythell #Review

Meet Liz Lyon: respected TV producer, stressed out executive, guilty single mother.

Liz works at StoryWorld, the nation's favourite morning show. The opening section of the book concentrates on how Liz struggles to juggle that holy grail of the work and life balance. She lives with her teenage daughter; a fraught and strained relationship which means home is not always that much of a sanctuary after a long challenging day managing egos and office politics!

At work Liz is responsible for turning real life stories into thrilling TV while at the same time making sure that none of the scandal, gossip, competition and unpleasantness that is going on back stage finds it way in front of the camera. At times it feels as if the life Liz is leading is more sensational than the stories she researches which has got to reflect something ironic about the nature of our vicarious obsession with other people's dramas!

Liz is a likeable character. She is competent, successful, intelligent, focused but also flawed and the relationship with her daughter allows us to see another layer of her character. Making her a mother means we get to see her in a totally contrasting situation and a more emotional and softer light. Lythell's writing is so authentic and convincing that I could feel myself flopping on the sofa next to Liz and feeling her frustration, anxiety, concerns and exhaustion at the end of a long working day, topped off with the challenge of managing a loaded conversation with an angst ridden teen! Therefore I think by the time I got to the last page I was delighted to see the recipe for Liz's flapjacks and macaroni cheese! Liz loves comfort food and is particularly fond of cheese so it was a nice touch to see this added in the back pages.

Half way through the novel something happens which changes everything and irrevocably complicates Liz's life at work. It introduces a darker, more sinister theme into the novel, adds more tension and also raises questions about things that happen at work and the misuse or abuse of positions of responsibility. It also raises questions about women in the workplace. It adds a much more serious edge to Lythell's novel which again pushes Liz to become the person she has always had the potential to become.

On the surface this book seemed to be about career women and women in the office. Lythell's evocation of the TV studio and Liz's colleagues is very well established. The characters all feel three dimensional and are engaging. There are lots of novels that write about TV shows, office politics and working women but perhaps with a more comedic voice or with characters who are a little bit more caricatured. Woman of the Hour doesn't do this. It feels much more realistic and honest. Lythell captures the pace, stress, business, endlessness of that to-do list, the strain of having to please people, appease people and constantly find the strength to fight the feuds and disagreements over how the stories should be presented to the audience very well. The reader cannot help but feel empathy for Liz when she finally crashes on the sofa at the end of the day, utterly depleted!

But it is also a book about parenting and specifically motherhood. Liz is a single mother and so her relationship with her daughter Flo is one that is incredibly important to her but also means she has to deal with it on her own, as well as juggling her job. This book is about the worries of a mother, the want to guide, support, help and protect your child and the helplessness sometimes felt when you can't save them from their predicaments or know that only experience will let them understand why you are setting the boundaries you do. Motherhood and being a teenager are incredibly tricky roads to travel and Lythell has picked an interesting point in her characters lives. Events at work have a huge impact on Liz and ultimately affect the journey herself and Flo are travelling together.

This is a book about work, family and life. It is about things that affect us all or that we can all relate to. Lythell takes this as her premise and then develops it so not only is it about characters finding that strength and direction that they need but also testing and challenging them in order to force them to see more objectively who and what they are.

This is a well paced novel. It is well structured between the sessions at work and home. It has several threads to follow but they are all part of the main story arc. It feels contemporary, relevant and it is compelling. It captures the pressures woman are under in today's society.

Lythell comes from the world of television and it seems she has put this experience to good use in her novel. Her next book follows on from this and will be released in July 2017. I am looking forward to see what Lythell has in store for Liz and Flo next!

Woman of the Hour was published by Head of Zeus in Dec 2016.

JANE LYTHELL



I worked as a TV producer for 15 years and my third novel WOMAN OF THE HOUR takes the lid off the TV industry. Behind the glossy exterior of the on-air programme there lurks backstage intrigues, scandal and huge egos in conflict; an insider's account of the private life of a TV station.

My second novel AFTER THE STORM follows an English couple who get on a small boat with two American strangers to sail to an island after knowing them less then 24 hours. It has been described as Marine Noir.

My debut novel THE LIE OF YOU is a portrait of obsession to the point of madness in which a woman tries to destroy her colleague.

I love to hear from readers and you can contact me here:
Twitter: @janelythell
Facebook: Jane Lythell Author
Instagram: jane_lythell_writer
My blog:chroniclesofchloegreene.blogspot.co.uk

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk

#AfterIveGone #LindaGreen #Review #BlogTour

Today I am delighted to be part of the Blog Tour for After I'm Gone by Linda Green! Here's my review! 

This is the first Linda Green book I have read (despite having a few on my kindle patiently waiting their turn) and unlike the reviewer Green refers to in her acknowledgements, it will not be my last! I can't understand why you wouldn't want to read more of her novels? After I've Gone takes a very contemporary character and places them in a confusing situation, then adds a few more layers of tension and drama that results in a very readable story raising enough issues and concerns to resonate with the reader without overwhelming them. I would describe it as a domestic thriller and also perfect for readers who enjoy commercial fiction.

So what is it about? The protagonist is Jess Mount. Jess is a very likeable, endearing, unpretentious character who is constantly putting herself down through sarcastic humour and derisory comments. Her voice is strong, funny, honest and believable. I smiled at her observations about other people as much as the ones about herself:

"The woman in front of me has her right arm turned out and a bulging tote bag hanging from it. I resist the temptation to tell her she looks like a Barbie doll that has had its arm twisted the wrong way by a little boy." 

I also liked how contemporary the novel is - obviously using Facebook immediately puts it in the here and now, but also the references to the celebrity deaths puts it in the very recent present. It was also an interesting decision to include these time sensitive details by the author as it reflects more about the characters and the social context.

So, back to the story! One day Jess opens up her Facebook page to find a chilling and unnerving thread. Her timeline has skipped forward 18 months and all the posts are about her death....... What on earth has happened? Is it a joke? Is is a very malicious online prank? Or is it a glimpse into the future?

And when you realise it may well be a glimpse into the future, what affect does that have on you and the decisions you make? Particularly when you have just met the man of your dreams and life seems to be better than ever. How can it possibly end up with her death?

I thought this was the most interesting aspect of the novel. As Jess continues through each day, she finds herself questioning every interaction she has with her friends and family. It's really interesting to see how this extra insight she has - and the extra knowledge about what her father and best friend are saying about her - affects how she handles them in the present. And what I liked the most is the dilemma she faces when she realises that actually by changing the course of her apparent destiny, could unwittingly mean she ends up without the one thing she as found herself in love with.

This is a quirky angle regarding social media and a slightly different way of incorporating Facebook posts, threads, private messaging and photos in a thriller. It works. I wasn't sure about the use of actual photos of the people leaving the posts - but only because I like to build a picture of the character in my head but again, it was effective in the context of this novel. It was also a good contrast to have these small sections written by the other characters as they comment on events in the future written in a very different style to the rest of the book which is in the more traditional narrative form.

Despite it's light and breezy style and Jess's wry and down to earth voice, the novel is full of more serious issues. There is an incredible amount about friendship, about the relationship between parents and their children. There is also something much darker that I can't reveal here without spoiling it for other readers. This is all well handled by Green and makes for a dramatic climax and escalation of tension in the final section of the book.

This is a good read. It didn't take me long. I liked the characters and I liked the premise. For anyone looking for something to pack in their suitcase this summer, this will fit well!

After I've Gone is published by Quercus on June 15th 2017 and out in paperback from 27th July.

Don't forget to follow the rest of the tour!

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk

#GreatestHits #LauraBarnett #Review

One day. Sixteen songs. The soundtrack of a lifetime...

Alone in her studio, Cass Wheeler is taking a journey back into her past. After a silence of ten years, the singer-songwriter is picking the sixteen tracks that have defined her - sixteen key moments in her life - for a uniquely personal Greatest Hits album.

In the course of this one day, both ordinary and extraordinary, the story of Cass's life emerges - a story of highs and lows, of music, friendship and ambition, of great love and great loss. But what prompted her to retreat all those years ago, and is there a way for her to make peace with her past?

Daughter. Mother. Singer. Lover. What are the memories that mean the most?

There will be so many people looking forward to reading this book after the success of Barnett's first book, The Versions of Us.  I really enjoyed her debut novel and was delighted to be approved for an advanced copy of Greatest Hits by the publishers. 

Again, Barnett plays imaginatively with her storyline. Although there are not the three "versions" to follow as in her first book, here she still plays with a multilayered narrative. Posing as a memoir, this is a fictional account of a singer-songwriter looking back on their life. Barnett has taken the form of something akin to "Desert Island Discs" and created her own mash up with Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. It's incredibly effective. 

Once again, Barnett's gently, undulating novel that reads like a symphony of Cass's life would sound, shows her skill as a writer, the versatility of her writing. It also shows her tight control of story structure and how well she can manage plot lines and dual narratives.  

Each chapter starts with a song title, the lyrics, the release date and other relevant details which any music fan will recognise as the established format for archiving music tracks. I really liked this -it's a clear focus, a defined beginning for each new chapter and an effective way to shape the story of someone's life in an imaginative and fresh way. It also gave the book a sense of authenticity and invited the reader to form a closer bond with Cass. 

The chapters then allow Cass to talk about various different points in her life. Music is as evocative as smell - perhaps even more so, and has the ability to drag us back to a particular moment in time. Many of us will be able to quote the lyrics from songs we have not sung aloud to for twenty years. Barnett uses each chapter to move fluidly between the past and the present, helping Cass to make sense of her life so far and consider what it is that really defines her - or why particular memories are significant. 

The writing is as lyrical as you would expect for a protagonist posing as a song writer - and there is no doubt of Barnett's beautiful use of imagery and description. I loved her use of a "coven of girls" in the playground and how where her mother left, is was like "an article torn from the pages of a magazine". 

This is a reflective book, an absorbing read, a novel that uses the ups and downs of a musical crescendo to explore the highs and lows of a life. Although this is a very personal journey for Cass, it is one that the reader finds themselves drawn into. A great framework around which to build a novel about one person's life. It is sure to be as successful as her debut. 

Greatest Hits is published by Orion on 15th June 2017. 

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk

#BibliomaniacBookEvent #AuthorEvent #SummerScorchers

SUMMER SCORCHERS 

Last night I held an author panel event at the lovely Harpenden Arms to talk about Summer Holidays reading. I was so lucky to host a panel of fabulous authors. Huge thanks to

T A Cotterell (Archie)
Jane Lythell
Helen Cox
Eva Jordan
Sue Moorcroft

It was really interesting to have a range of books to chat about and to hear from all the authors about their inspiration, writing process and why their books make such a perfect summer read!

It was a full house again and thanks so much to all who came along on such a sunny evening to get some ideas about what to pack in their suitcase to read this summer. The bright weather had us all in the right mood for holiday reading and there was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere as everyone sipped their free drink and tucked into a few of the treats inside their goodie bag!

We heard all about what the characters in the author's books might pack in their suitcase, how travelling is essential if you set your book in a foreign location - yes, Helen really did need to eat cheesecake in a New York diner to capture authenticity!! And which fictional character would these authors would love to take on holiday with them! Watch this space for a more detailed write up coming soon......

Thanks so much to the wonderful Harpenden Books for all their support and for coming along and selling the author's books last night.  They have several events on this weekend for adult and children's books so don't forget to pop in if you are passing on Saturday. Or if you weren't able to buy a book last night, pop along today to buy a copy! 

Harpenden Bookshop Event 

Harpenden Bookshop Event

A huge thanks also to the Harpenden Arms who are always so helpful and set the upstairs room up so well. I can't recommend them highly enough if you are looking for somewhere to host and event or a space to hire for a private function. The food is very tasty too! 

http://www.harpenden-arms.co.uk/functions
kharpendenarms@fullers.co.uk


So all in all it was a very entertaining, relaxing evening taking about books and thinking ahead to our summer holiday reading list! I will post more about what we chatted about but do look out for my future events  - see below for details!

JULY EVENT: 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/real-life-real-books-tickets-34393602190

AND PLEASE SAVE THE DATE 

20TH SEPTEMBER 

FOR MY EVENT FEATURING

ANGELA CLARKE, ROWAN COLEMAN, ANNA MAZZOLA & TAMMY COHEN!!!!! 

Details to be released very soon!!! 

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @KatherineSunde3 or via my website bibliomaniacuk.co.uk