Tears Of Fire

Author – Gordon Bickerstaff.

I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. I studied biochemistry, and I’ve worked in several Scottish Universities where I did research on enzymes and taught biochemistry. After thirty years of teaching and research I retired my academic pen and took of a fiction pen.

I write medical-themed thrillers. Deadly Secrets was published in 2013, and was followed by Everything To Lose in 2014, The Black Fox in 2015, Toxic Minds in 2016, Tabula Rasa in 2017 and Tears of Fire in 2018. I live in central Scotland with my wife and we enjoy reading, writing, and walking in the hills.

Gordon Bickerstaff

Social Media Links –

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gordon-bickerstaff  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012357701552     

Twitter:  @GFBickerstaff

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5776209.Gordon_Bickerstaff

Website: http://bit.ly/1g4gEoa

Pages – 366

The Blurb –

Conspiracy. Espionage. Spy Story. 

Two serial killers have been getting away with murder for years. For them, it’s a well-paid hobby while they bide their time. It’s about to stop when everything slots into place for them to leap to the next level. Payback for the people who killed their parents.

Lambeth Group investigator, Gavin Shawlens, is on their trail. But all is not as it seems and he is pushed way out of his depth when the killers turn on his family. Gavin’s Lambeth Group partner, Zoe Tampsin, is cut off from him and fighting her own battle to stay alive.

They need to connect but Zoe will face an impossible choice. Stop the killers before they pull off the most audacious murder that will shock the world and change it forever. Or, rescue Gavin’s family from the jaws of evil.  

Today is my stop on the Tears of Fire blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – Wow what another incredible read from Gordon Bickerstaff.  I was really looking forward to reading this after reviewing Deadly Secrets.

This books continues the Lambert Group thriller series, and although it is part of the series, this could easily be read as a standalone.  The book reads like any good Bond film, the author really captures the intensity and danger of the situations he places his protagonists in.

Tears Of Fire sees Gavin and Zoe fighting for their lives, unable to help each other.  Zoe has been found guilty of killing members of an influential family and Gavin finds his family are in grave danger. 

This is such an exciting read, that makes you flip the pages quicker and quicker.  The author has a real knack for writing action thrillers, but he adds character and depth to the story so it make s care about the people involved.

Purchase Links – Tears of Fire

The Wish List of Albie Young

Author – Ruby Hummingbird is a novelist based in the English countryside. She loves nothing more than writing uplifting and heartwarming fiction that gets her readers reaching for the tissues. When she isn’t storytelling, she can be found tending to her beloved sunflowers or sipping on hazelnut lattes. The Wish List of Albie Young is her debut novel, and it promises to be a real heartbreaker. 

Ruby Hummingbird

Social Media Links –

Twitter – @HummingbirdRuby

Instagram – rubyhummingbirdauthor

Facebook – ruby.hummingbird.58

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 336

The Blurb –

Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can float to the top.

Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.

On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.

Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.

Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.

When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.

Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.

Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…

This life-affirming and heartfelt tale is for anyone who has ever looked at their life and wanted more. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Keeper of Lost Things will love this poignant story, which shows us that for the truest loves, the end is never really the end…  

Today is my stop on The Wish List of Albie Young blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy and Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is a beautiful heartwarming book, filled with so many emotions.

Maria lives by herself and her days and weeks pass by like clockwork. Everything the same. She has no visitors and goes out once a week, on a Thursday to meet Albie. This is her life.

One Thursday Albie doesn’t turn up and Maria’s life is turned upside down, the highlight of the week is gone.

Through Maria, we meet Albie Young and his secrets, and a list he has made. Armed with this list Maria makes a decision.

It was really interesting to see the transformation of Maria through the book, and how she copes with things outside of her comfort zone as she tries to fulfil Albie’s hopes.

This was a really emotional read as the author explores the theme of loneliness, which unfortunately is an all too common reality to a lot of people, irrespective of age.

Highly recommended.

Purchase Links – The Wish List of Albie Young

Frankie

Author – James Essinger.

JAMES ESSINGER is the author of non-fiction books that focus on STEM subjects and personalities, including Charles and Ada (The History Press) and Ada’s Algorithm (Gibson Square), the latter of which has been optioned for a film. He lives in Canterbury.

SANDRA KOUTZENKO is a bilingual writer whose work spans a variety of categories and topics, ranging from French poetry to English non-fiction, focusing on human nature and the conflict between its potential for greatness and its propensity for destruction.

James Essinger

Sandra Koutzenko

Social Media Links –

Twitter @TheHistoryPress

Instagram @TheHistoryPressUK

https://www.facebook.com/james.essinger

Tweets by JamesEssinger

Publisher – The History Press

Pages – 288

The Blurb –

Thalidomide: patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning sickness. A wonder drug with no side-effects.

We know differently now.

Today, thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform – a sign of what happens when things aren’t done ‘the right way’. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the best thing since penicillin – something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children.

But, whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it stayed as she battled hierarchy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie is her story.

Today is my stop on the Frankie blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is the third book of James Essinger’s I have read. The others being Charles and Ada and Writing Fiction.

In this book he collaborates with Sandra Koutzenko to tell the story of Frankie Kelsey, Dr Frances Kelsey. In the 1950’s thalidomide was seen as a wonder drug. Lots of countries around the world implemented it into their health systems.

The drug never made into the USA though because of the vigilance of one woman, Dr Frances Kelsey. She fought against thalidomide when it was being hailed as a miracle drug. She saw the long term problems it could cause before all the terrible tragedies came to light.

She fought against the might of the drug companies, she fought tirelessly because she saw the lack of testing on the drug. Powered on by her beliefs, she is responsible for saving millions of unborn babies from being exposed to thalidomide and yet her name is still largely unknown.

This is a brilliantly written and researched book and I would advise everyone to read it.

Purchase Links –

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/frankie/9780750991919/

Left For Dead

Author –

Paul Teague writes thrillers, sci-fi and non-fiction books.

Writing as Paul J. Teague, he is the author of the Don’t Tell Meg trilogy as well as several standalones such as Dead of Night, Two Years After, Now You See Her (with Adam Nicholls) and So Many Lies.

His latest thriller trilogy is set in the coastal town of Morecambe in the UK.
Paul studied, lived and worked in Lancaster and Morecambe between 1983 and 1991 and the books draw from his personal experiences and knowledge of the area.

The first book – Left for Dead – is released in November 2019 and the follow-ups – Circle of Lies and Truth Will Out – will be published in December 2019 and January 2020 respectively.

Paul is a former teacher, DJ, waiter and BBC radio producer, presenter and journalist.

Paul Teague

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulTeagueUK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulteagueauthor/

Thriller website: https://paulteague.co.uk/

Publisher – Clixeo Publishing

Pages – 291

The Blurb –

A return to the past. Two guilty secrets. A memory that won’t stay buried …

When Charlotte and Will Grayson return to the seaside resort where they met as teenagers, they hope it’ll help to heal the wounds in their marriage.

But visiting the dilapidated holiday camp where their relationship began brings terrible memories back from the past.

The man who’d once made their lives hell has come back to find them – only, the last time they saw him, they’d left him for dead on the beach.

As the threats to their new life become more severe, Charlotte and Will discover that they were mistaken about what happened to Bruce Craven on that fateful night.

And now he’s returned to finish off what was started thirty years ago.

Sometimes the past is best left alone 

Left for Dead is the first book in the Morecambe Bay Trilogy.

Book 2 is Circle of Lies and will be published on Monday 9th December 2019.

Book 3 is Truth Will Out and will be published on Monday 6th January 2020.  

Today is my stop on the Left For Dead blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I’m so pleased I read this book. For the last two years I have travelled to Morecambe for the Morecambe and Vice Crime Writing Festival. Although I don’t know the town well, it is always enjoyable to read a book and think ‘Ooh I know where that is.’

The story follows husband and wife Charlotte and Will as they move their family to Morecambe to start a new business. They are both familiar with the town having both been there in their teens.

However Charlotte has a secret from that time that she has never shared ,but someone in Morecambe knows and messages her as soon as she arrives. Charlotte soon learns you can never bury the past.

An excellent read and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Purchase Links – Left For Dead

Slash

Author – Hunter Shea.

Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot would walk past his house. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. He’s the author of over 25 books, including The Jersey Devil (Pinnacle) and We Are Always Watching (Sinister Grin). Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum.
The Montauk Monster was named one of the best reads of the summer by Publishers Weekly. He was selected to be part of the launch of Samhain Publishing’s new horror line in 2011 alongside legendary author Ramsey Campbell. He’s an avid podcaster and can be heard and seen on Monster Men and Final Guys every week. Living with his crazy and supportive family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to see the skyline without having to pay New York rent.

Hunter Shea

Social Media Links –

Twitter – @huntershea1

Website – www.huntershea.com

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

Pages – 288

The Blurb –

Five years after final girl Ashley King survived the infamous Resort Massacre, she’s found hanging in her basement by her fiancé, Todd Matthews. She left behind clues as to what really happened that night, clues that may reveal the identity of the killer the press has called The Wraith. With the help of his friends, Todd goes back to the crumbling Hayden Resort, a death-tinged ruin in the Catskills Mountains. What they find is a haunted history that’s been lying in wait for a fresh set of victims.

The Wraith is back, and he’s nothing what they expected.

Today is my stop on the Slash blogtour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – Wow this is a brilliant read. If you like horror this is definitely for you.

Five years ago Ash was the only survivor of a horrible attack by someone the press called The Wraith. Her injuries were numerous both physical and mental, and she has struggled to continue living. She has accumulated a group of fans who dub her ‘The Final Girl’, they come to her house, send her things, the tragedy made her a household name.

Five years and she feels she can no longer cope and commits suicide, leaving her body for her partner Todd to find. Todd is angry with the world for not leaving her alone, especially the so called fans. He is also angry that the so called Wraith has never been caught.

After finding a note from Ash he decides to go back to where it all started to see if he can find out who The Wraith is, but it’s a decision he will live to regret.

There are some really detailed descriptions of gore and decapitations throughout, and although you are thinking OMG, you carry on reading. I really wanted to know who it is was. Thrilling and terrifying, a must for horror fans.

Purchase Links – Slash

One Week ‘Til Christmas

Author – Belinda Missen.

Author and sometimes foodie, Belinda is a ridiculous romantic who met her husband after being set up by a friend two states away.

Residing in country Victoria, surrounded by books, cat-fur, and half-eaten cake, Belinda divides her days between writing rom-coms, baking, and indulging her love of comic books.

Belinda Missen

Social Media Links –

Website – www.belindamissen.com

Facebook – facebook.com/BelindaMissen

Twitter – twitter.com/belinda_missen

Instagram – @belinda_missen

Publisher – HQ Digital

Pages – 179

Today is my stop on the One Week ‘Til Christmas blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.

The Blurb –

Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.

Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.

Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…

When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.

It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.

There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?

For fans of Josie Silver, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes, this is one Christmas romance you don’t want to miss!

My thoughts – I was really looking forward to reading this book after reading An Impossible Thing Called Love by her.

This book sees Isobel and Tom meet quite accidentally at a bus stop, they hit it off immediately but fail to get each others details. When they meet again they both know it is fate but Isobel only has seven days before she leaves the country.

It’s Christmas and Tom and Isobel spend the week together, going shopping, ice skating and generally enjoying the Christmas season. What I love is how the author portrays the Christmas scenes, the sights of the lights and trees, decorations everywhere. The description of the food, it really works on every sense and I found myself clearly seeing the picture she was painting.

Will Tom and Isobel get what they want for Christmas?

Purchase Links –

https://books.apple.com/us/book/one-week-til-christmas/id1475077464?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Belinda_Missen_One_Week_Til_Christmas?id=W4CmDwAAQBAJ

https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/one-week-til-christmas

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-week-til-christmas-belinda-missen/1132755266?ean=9780008296933

The Other Daughter

Author – Shalini Boland.

Shalini Boland is the million-copy, USA-Today bestselling author of eight psychological thrillers: ‘THE GIRL FROM THE SEA’, ‘THE BEST FRIEND’, ‘THE MILLIONAIRE’S WIFE’ (optioned for TV by Legendary Studios), ‘THE SECRET MOTHER’, ‘THE CHILD NEXT DOOR’, ‘THE SILENT SISTER’, ‘THE PERFECT FAMILY’ and ‘THE MARRIAGE BETRAYAL’.

THE OTHER DAUGHTER comes out Nov 5th and is now available to preorder!

Her titles are published by Bookouture, Grand Central (USA) and Tantor.

Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and sorting endless baskets of laundry).  

Shalini Boland

Social Media Links –

Website – http://someonewotwrites.blogspot.com/

Twitter – @ShaliniBoland

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ShaliniBolandAuthor/

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 260

The Blurb –

Nine years ago her daughter was taken. And now she’s back.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare.

Holly is taken by a stranger and never found.

Nine years later, Rachel is living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter. She has a new family, a loving partner and her secrets are locked away in her painful past.

Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down – she’s seen Bella before. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child.

And she will stop at nothing to get her back…

From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this utterly gripping psychological thriller will have you up all night reading. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you.  

Today is my stop on The Other Daughter blog tour. Many thanks to Bookouture and Sarah Hardy for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – Wow what a great read. It really is a rollercoaster of a book.

Nine years ago Rachel experienced every parent’s nightmare when her daughter disappears. After falling apart she rebuilds her life and starts a new family, so she is shocked when meets another person called Kate and her daughter Bella.

Bella is the image of her missing daughter, and she is determined to prove that she is. A decision that throws not just her life turned upside down.

What I loved about this book, is just when you think you have it all sorted out, the author goes and turns everything around. I am pretty good at sussing out twists but I didn’t see this one at all.

Brilliant read.

Purchase Links – The Other Daughter