I’ve ‘known’ the fantastic G. D. (Gary) Wright for a number of years vicariously, but it was my very great pleasure to meet him in person recently. I was thrilled to have been sent a surprise copy of his new book, After the Storm, in return for an honest review. My huge thanks to Laura Sherlock for sending it to me. It’s my pleasure to share my review of After the Storm today.

After the Storm was published by Harper Collins imprint Avon, on 1st August 2024, and is available for purchase through the links here.

After the Storm

TWO CHILDREN WENT INTO THE SEA.

When local couple Andrew and Sophie take their daughter and her friend to the beach on a stormy day, they are momentarily distracted leading both children to get washed out to sea. Andrew dives in, but comes back ashore with only one child – his own daughter, Maria. Joe, the son of his best friend and local police officer, Chris, has drowned. But it was just a tragic accident…wasn’t it?

ONLY ONE CAME OUT ALIVE.

As Sergeant Mike Adams and DS Sue Willmott investigate what really happened in the water that afternoon, the ripple effects of the tragedy tear the community apart. The detectives must discover the truth before their colleague – bereaved and desperate father, Chris – takes the investigation into his own hands…

BUT WHO IS TO BLAME?

My Review of After the Storm

Maria’s parents Andrew and Sophie look after little Joe for Linda and Chris. 

After the Storm is a dramatic, fast paced and emotional story that illustrates to perfection how one split second can affect future lives irrevocably. With a terrifying prologue that captivates the reader immediately, this is a book that doesn’t let up.

There’s an immediacy – a real time element – to the writing so that it feels as if the reader is seeing the action first hand, giving added impact. It doesn’t seem like reading, more like bearing witness to actual events through an authorial style that I found totally compelling. Descriptions are vivid and evocative and the power of the sea in particular is wonderfully depicted.

However, there’s considerable depth in amongst the exciting action too. Written with a sense of compassion and a sensitive understanding of police procedure and the kinds of situations officers can find themselves in, After the Storm feels authentic and realistic as well as exciting to read. It makes the reader appreciate just what officers go through in the line of duty. 

The drama of the storm feels all the more heightened coming after the early domesticity in the book. We see ordinary, loving, frazzled parents who could easily be anyone of us, and suddenly they are plunged into the most dreadful nightmare, so that by the time of the storm we feel we know Linda, Chris, Andrew and Sophie intimately and, consequently, we are all the more invested in the outcomes of the story. This means that After the Storm has skilful and profound emotional impact.

The characters are layered and drawn with a kind of tender empathy – even when they are at their worst. I’m not usually a fan of children in fiction, but both Joe and Maria seemed completely realistic. I loved the way Joe is a catalyst for so much action even though he’s barely physically present in the story. This is because of the depth of human understanding G.D. Wright weaves into his narrative through the adults’ reactions. I thought the balance of focus on Chris and Andrew against the police procedural element of the story was brilliant. Whilst I think there is enormous scope to develop Sergeant Mike Adams and DS Sue Williams in any future books, what is so affecting here is the impact of crime on individuals. We see with absolute clarity how events can escalate and how ordinary people can have their lives turned upside down. After the Storm is like a pebble dropped into a pool as consequences and reactions ripple out through the lives of the characters. 

The themes of the story that include grief, mental health, family, friendship, professionalism and loyalty, underpinning a fast, high action narrative, mean that After the Storm has an aspect relevant to any reader, giving the book an impressive universality and a surprising emotional depth.

I thought After the Storm was an excellent read. It has drama and entertainment, but above all else it has sensitivity and humanity. I cared about the people between its pages and am thinking about them still. It’s a super book and not to be missed from an author destined to be a real star.

About G. D. Wright

Gary Wright joined Kent Police at the age of 18 and worked in a variety of uniformed roles. At the age of 29, and completely out of the blue, he suffered two cardiac arrests that led to the diagnosis of a life limiting and incurable disease of the heart. Following the implant of an internal defibrillator in his heart, he was unable to continue policing and retired at the age of 30.

He bought a coffee shop in Ramsgate Harbour, and spent years looking out over the sea and dreaming up stories. He now writes full time, committing those very stories to paper.

After the Storm is Gary’s 2024 debut and will be followed in 2025 by Into the Fire.

For further information, visit Gary’s website, follow him on Twitter/X @GDWrightWrites, or find him on Instagram and Facebook.

I try not to blog at the weekend, but when I am excited to share details of my latest My Weekly magazine online review of Island in the Sun by Katie Fforde I am allowed to break my own rules. I’ve been a fan of Katie Fforde’s writing for years and reviewed her A Wedding in Provence for My Weekly here.

Published in paperback by Penguin on 18th July, Island in the Sun is available in all formats through the links here.

Island in the Sun

Dominica. A beautiful remote island where the sun shines and the living is easy.

And where Cass goes to photograph a rare stone carving as a favour to her father.

With her is Ranulph, a deeply attractive, much-travelled journalist, who offers to help Cass with her quest.

But Dominica has just been hit be a severe hurricane, and Cass and Ranulph are spending all of their time helping the local community.

Cass knows she must not fall in love with him… He is just looking out for her. He’s being kind.

There is no way he could be even the slightest bit interested in her. Could he?

My Review of Island in the Sun

My full review of Island in the Sun can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Island in the Sun is perfect summer reading, just right to put in your suitcase if you’re going away or for reading in the garden or on the sofa if you’re not!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Katie Fforde

Katie Fforde lives in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with her family, and is a true country girl at heart. Each of her books explores a different profession or background and her research has helped her bring these to life. She’s been a porter in an auction house, tried her hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and she’s even been on a Ray Mears survival course. She loves being a writer; to her there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. She particularly enjoys writing love stories. She believes falling in love is the best thing in the world, and she wants all her characters to experience it, and her readers to share their stories.

For further information, visit Katie’s website, find her on Facebook or Instagram and follow her on Twitter/X @KatieFforde.

Having loved The Traitor by Ava Glass (reviewed here) I’m thrilled that my latest My Weekly magazine online review is of Ava’s latest Emma Makepeace book, The Trap.

Published by Penguin on 1st August 2024, The Trap is available for purchase through the publishing links here.

The Trap

How far would you go to catch a killer?

This is the question UK agent Emma Makepeace must ask herself when she is sent to Edinburgh for the upcoming global G7 Summit.

The Russians are in town and Emma and her team know a high-profile assassination is being planned.

But who is their target?

There is only one way to find out. Emma must set a trap using herself as bait.

As the most powerful leaders in the world arrive and the city becomes gridlocked, Emma knows the clock is ticking.

My Review of My The Trap

My full review of The Trap can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that The Trap is a fast paced, plausible and intelligent thriller with a fantastic protagonist in Emma Makepeace. I loved every moment of this classy, enthralling read.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Ava Glass

Ava Glass is the author of the espionage series Alias Emma. A former civil servant and journalist, she once worked closely with spies, and that experience fuels her writing. Ava is the pseudonym for an international bestselling author who has written more than ten crime novels under another name. Her books have been bestsellers in multiple countries, and have been published in more than twenty languages. Alias Emma is currently being developed for television by The Ink Factory.

To find out more, visit Ava’s website or follow her on Twitter/X @AvaGlassBooks, Instagram and Threads.