Having loved everything I have ever read by Kate Furnivall I was delighted when Joanne Dickinson got in touch to ask if I might like a copy of Kate’s new novel Child of the Ruins. My enormous thanks to Kate for suggesting this and my huge thanks to Jo for sending me a copy of Child of the Ruins. I had hoped to read and review in time for publication, but there has been a bit too much life happening beyond my ability to deal with it of late! However, I’m delighted to share my review today.

Previously here on Linda’s Book Bag Kate and I stayed in together to chat about The Survivors and you can read my review of Kate’s The Betrayal here. My review of The Guardians is to be found here.

Published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton on 7th November 2023, Child of the Ruins is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Child of the Ruins

1948, Berlin. World War II has ended and there is supposed to be peace; but Russian troops have closed all access to the city. Roads, railway lines and waterways are blocked and two million people are trapped, relying on airlifts of food, water and medicine to survive. The sharp eyes of the Russian state police watch everything; no one can be trusted.

Anna and Ingrid are both searching for answers – and revenge – in the messy aftermath of war. They understand that survival comes only by knowing what to trade: food; medicine; heirlooms; secrets. Both are living in the shadows of a city where the line between right and wrong has become dangerously blurred.

But they cannot give up in the search for a lost child …

My Review of Child of the Ruins

1948 Berlin and the war is over…

Having long been a fan of Kate Furnivall’s writing, I anticipated an excellent read in Child of the Ruins, but I had rather forgotten what an evocative, vivid and spell-binding writer she is. Child of the Ruins thrums with authentic detail that gives the narrative such a filmic quality that it is like watching the events live, rather than merely reading about them. There’s a stark beauty to descriptions and every sense is catered for so that Child of the Ruins is immersive and affecting. 

The assiduous research that must have gone into the era and setting means that the narrative is sophisticated in its execution and brutal in its telling. At times I found the story almost overwhelming as Kate Furnivall gave me clear insight into the horrors of East Berlin. It took me some time to read this completely mesmerising and absorbing tale because, for all its horrors and authenticity, it felt painfully raw, emotional and realistic and I need to give myself a break to recover from the impact. Indeed, recent world events feel like a chilling reminder of man’s inhumanity to man that can be found in this brilliant book. 

Anna is a triumph. I have no idea if it was intended, but the fact her name is a palindrome made the plot all the more resonant, as if such events occur and recur time after time. Anna is rash and resilient, brave and foolhardy, compassionate and stubborn in a heady mix of compelling personality. Kate Furnivall made me cheer for her and weep for her, so powerful was the writing. Anna’s relationship with her mother is so sensitively portrayed and the psychological elements of the novel are written with humanity and understanding. I desperately wanted Anna to be reunited with Felix and Timur as I cared completely for Anna.

The plot is exciting and fast paced, but the real triumph of the story for me is the way in which the characters face moral dilemmas and the presentation of the concept that right and wrong are not clearly defined. Murder, theft and betrayal might actually be morally essential as well as reprehensible so that Child of the Ruins is thought-provoking, educational and multi-layered as well as thoroughly entertaining. Indeed, there are mature and philosophical themes about nature and nurture, national culture and identity, love and relationships and the underlying determination of humanity to survive that make Child of the Ruins a perfect read.

It’s difficult to express how much I loved this book. I found Child of the Ruins disturbing, absorbing, horrific, uplifting and totally wonderful. It really is historical fiction of the most perfect kind with love at its heart. Don’t miss it.

About Kate Furnivall

Kate Furnivall didn’t set out to be a writer. It sort of grabbed her by the throat when she discovered the story of her grandmother – a White Russian refugee who fled from the Bolsheviks down into China. That extraordinary tale inspired her first book, The Russian Concubine. From then on, she was hooked.

Kate is also the author of The White Pearl and The Italian Wife. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have been on the New York Times Bestseller list.

You can follow Kate on Twitter @KateFurnivall, visit her website and find her on Facebook.

Anyone who knows me will understand how excited I was to find a surprise copy of a book that has a cat as a protagonist in my post box! Sadly I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I am delighted to invite the author, L. T. Shearer, onto Linda’s Book Bag to tell me all about it. My huge thanks to Philippa Mc Ewan at Pan Macmillan for putting us in touch with one another.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with  L. T. Shearer

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag L.T. and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

It’s an absolute pleasure, I am so happy to be here. And I love what you’ve done with the place. I feel so at home here.

With all these cat ornaments I expect you do. 

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I have brought my second book – The Cat Who Solved Three Murders. It has only just been published, so it is hot off the presses. And I love the shade of green that the publishers have used for the cover. Green is my favourite colour. It’s so calming. I have used a lot of green in my bedroom. And in my bathroom.

I adore the cover. Tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with The Cat Who Solved Three Murders?

You can expect the unexpected!  The hero of The Cat Who Solved Three Murders is a calico cat called Conrad. That in itself is unexpected because the vast majority of calico cats are female and Conrad is very much male.

By the way, do you say calico?  I always do to describe a cat that is black orange and white but some people say that it’s an Americanism. Those people say that I should describe them as tortoiseshell and white, which is so clumsy. And I have never liked tortoiseshell as a description. It makes me think of tortoises, and they are nothing like cats. So I say calico and that’s the end of it!

I’m with you all the way L.T. A calico cat is most definitely NOT a tortoiseshell cat. I’ve had both (Candy and Muffin) and they were completely different.

But the biggest surprise about Conrad is that he talks!

Talks?

Yes, he talks, and quite eloquently. But the only person he talks to is Lulu Lewis, a retired police detective who lives on a narrowboat. Most of the time the narrowboat is moored in Little Venice in West London but she drives the boat around the canal system, and in The Cat Who Solved Three Murders the boat is moored in Oxford.

Intriguing!

I know, you’re wondering if ‘drive’ is the right word to describe how you move a narrowboat, and you can trust me, it is. But you don’t park them, you moor them. Just so you know!

That’s me told then!

Anyway, Lulu and Conrad have taken their boat – The Lark – to Oxford to attend the sixtieth birthday of an old friend of Lulu’s. But when she gets there they discover that there has been a robbery – and a murder.  The local police are investigating, but it’s Lulu and Conrad who crack the case. So yes, expect the unexpected!

A talking cat and a murder sounds the perfect combination to me. I’m so glad I have The Cat Who Solved Three Murders on my TBR.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I have brought one of my cats with me. Her name is Christmas, and she is black with white socks. There was quite a bit of competition among my cats as to who should escort me to your book bag, but Christmas doesn’t get out much so I chose her.

I have a feeling you might not be taking her home again… I miss my cats so much I’m sure Christmas would fit in purrfectly. How did you get her?

Like all my cats, Christmas is a rescue cat. I found her at the side of the road on Christmas Day last year. She was in a real state, weighed less than a couple of pounds, literally just fur and bones and covered in small cuts and lesions. I thought she had been in a fight but I managed to find a vet that was open and the vet said she had a severe fungal infection and a host of other issues. It was touch and go, but Christmas knew that we were trying to help her and she is a fighter.

She spent six weeks at the vets and he did a great job. She now weighs more than six pounds, has glossy fur and bright green eyes.

She’s completely beautiful.

Christmas sleeps on my bed, and follows me everywhere I go. When I take the car, she sits in the driveway until I come back. She is a lovely house cat, but still has her street cat ways. She sticks close to me, but doesn’t really like me picking her up. And I can stroke her, but she makes it clear I’m doing it for me, not for her. She gets the best of food, but still prefers to go rooting through the bins to find a chicken leg or a piece of meat. I do talk to her, but unlike Conrad, she never replies. Not so far, anyway!

Give her time L.T. – and you don’t know what she’s thinking! She might be off solving murders whilst you’re out.

Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat about The Cat Who Solved Three Murders. I really must get it to the top of my TBR as soon as possible. Now, whilst I give Linda’s Book Bag readers a few more details, let me see if I can persuade you to leave Christmas here with me!

The Cat Who Solved Three Murders

Conrad the cat detective and retired police detective Lulu Lewis travel to Oxford on their canal boat and investigate a case of art theft in a grand country manor house.

Retired police detective Lulu Lewis’s life changed forever when she met a street cat named Conrad. There’s something very special about Conrad, but it’s a secret she has to keep to herself.

When Lulu takes her narrowboat to Oxford, she is planning nothing more stressful than attending a friend’s birthday party. And drinking a few glasses of Chardonnay.

But a brutal murder and a daring art theft means her plans are shattered – instead she and Conrad find themselves on the trail of a killer. A killer who may well strike again.

The Cat Who Solved Three Murders was published by Macmillan on 26th October 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

About L.T. Shearer

L T Shearer has had a lifelong love of canal boats and calico cats, and both are combined in The Cat Who Caught a Killer, a one-of-a-kind debut crime novel which continues with The Cat Who Solved Three Murders.

For further information, find L.T. Shearer on Facebook.

I find it so frustrating that life simply doesn’t afford me the time to read every fantastic sounding book. Today I am chatting with Rita Bradshaw about her brand new novel and I’m devastated I haven’t been able to add it to my TBR. My enormous thanks to Chloe Davies at Pan Macmillan for putting Rita and me in touch with one another once again as I previously got to interview Rita some six years ago when her book A Winter Love Song was published. You’ll find that post here.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Rita Bradshaw

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Rita and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along A Woman of Courage to share this evening.

Apart from being my latest book the story is a favourite of mine. I got to research New York in the 1890s which was absolutely fascinating as the story is split between the North East of England and America, and on both sides of the Atlantic the divide between those who had and those who had not was massive. Central Park had only recently been built and the way that came about is a story in itself, as you’ll discover.

You’ve got me intrigued now as I worked in New York for a while.  I believe A Woman of Courage is out today in paperback so Happy Publication Day too! Tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with A Woman of Courage?

An evening in with A Woman of Courage means the reader will be taken back over a hundred years and more to where our heroine, Josie Grey, battles against dark circumstances including domestic abuse, prejudice and the fact that it’s very much a man’s world. It’s a gritty saga encompassing resilience against the unfairness of life, particularly for women in that era. We see Lower Manhattan with its separate ethnic groups and gang culture, and for a woman on her own with a young child it was a dangerous and inhospitable environment. But Josie is a northern lass and made of stern stuff; she refuses to bow down to the bigotry of the day that placed women in an inferior position and fights to carve a place for herself and her son in this hostile world, making enemies as well as friends.

That sounds brilliant Rita!

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything better than curling up with a good book that takes me to a different place with a glass or two of wine to compliment the process, so I’ve brought along a nice bottle of red to share. Of course, there has to be munchies too, so a selection of cheese and biscuits along with red and green seedless grapes (can’t stand the ones with pips in, far too much bother), are in my bag too for us to enjoy, and the naughty bit is a box of hazelnut pralines.

Who counts calories on an evening of indulgence? Anyway, everyone knows that reading and drinking wine and eating burns off more calories than a work-out at the gym!

Ha! If only that were true. Thanks so much for staying in to chat this evening.  Sadly wine doesn’t suit me, which leaves an extra celebratory publication day glass for you Rita, but I’ll certainly help you out with the cheese and chocolates! Now, you pour yourself a (large) glass of wine and I’ll give Linda’s Book Bag readers a few more details about A Woman of Courage.

A Woman of Courage

It’s 1890, and Josie Gray is an innocent and beautiful fifteen-year old when Adam McGuigan, the youngest son of a dangerous and influential crime family spots her singing in a Sunderland public house. Adam is handsome and charismatic, sweeping Josie off her feet with his beguiling lies and promises. He charms her into marrying him on her sixteenth birthday, but on her wedding night the fairy tale ends.

Josie finds herself trapped in a living nightmare and there’s no one to help her. Events spiral out of control, and when her life is put in danger she escapes with her baby son. Fleeing to a different country, Josie fights to make a good life for her child and then love beckons again.

But the McGuigan family’s power is far reaching. When the day of reckoning comes, can Josie survive it?

Out today, 9th November 2023 in paperback from Macmillan, A Woman of Courage is available for purchase here.

About Rita Bradshaw

Rita Bradshaw was born in Northamptonshire, where she lives today. At the age of sixteen she met her husband – whom she considers her soul mate – and they have two daughters, a son and six grandchildren. To her delight, Rita’s first novel was accepted for publication and she has gone on to write many more successful novels since, including the number one bestseller Dancing in the Moonlight.

As a committed Christian and passionate animal lover her life is full, but she loves walking her dog, reading, eating out and visiting the cinema and theatre, as well as being involved in her church and animal welfare.

I’ve known lovely L.C. North for several years after we met on the Tube in London following a bookish event, and it gives me huge pleasure to be one of the bloggers sharing the brand new details of her latest book Clickbait. My thanks to Rachel of with Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate.

L.C. North last featured on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed her novel The Ugly Truth here.

Let’s find out more about Clickbait.

Clickbait

‘We’re not famous anymore. We’re notorious.’

For over a decade, the Lancasters were celebrity royalty, with millions tuning in every week to watch their reality show, Living with the Lancasters.

But then an old video emerges of one of their legendary parties. Suddenly, they’re in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: witnesses swore they’d seen missing teenager Bradley Wilcox leaving the Lancaster family home on the night of the party, but the video tells a different story

Now true crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case. He’s determined to find out what really happened to Bradley – he just needs to read between the Lancasters’ lies . . .

Because when the cameras are always rolling, it won’t be long until someone cracks.

For fans of Murder in the Family and The Club, Clickbait is told through mixed media, from video transcripts to diary entries, capturing a unique and addictive commentary on ruthless ambition and the dark side of fame.

****

That sounds so topical, and utterly riveting. I can’t wait to read Clickbait.

Clickbait will be released by Penguin imprint Bantam on 11th April 2024 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

About L.C. North

L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller – The Ugly Truth – combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. L.C. North is currently working on her second novel, and when she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North.

For further information, visit Lauren’s website or you can follow Lauren on Twitter/X @Lauren_C_North and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

My enormous thanks to lovely Chloe Davies at Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

Published by Pan in paperback on 9th November 2023, A December to Remember is available for pre-order through the links here.

A December to Remember

A December to Remember follows the three North sisters who rekindle their broken relationship in the wake of their father’s death.

Wildly different half-sisters Maggie, Simone and Star have hardly seen each other since their idyllic summers spent in the charming village of Rowan Thorp, the home of their eccentric father, Augustus. Known for the fruitful ways in which he and his bustling curiosity shop kept the towns tongues wagging and ladies swooning, Augustus was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters.

Now, years later, the three estranged women are unexpectedly reunited at the reading of Augustus’s will. Maggie, Simone and Star are shocked to find out that Augustus has engineered a series of hoops through which the three women must jump to unlock their inheritance – the last thing any of them want to do. But each sister desperately needs the money, and they are in no position to rebel against their father’s final wishes.

Spending the winter months at Rowan Thorp stirs up feelings with forgotten flames, and makes the sisters confront the lives they’ve left behind. As old wounds resurface and long-buried secrets come to light, the sisters must learn to work together if they hope to succeed. Sometimes the only way to move forward is to go back to where it all began . . .

My Review of A December to Remember

The disparate North sisters are about to be forced together.

A December to Remember is a gorgeous story of family and community just perfect for reading whilst curled up on a cold winter’s afternoon. It will have readers sifting through their own lives both literally and metaphorically, looking for treasure amongst the junk and emerging with a little bit of magic.

I so enjoyed A December to Remember because it filled me with hope, contentment and happiness. It’s entertaining, engaging and surprisingly emotional so that I read the final few chapters with a tear in my eye. 

The plot is inspired because although Augustus Balthazar North has already died before the action takes place, he is the magnificent catalyst for all the action. His eccentric character steers the three North sisters, Star, Simone and Maggie, in directions none of them expects and often that they don’t want, so that there’s a kind of gleeful mischievousness behind the story with lots of humour too. 

The three sisters are so well depicted that, although they have different mothers, their genetic similarities feel just right. What Jenny Bayliss does so beautifully and surprisingly emotionally, is to explore the importance of family and community. I identified most closely with Maggie as her reluctance to say no and to allow others to help her felt very familiar. I felt Simone was the sister who developed the most over the story and I just adored Star in spite of her somewhat wayward behaviour in the past. It’s impossible not to become embroiled in their relationships and to want the very best for them.

Often when books have a wide cast of secondary characters I feel as if I only have a perfunctory understanding of them, but in the village of Rowan Thorp, all the people felt real and accessible. Indeed, I’m hoping that A December to Remember isn’t the last we see of them all.

A December to Remember is a truly lovely read. Filled with family and community and the the things that are important in life, Jenny Bayliss takes both her characters and her readers on an emotional and, ultimately, uplifting journey. This is the kind of book the world needs right now. I loved it.

About Jenny Bayliss

Jenny Bayliss lives in a small seaside town in Kent with her husband, their children having left home for big adventures. She went back into education when she was thirty-nine and gained a first-class degree in Creative and Professional Writing from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Jenny likes long walks along the seafront and baking days, especially when it’s cold outside. She is a stationery-obsessed coffee lover who doesn’t believe in saving things for best and shamelessly wears party dresses to the supermarket.

Jenny is also the author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas, The Winter of Second Chances and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.

For further information, follow Jenny on Twitter/X @BaylissJenni and find her on Instagram.

Now, I shouldn’t be reviewing Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes by Tess-Smith Roberts today. I was supposedly taking a day off from the blog, but when lovely Rosa Patel from Octopus books kindly sent me a copy recently in return for an honest review I thought I’d take a quick look – and here we are!

Published on 26th October 2023 by Octopus imprint Kyle Books, Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes is available for purchase through the links here.

Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes

Waterstones Best Humour Books of 2023

Meet serial dater Olive. She’s just a regular gal looking for love, but navigating the wild world of modern dating is getting her no closer to finding the one – why are there so many weirdos out there?!

Follow Olive on her quest for companionship, as she goes on dates that go from bad to worse to even more disastrous, including a man who disappears after going to the toilet in a restaurant and is later spotted on shift waiting tables; a woman who vomits all over her on the beach; and a professional triangle player who gets into a fist fight and jumps out of not one but two moving cabs.

Will Olive ever find the one? And will they be everything she’s looking for?

My Review of Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes

A comic strip style book about dating.

If you’re looking for a literary masterpiece worthy of the Nobel Prize for Literature, don’t pick up Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes! If, however, you want a funny, entertaining and relatable insight into the world of dating, this book is perfect.

I must comment on the quality of the hardback because it is just brilliant. A strong, robust cover and heart smothered end papers make Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes a great gift book. I loved the vibrancy of the illustrations as Olive Pitt tries a variety of ways to find love, and the cartoon nature of the people means that they feel generic and inclusive. There’s no-one who is conventionally beautiful or body perfect to make readers feel inadequate. I thoroughly appreciated the fact that Olive considers dates with men and women in a natural manner too.

But the strength of Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes lies in its humour. Tess Smith-Roberts presents disastrous dates with panache, from Olive’s experience with men who only care about oranges, to women obsessed with pancakes, so that there’s both an absurdity and a relatability. I thought it brilliant that Olive was still not satisfied when she found someone who did love her and it’s the love Olive discovers by the end of the book that is such an important concept.

Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes is enormous fun with an uplifting final message. It’s also a book that made me oh so glad to be a middle aged heterosexual woman who’s been married 40 years. I don’t think I’d survive long in Olive’s world of dates, but you’ll need to read the book to discover why! I thoroughly enjoyed this diverting, entertaining and funny book.

About Tess Smith-Roberts

Tess Smith-Roberts is an Illustrator based in London. She approaches her work with humour, bold shapes, and a playful use of colour. Classic still life paintings, bad dance moves, and food (especially fruit!), are the main inspirations for her work.

For more information, visit Tess’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @TessSmithRobert or find Tess on Instagram.

It was way back in 2019 when I had the most fantastic time at Capital Crime and wrote about it here. Since then life has conspired against me attending. There was the small matter of a global pandemic and then I had to take my Mother to a medical appointment only to discover that the rail strikes meant I couldn’t attend. This year, I was so looking forward to this brilliant festival, only to discover that I would be on a cruise ship celebrating my 40th wedding anniversary so I missed it again.

I am determined I’ll be at capital crime in 2024. Here’s why:

Capital Crime 2024

Headliners

IAN RANKIN, IRVINE WELSH, ANN CLEEVES, ANTHONY HOROWITZ AND KELLYE GARRETT TO HEADLINE CAPITAL CRIME 2024

Capital Crime 2024 to be held in Spring at the Leonardo Royal Hotel for second year, from 30^th May to 1^st June.

Capital Crime, the celebrated crime and thriller festival led by Goldsboro Books’ co-founder and managing director David Headley, has announced that it will be returning in 2024 to its new home of the Leonardo Royal Hotel, from 30^th May until 1^st June 2024.

Authors and speakers confirmed so far are:

• Ian Rankin, creator of Inspector Rebus
• Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh
• Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera and Shetland series
• Author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz
• Rising star of US crime fiction Kellye Garrett
• Author and barrister Rob Rinder
• Elly Griffiths, creator of the Ruth Galloway series
• Silo creator Hugh Howey
• Alex Michaelides, author of the global bestseller The Silent Patient
• An unforgettable new voice in cosy crime Paula Sutton, otherwise known as the queen of cottage-core and the face behind Hill House Vintage

The full line-up will be announced early next year.

Early bird weekend tickets for next year are on sale now at www.capitalcrime.org.

Fingerprint Awards

Also returning are the festival’s Fingerprint Awards, which this year saw authors including Erin Kelly and Adele Parks celebrated for the first time ever; and the social outreach initiative, which aims to demystify the industry for young state-school Londoners considering a career in publishing.

In August 2023, Capital Crime returned triumphantly to London, in its brand-new home of the Leonardo Royal Hotel St Paul’s, with a star-studded three days of panels, events and launches with over 100 leading voices from crime fiction, including a sold-out event with Richard Osman and Miles Jupp.

Capital Crime co-founder David Headley said:

‘Next year’s line-up is already shaping up beautifully, with some of the most talented writers from all around the country signed up – and from the US, we’re delighted to welcome the enormously exciting Kellye Garrett and Silo creator Hugh Howey. I’m so delighted that Capital Crime champions authors not only on stage, but with our Fingerprint Awards where the readers vote for their winners in each category – every year our lineup reflects what fans are reading and this year’s lineup is very exciting.’

Capital Crime Festival Director Lizzie Curle said:

‘We loved our brilliant new venue in St Paul’s, and from the feedback we’ve received from authors and attendees, so did everyone else! I’m honoured that we’ll be welcoming some of the best crime writers from around the world to join us in London, to celebrate crime and thriller writing with the authors, readers and fans who make Capital Crime possible. Our 2024 festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before.’

About Capital Crime

Capital Crime is a crime and thriller festival located in London. Built around the reader, Capital Crime is modelled on the extremely successful mass participation, multimedia conventions that engage and delight audiences in new and innovative ways. Capital Crime is committed to producing an inclusive, welcoming festival that will deliver something for everyone.

You can find out more on Twitter @CapitalCrime1, on the Capital Crime website and on Facebook and Instagram.

Don’t forget – early bird weekend tickets for next year are on sale now at www.capitalcrime.org.

I have all Janice Hallett’s books waiting for me on my TBR, but life has always got in the way of my reading them, despite all the fabulous things I’ve heard about them. Consequently, I was determined to participate in the blog tour for her latest, The Christmas Appeal, and would like to thank Anne Cater of Random Things Tours very much indeed for inviting me to take part.

The Christmas Appeal is published by Viper and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Christmas Appeal

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.

Of course there’s also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

My Review of The Christmas Appeal

Femi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd have an intriguing email from Roderick Tanner KC!

The Christmas Appeal is simply delicious. I wolfed it down in a day because it was so entertaining I simply couldn’t set it aside. The story is so cleverly constructed through emails, texts and police interviews and whilst this rapid fire mixture ought to be tricky to follow, it simply isn’t because Janice Hallett’s attention to detail makes it sublimely mesmerising and totally engaging. It’s not really possible to say too much about the plot without spoilers, but I will say there are some surprises and it’s completely diverting.

The pantomime setting is so pertinent to the story. Everyone is playing a part, the farcical nature of some aspects, the heart-warming sensation at other times, the decrepit church hall where the panto is to be held – all the aspects combine into a wonderful relatable and yet unusual coherence. I just loved it.

What took me by surprise was the immense wit in the book. I rarely laugh aloud when I’m reading but The Christmas Appeal had me snorting with laughter. It’s the way Janice Hallett shows such insight into the human psyche through her humour and observation that makes it so appealing. In this brief book she encompasses family and friendships, snobbery and social climbing, the underprivileged and the criminal, deceit and manipulation with such dexterity that the reader can imagine each character vividly.

And what characters they are. I think I found The Christmas Appeal so engaging because I feel as if I have met every type portrayed here. From the moment of reading the Halliday round robin Christmas message I was hooked. I know these people!

I’m aware I haven’t really said anything particularly lucid about The Christmas Appeal but that’s because I don’t want to spoil the read for others. Let’s just say I thought it was a cracker of a book and would make the perfect gift for someone to enjoy on Boxing Day. I thoroughly enjoyed it – though I won’t necessarily go to a panto this Christmas season now I’ve read it and if I do, I won’t be eating the sweets!

About Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal was inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, was published by Viper in 2022 and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels in 2023. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.

For more information you can follow Janice on Twitter/X @JaniceHallett, or find her on Instagram.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

My enormous thanks to Jo Hardacre at Macmillan Children’s Books for sending me a surprise copy of The Ice Children by M.G Leonard, illustrated by Penny Neville-Lee. Now, I have about eleven million (only a slight exaggeration) books on my TBR but I always enjoy children’s fiction and The Ice Children kept calling to me so I’m delighted to share my review today.

Published by Macmillan Children’s Books today, 2nd November 2023, The Ice Children is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

The Ice Children

At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city park standing on a pedestal of ice. His heart is beating, he is smiling serenely, but no one can wake him.

Finn’s big sister, Bianca, suspects that the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it, but the book has vanished. Does the tall mysterious stranger who first discovered Finn know more than they will admit?

Each day, more children are found frozen and Bianca realizes she’s running out of time. Her quest to discover the truth and rescue her little brother hurls her into a fantastical winter wonderland, full of beauty and danger, where all is not as it seems.

Can Bianca save her brother and the other Ice Children before they are forever lost?

My Review of The Ice Children

Finn has been turned to ice.

The Ice Children is a magnificent children’s book and thoroughly magical. Firstly, it is atmospherically illustrated throughout by Penny Neville-Lee with images that support less confident young independent readers, and which enhance and exemplify what’s happening. From the gorgeous endpapers, through the winter spirit animal inspired ice crystals at the start of each chapter, to the dramatic pictures supporting the text, the illustration elevates The Ice Children into the most perfect gift book.

The plot simply races along as more and more children become frozen in suspended animation and Bianca tries to establish what has happened to her little brother Finn. M.G Leonard weaves in elements of traditional tales with fantasy and adventure so that The Ice Children feels as if it is a natural part of established children’s fiction whilst being absolutely fresh and modern too. Themes of family, climate change and the environment are explored without preaching, but in ways that show just how we are affecting our planet and how important children are to the future of the world. I loved the status this gives to children and thoroughly appreciated the fact that Bianca is a strong, intelligent and feisty girl as the protagonist so that there is a touch of feminism here too.

The celebration of winter is just wonderful.  M.G Leonard’s descriptions of cold, ice and snow are so beautifully written and so vivid that there’s a dramatic and visual quality to the story. Indeed, I thought the language was perfect. The rhyming couplets spoken by Pitter and Patter, Jack’s appearance, and the references to food all added layers of interest and mystery, with the inscriptions next to the frozen children and Ishild’s riddle all helping children to understand the power of language. I found the concept of story as a powerful means to explore new worlds very touching, but you’ll need to read The Ice Children to discover quite why.

In fact, there’s considerable emotion throughout the story because the characterisation is sensitively handled. The relationship between Bianca and Pordis is just lovely and the dynamics with her parents, as well as the emotions she feels when confronting Finn in Winterton are strong and relatable. Through The Ice Children young readers get to explore and understand love, family, friendships, fear, grief, happiness and sadness in an enchanting and entertaining manner. 

Aimed at readers aged 8-12, I have a feeling that The Ice Children will bring a lifetime of joy to any reader and become a family favourite returned to and shared across generations. I thought it was utterly brilliant. 

About M.G. Leonard

M. G. Leonard has made up stories since she was a little girl, but back then adults called them lies or tall tales and she didn’t write them down. As a grown up, she has written stories about fantastical beetles, beautiful birds and thrilling train rides. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and won many awards. She is the vice president of the insect charity Buglife, and a founding author of Authors4Oceans. She lives in England, by the sea, with her husband, two sons, a dog called Nell, and a variety of exotic beetles.

For further information about M.G. Leonard, visit her website, follow her on Twitter/X @MGLnrd and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

I understand that M.G. Leonard will be at the Guildford Book Festival on 25th November and you can buy a ticket here.

About Penny Neville-Lee

Penny Neville-Lee was raised on a healthy diet of Saturday cartoons and MGM musicals. Never happier than when creating, she spent her early years drawing and making and was rarely found without a doodle somewhere in the margins. Penny studied MA Painting at the Royal College of Art. After several years making large oil paintings of gloomy woods in the company of Radio 4 and some studio mice, she had her small son, shifted to the kitchen table and realised there might be something in those doodles after all. Penny is inspired by small people, bright colours, a blank page and newly sharpened pencils. She lives in Manchester with her two children, husband and very adventurous cat.

For further information, visit Penny’s website, or follow her on Twitter/X @PennyNevilleLee.

Many moons ago when I submitted a thesis on Charlotte Bronte for my degree I became fascinated by that literary family. Today sees a brand new imagining of Emily Bronte’s character Heathcliff and I was so interested to hear more I simply had to invite Nicola Edwards onto Linda’s Book Bag to tell me more. My enormous thanks to Julia Forster for putting us in touch with one another.

Let’s see what Nicola has to say:

Staying in with Nicola Edwards

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Nicola. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thanks for having me, Linda.

I rather think I know, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought my debut novel, This Thing of Darkness, a dark reimagining of Heathcliff’s lost years in Wuthering Heights. The novel is out today.

How exciting! Happy debut publication day Nicola. So, what can we expect from an evening in with This Thing of Darkness?

The novel has been described by early readers as ‘visceral, disturbing and deeply compelling’, a ‘brave and unflinching’ account of a dark period in English history. Heathcliff’s brutality is very much a product of his environment and what befalls him as he ventures into the world. He is not the same person when he returns to the Heights, and I explore this transformation. I use multiple first-person narrators, so we see Heathcliff’s development through a prism.

This sounds utterly brilliant Nicola. I’m thrilled to have This Thing of Darkness waiting for me on my TBR. I have a feeling I’ll love it.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve brought my most precious copy of Wuthering Heights, a gift from my husband when I first began to write This Thing of Darkness. I’m not sure of the precise date, but I know it was published in the mid-1800s due to the use of the Bronte pseudonyms. I was incredibly excited when I read Ellis and Acton Bell on the front cover!

I imagine you were. What a wonderful gift.

Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about This Thing of Darkness Nicola. I can’t wait to dive in and discover more about Heathcliff. Happy publication day once again. 

This Thing of Darkness

The storm that dismantles a dynasty… 

1780. Wild and windswept Yorkshire. Sixteen-year-old Heathcliff runs from the only home he has ever known in a squall of pain and fury.

Blown into an inn on the edge of the moors, sodden, rejected, and hankering for revenge, he steals a horse and sets out for Liverpool in search of answers. The town he arrives in is a brutal new world, brimming in equal measure with risk and opportunity. Here, Heathcliff might map his future, make his fortune, forge a role for himself. But at what cost…  

Reimagining the three years during which Heathcliff is absent from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, This Thing of Darkness traverses countries and oceans in pursuit of one of literature’s best known characters.

This Thing of Darkness is published today, 2nd November 2023, by Aderyn Press and is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.

About Nicola Edwards

Nicola Edwards is a PhD candidate at the University of Bangor and teaches English and Classics in a school in North Wales. Nicola has worked as a journalist and has lectured on race and representation in the media for Race Council Wales. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in Wales Arts Review. This Thing of Darkness, her first novel, won the Michael Schmidt Prize at the Manchester Writing School.

For further information, visit Nicola’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @nicanned and find her on Instagram.