Having reviewed Jane Corry’s We All Have Our Secrets here for My Weekly, I’m thrilled that my latest review for this brilliant magazine online is Jane’s Coming to find You in a post you’ll find here.

Coming to Find You was published by Penguin on 22rd June 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Coming to Find You

You can run away from your life.
But you can’t run away from murder.

When her family tragedy is splashed across the newspapers, Nancy decides to disappear. Her grandmother’s beautiful Regency house in a quiet seaside village seems like the safest place to hide. But the old house has its own secrets and a chilling wartime legacy . . .

Now someone knows the truth about the night Nancy’s mother and stepfather were murdered. Someone knows where to find her. And they have nothing to lose . . .

So what really happened that night? And how far will she go to keep it hidden?

My Review of Coming to Find You

My full review of Coming to Find You can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Coming to Find You is an absolute cracker and one of my favourite reads this year!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Jane Corry

Jane Corry is a former magazine journalist who spent three years working as the writer-in-residence of a high security prison for men. This often hair-raising experience helped inspire her Sunday Times-bestselling psychological dramas, My Husband’s Wife, Blood Sisters, The Dead Ex, I Looked Away and I Made A Mistake which have been translated into over 16 languages and sold over a million copies worldwide. Jane was a tutor in creative writing at Oxford University; an RLF Fellow at Exeter University; and is a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and My Weekly magazine. We All Have Our Secrets is her sixth novel.

For further information, follow Jane on Twitter @JaneCorryAuthor and visit her website. You’ll also find Jane on Facebook and Instagram.

My grateful thanks to author Sue Clark (who previously featured on Linda’s Book Bag here) for sending me a copy of the short story anthology Taking Liberties by the twelve writers who form The Breakthrough Collective.

Another of The Breakthrough Collective authors, Ivy Ngeow can be found on the blog here.

Taking Liberties was published on 22nd April 2023 and is available for purchase here.

Taking Liberties

A daring rescue. A time-trapped forest. Paranormal problems for a down-to-earth detective.

War waged over wi-fi. An app to die for and a fateful shirt. Musing on the rails. Hermits, caves and epic tales. Roboboats aimlessly afloat. Passengers and paintings. The keys to sunlight, and young love in sunlit Santiago. Freedom has many faces. In Taking Liberties it is met in a dozen different guises and in worlds where nothing is what it seems.

Threaded through with the theme of freedom, the stories explore what it means to yearn for escape and to search for the true self, whether in the DNA or in the human soul. Mirth and myth, mystery and magic, noir and memoir shape this first offering from the Breakthrough Book Collective, a group of established and emerging authors embarking on its own journey of creative liberty.

My Review of Taking Liberties

A dozen short stories.

Taking Liberties is a cornucopia of delights. From the very first story Human Error I was struck by the skill and literary nature of the writing presented here. And it’s not just these jewel bright narratives that are of interest, but the introduction, the brief explanation of the power of reviews and the mini biographies all provide another layer of interest.

Many of these cracking stories have plots that would translate brilliantly into television dramas or films, with so much packed into them that I found not only was I entertained, but I was incredibly impressed by the authors. There’s crisp and lyrical prose, natural dialogue and no dialogue at all. There’s a variety of perspectives and points of view so that Taking Liberties rewards reading the stories in the order they are presented, or dipping in at random. There are beautiful descriptions, especially in creating vivid settings with the senses thoroughly catered for so that Taking Liberties feels rounded and layered. As a result, if it doesn’t sound weird to express it so, Taking Liberties isn’t disposable fiction. It’s a collection to savour and return to.  

Whilst every story is really well crafted and engaging, it’s the themes I found so appealing. With everything from genetic cloning, loneliness, grief, lust, media in various forms, touches of supernatural, myth and fable, personal experiences, sexuality and travel this is a kaleidoscopic collection and I suspect that the more the stories are read, the more they will reveal to the reader.  

Taking Liberties might be a relatively slim volume, but with an eclectic range of style, theme and genre, this is an intelligent, carefully crafted and rewarding collection with something for every reader. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About The Breakthrough Collective

The Breakthrough Collective is an affiliation of accomplished authors from diverse backgrounds who have come together to disrupt the industry and break new literary ground. To put power (creative and financial) back into the hands of the creators.

Contributers include: Stephanie Bretherton, Jamie Chipperfield, Sue Clark, Jason Cobley, Stevyn Colgan, Samuel Dodson, A.B. Kyazze, Virginia Moffatt, Ivy Ngeow, Eamon Somers, Paul Waters and PJ Whiteley.

You can find out more by following The Breakthrough Collective on Twitter @BBookCollective, on Instagram or finding them on Facebook. You can also visit the website.

Having loved Una Mannion’s A Crooked Tree (reviewed here) I was hugely disappointed that I couldn’t participate in the blog tour for her latest book, Tell Me What I Am because I was away. However, my enormous thanks to Arabella Watkiss at Faber for sending me a copy of Tell Me What I Am in return for an honest review anyway. I’m thrilled to share that review today.

Published by Faber on 1st June in hardback, Tell Me What I Am is available for purchase in all the usual places including directly from the publisher here.

Tell Me What I Am

Two women, wrenched apart by a terrible crime, must find a way back to each other

When Deena Garvey disappears in 2004, she leaves behind a daughter and a sister.

Deena’s daughter grows up in the country. She learns how to hunt, when to seed the garden, how to avoid making her father angry. Never to ask about her absent mother.

Deena’s sister stays stuck in the city, getting desperate. She knows the man responsible for her sister’s disappearance, but she can’t prove it. Not yet.

Over fourteen years, four hundred miles apart, these two women slowly begin to unearth the secrets and lies at the heart of their family, and the history of power and control that has shaped them both in such different ways.

But can they reach each other in time? And will the truth finally answer the question of their lives:

What really happened to Deena Garvey?

My Review of Tell Me What I Am

Deena Garvey is missing.

I find books like Tell Me What I Am almost impossible to review because I fear I’ll sully their very existence simply trying to articulate how wonderful they are. And Tell Me What I Am is magnificent. It hits the reader hard in the solar plexus. It’s intense, beautifully written and mesmerising, despite, or perhaps because of, its underpinning theme of control and coercion. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. The way in which Una Mannion considers the ugliness of coercive control balanced against the beauty of her writing is nothing short of genius. 

Settings are described with such elegance and a lightness of touch that is breath-taking, placing the reader right inside the story. Similarly, I loved the fact that there are no speech marks because it feels as if any barrier between reader and character has been removed, involving the reader in the action as if they are part of the story too. Add in the recognisable cultural references to music, art or politics and Tell Me What I Am pulsates with a realism that is totally ensnaring. 

Initially I was disconcerted when I realised there are different points of view and time frames in Tell Me What I Am, because usually I have to concentrate hard to keep such storylines clear in my head, but Una Mannion writes with such precision and skill that I was effortlessly absorbed. Both Nessa and Ruby’s threads are vivid, astoundingly affecting, and perfectly presented. This is one of those books that is experienced rather than read. 

I thought Lucas was such a fantastic character. He’s thoroughly convincing, making him terrifying as well as plausible. Through him the lives of so many women are altered – his wife, his daughter, his mother. What is so unnerving is that whilst Lucas is a undoubtedly a monster, there’s no denying his upbringing of Ruby helps make her a wonderful young woman who is one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered. This is such a disturbing element to Una Mannion’s writing. I loved the way Deena is missing from the beginning and yet her power drives the narrative. Without her there would be no story.

The mystery of Deena’s disappearance and Lucas’s custody of Ruby illustrates how women are still so frequently seen as inferior or second class and how much unfairness exists in our supposedly modern society. Reading Tell Me What I Am made me rage. It made me despair and it gave me hope. Whilst there’s almost unbearable tension, especially towards the denouement, Tell Me What I Am also illustrates profound positivity and strength. Through Nessa and Ruby we see the power of women, their stoicism and their ability, through both family and sheer will, to rise above circumstances and simply to be. Ruby may be looking for answers, but she is capable of finding what and who she is for herself. I found this element of the story incredibly and profoundly moving. 

With themes of loyalty and trust, mental and physical health and abuse, betrayal and redemption and so much more, Tell Me What I Am is authentic, affecting and, quite simply, amazing. It’s not to be missed and one of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely adored it.

About Una Mannion

Una Mannion was born in Philadelphia and lives in County Sligo, Ireland. She has won numerous prizes for her poetry and short stories including the Hennessy Emerging Poetry Award and Cúirt International Literary Festival short story prize. She edits The Cormorant, a broadsheet of prose and poetry and teaches on the Writing + Literature BA at Atlantic Technological University, Sligo. Her debut novel A Crooked Tree was shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and for the Dalkey Emerging Writer prize and was winner of the Kate O’Brien Prize 2022.

You can find out more about Una by visiting her website and finding her on Instagram. You can also follow Una on Twitter @una_m_mannion.

I hadn’t intended reading The Connection Game by S.S. Turner at the moment as the idea was to review ready for publication, but sadly the book went astray and so a few months later than hoped, I’m delighted finally to have my review to share. My huge thanks to S.S. Turner for sending me a copy of The Connection Game in return for an honest review.

Published by Gramarye Media on 21st March 2023, The Connection Game is available for purchase here.

The Connection Game

Benny Basilworth makes connections. A rare intellect, he sees things that others don’t see and draws conclusions that others completely fail to grasp. He has the kind of mind that can make a person a national sensation on the television gameshow “The Connection Game”- and the kind of mind that can be the target of predators.

Despite his brilliance, Benny and his family find themselves destitute, living in a basement apartment with one tiny window that affords them only the view of the feet of passersby on the street above. It is from this vantagepoint that Benny once again starts making connections. Mad, inconceivable connections. Connections that can change lives . . . and turn the entire world upside down.

Humorous, surprising, wise, and remarkably perceptive, The Connection Game is a novel unlike any other and one that you are unlikely to forget.

My Review of The Connection Game

Benny makes connections.

The Connection Game is, I fear, a book few readers will find as it doesn’t enjoy the big five publishers’ marketing budgets. And that’s a shame because it is highly entertaining, multi-layered, quirky, witty and extremely clever. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I rarely make comparisons between books, but The Connection Game had echoes of The Rosie Project and television’s Big Bang Theory with a similar humour and pathos.  

I thought Bell’s first person narrative was perfect for the story as it draws in the reader through her conversational tone and disarming directness. It feels as if Bell is relating the story to the individual reader alone. She presents the narrative in such a way that the reader is entirely on her side even though it is Benny who is the main driver of the plot. 

It’s tricky to say too much about that plot without spoiling the story for others. However, it builds incrementally to an exciting conclusion and given that it includes a television programme – The Connection Game – it would make a super television series itself. 

Indeed, the consequences of reality television and game shows, their impact on people’s lives, the modern obsession with conspiracy theory, the way the past affects adulthood, and ways to find true meaning and happiness in life all add both interest and depth to a cracking story. There’s humour but there are some profound themes too. S.S. Turner’s presentation of Bell and Benny’s marriage and their family dynamics feels realistic and moving. 

I also loved the feet drawings at the start of each chapter because they are a visual reminder that, unlike Benny’s ability to know what others are thinking and his obsessive watching of feet, we never really know what is going on in another person’s life or why they behave as they do unless we’ve walked in their shoes. It’s not until The Connection Game is finished that the reader makes a true emotional connection to Benny, understanding fully why he behaves as he does. 

The Connection Game is a surprising novel. It’s well written, engrossing and has an edgy modernity underpinned by universal truths and traditional value that makes it an engaging and engrossing read. I truly hope other readers find it and enjoy it as much as I have. S.S. Turner has a talent that deserves a wide audience. 

About S.S. Turner

S.S. Turner has been an avid reader, writer, and explorer of the natural world throughout his life which has been spent in England, Scotland and Australia. Just like Freddy in his first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, he worked in the global fund management sector for many years but realized it didn’t align with his values. In recent years, he’s been focused on inspiring positive change through his writing, as well as trying not to laugh in unfortunate situations (easier said than done). He now lives in Australia with his wife, daughter, son, two cats, and ten chickens.

For more information, visit S.S. Turner’s blog or follow him on Twitter @SSTurner7. You’ll also find him on Instagram and Facebook.

I’ve said before that it’s a real source of frustration that I simply cannot read or feature all the books I’m offered, but occasionally I simply have to feature one that I wish I could get to in the near future and which is calling to me from my TBR. The Genius Killer by Mark Robson is one such book and I’m delighted that Mark has agreed to provide a guest post about his journey to publication for The Genius Killer for Linda’s Book Bag today. I also have a cracking extract to share and I think when you’ve read these pieces you’ll see why I’m so keen to read The Genius Killer myself.

The Genius Killer is available for purchase here with all profits going ebook and paperback profits to charity including The Lighthouse Charity.

The Genius Killer

The dark heart of a brilliant and ruthless psychopath

A celebrated but haunted detective

A determined young reporter hunting for justice – and the big story

Karl Jackson is a particularly vengeful sociopath with his unique way of ‘problem-solving’. DCI Tex Deacon suffers from the trauma of his beloved wife’s death and finds it immensely difficult to come to terms with it. As a Detective Chief Inspector specialising in murder and killer profiling, Tex has a relentless workload from his base on the edges of the mountains of the Lake District.

Tex is under pressure from his superiors to take a step back to grieve properly. It’s clear that Susan’s death has ripped out part of his soul. There is no doubt that Tex is suffering, but this DCI is a driven man. Tex’s welfare is the responsibility of his boss Chief Constable Barbara Bracewell, and she and Tex go back a very long way. However, Bracewell must do what is right for Tex and the Cumbrian police force.

Despite falling into a mental abyss, Tex’s instincts for the hunt never leave him. A hyper-intelligent and devious murderer appears in his crosshairs – the self-styled ‘Genius Killer’. So what will Tex do? What can he get away with doing with the Chief Constable monitoring his every move?

And then there’s Debbie Pilkington, a tenacious and hugely ambitious cub reporter at the local paper – The Rimpton Chronicle. Debbie has big stories and a big future in her own sights. A young journalist, a craggy and vastly experienced detective, and one of the most dangerous serial killers Britain has even seen. Their lives were about to intertwine. The chase to stop a cunning killer begins. Tex is a master at breaking down the thinking processes of those he hunts but with Tex enduring his own psychological meltdown, can he penetrate the mind of this supremely malevolent psychopath?

The Genius Killer Road to Publication

A Guest Post by Mark Robson

“Murder? The mountains are the perfect place.” The man looked at me from the corner of his eye – the way Clint Eastwood does in A Fistful of Dollars just before he spits and butchers the bad guys. “Yeah, it’s very tough for the police – remote spots, very little evidence and there’s no CCTV. A killer’s paradise really.” Those were the words that launched the seed of an idea, a seed that lay dormant for many years before being germinated by the arrival of the coronavirus lockdown. As a freelance sports broadcaster all of my work and income was shut down in a heartbeat. The Netflix box sets took an almighty thrashing but lying on the sofa and fretting and rattling around my bachelor pad wasn’t particularly good for my mental health.

Enter Petra, my then girlfriend, “Do something. Write a book. A novel.” I remember curling a lip and widening my eyes in that sarcastic way that people do when they think someone has said something ridiculous.  “What about?”  I squawked, sounding rather like a chip hunting seagull. Petra sighed, “Don’t be a prick. What about that fell running chum of yours. The guy who knew some of the Mourne Mountain Rescue team? You always said that would make for a great novel.” My curled lip had softened – replaced by the knowing pout that all novelists display when they realise they have ‘The Narrative’. You see, now, without writing one word I was already, in my own mind, an author. My eyebrows arched so high they almost hit my receding hairline. I remembered Fred, the man who had described in detail three Mountain Rescue body recoveries that they had suspected to be murder. They were all reported as natural or accidental deaths. Me and Fred were running side by side. Rain drops battered us like bullets, our Gortex tops working at capacity through the rolling roar of a storming Westerly, “There were far too many suspicious elements. A few of the team went to the body sites and carried out re-enactments. Murder – definitely.”

That was it then. I had a loose framework and all I had to do now was build a structure around it. First I met my old chum Deric Henderson, one of Northern Ireland’s great political journalists, who had written Let This Be Our Secret, a shocking true story about double murder in Castlerock. Deric’s book went on to become an ITV and Netflix series, The Secret starring Jimmy Nesbitt and Genevieve O’Reilly. Deric, close to breaking point due to my persistent questioning, put me in touch with Michael Mcloughlin at Penguin Ireland and Patsy Horton of Blackstaff Press. They gave me more valuable advice which was along the lines of, “Go read On Writing by the great Stephen King,  a masterpiece of instruction for budding novelists who think they already know everything but actually know feck all.” I also consulted my old schoolfriend Colin Bateman, auther of many best sellers like Divorcing Jack and writer of several Hollywood screenplays.

Within moments of writing the first words of The Genius Killer I was an arousing combo of Ernest Hemingway, Patricia Cornwell, Harlan Coben, Val McDermid and Liz Nugent with a luscious soupcon of Agatha Christie adding the final thrilling sprinkles. Three months later and my New York Times best seller was finished. 70,000 words of pure magic. Netflix had already been in touch. Okay – it was about renewing  my subscription – but it was true. I’d had contact from the streaming giant. A deal was sure to follow. The washing machine of white noise inside my head had already reached the spin cycle, “I’ll have Miles Teller as the killer, Jason Bateman as the Detective and Julia Garner as the ambitious journalist. Not cheap. I hope those Netflix Muppets know the kind of budget they’ll need to give this book the treatment it deserves.”

Then, sadly, and this was inevitable I suppose, someone read my draft. His name? Andy Brennan, former Head of English at the highly respected Wrekin College in Shropshire. “Mark. Love the story, but it’s written like a journalist – probably because you are one!” Andy went on while I visualised the embers of a burning Netflix contract, “It’s like a news report. Facts and detail all tightly packaged and, yes, it rollicks along but there’s not much colour and very little character development….” Andy kept talking but I was already blubbering, frothy spittle on my chin. He’d taken a fire hose to my sizzling ambition.

Who could rescue me? Enter the first of my saviours, Simon Hess of Gill Hess Publishers. Simon, a big rugby fan, found grass with a long punt downfield that landed in the bread basket of Vanessa O’Loughlin (AKA Sam Blake) at The Inkwell Group. Vanessa propelled my red raw scribbling into the experienced hands of two published authors, Mary Stanley and Adrian White. Mary’s brilliant synopsis highlighted the good and the bad and sent me scurrying into the richness of ‘show’ and not ‘tell’ and so the real learning began. (SHOW: A warm ball of fuzzy fur had wrapped itself tightly in front of a crackling wall of flame, teasing it’s whiskers with the pads of a spongy paw. Red and orange shards flickered up and away into the smoky darkness. TELL: The cat sat in front of the fire) Vanessa – is that right?

After a short spell of mourning a rewrite followed. Then came Adrian White’s report. Now this was different. I felt like I’d opened my legs and allowed Tyson Fury three free uppercuts. It was quite devastating but, mostly, Adrian was right – though I almost gave up. It took a lot of weeping before I was able to galvanise myself enough to rewrite the bloody thing again. Thanks to Mary and Adrian – and other caring helpers – 70,000 words became 100,000. Finally there was a printable blend of story, show, tell, timeline, narrative and plot. Orla Kelly Publishing took on my little project. On publication day I celebrated by running naked through my home town, like some sort of deranged town cryer, screaming, “Here it is, ‘The Genius Killer’ … Roll up, roll up, get your copy here.” Hopefully, while I’m in custody, Netflix will call.

****

That’s brilliant. I’m sure Netflix are on the phone right now!

And in case readers would like a flavour of The Genius Killer then here’s an extract to whet their appetite further:

An Extract from The Genius Killer

The following morning Ferris stood at the end of the small pontoon. The sun, which had peaked its brow above the yellow grass of the distant fields was already forming a heat haze across the lake, forming silver shadows. A haphazard smattering of trees circled the lake, their branches waving with a hypnotic synergy as if absorbed in some mysterious dance.

Karl, in no rush, walked towards Ferris, taking the long route round the boat house. Ferris, relaxed and vulnerable, turned and held out his hand. Karl took it, but instead of shaking it, he used it as a pivot. Karl pulled hard and fast, and Ferris spun round on his heels. Karl pressed the chloroform-soaked cloth over Ferris’s mouth.

To minimise what he knew would be a brief struggle, Karl pulled his free arm across the man’s chest. Ferris blew a muffled cry through the drenched rag. Resistance drained quickly and Karl was in complete control. He positioned the unconscious victim face up on the pontoon and then slid out a stiletto knife he’d concealed in his sleeve. Half light from the early sun bounced off the blade and the rippling water. Karl slid the stiletto between Peter Ferris’s ribs. There was a barely audible murmur and in a heartbeat it was over.

Earlier that morning, Karl had rowed across the lake, a lake he knew so well. This was where he had enjoyed so much fun blowing up those hopping amphibians. It wasn’t far from the Satterscale village between the towns of Rimpton and Hollway and the site of Jackson’s old house. Karl had placed two heavy dumb bells on the struts below the waterline underneath the pontoon. Now, after the kill, Karl used cable ties to attach the dumb bells to the floppy corpse of Ferris. Karl rolled him over the side of the pontoon. He sank fast, the weight helping Ferris on his final journey, and he would soon be buried in the lake’s deep soft silt.

Ferris disappeared below the water as a few geese lifted from the water, disturbed by the gentle splash. It was such a peaceful disposal.

****

Doesn’t that sound a cracker? Don’t forget The Genius Killer is available for purchase here.

About Mark Robson

Mark has been a journalist and broadcaster for over 30 years. Working almost exclusively in sport. Mark was employed for 15 years by SKY Sports, and 11 years by the BBC. Elsewhere he worked, on significant national contracts, for ITV, Eurosport and Premier Sport. Mark has been been involved in BAFTA and Sony award winning, and nominated, documentaries and programmes. Mark worked on these productions as a writer/reporter.  For the last 10 years Mark has focused on rugby commentary with SKY, as well as Premier Sport and Eirsport. Mark was working on the Six Nations Rugby when all sport stopped due to the pandemic, so he decided to write his first novel.

For further information, follow Mark on Twitter @rugbyjaffa, or visit Mark’s website.

My enormous thanks to Natasha Finn at DK Books for sending me a copy of children’s book Wonderfully Wired Brains by Louise Gooding and illustrated by Ruth Burrows in return for an honest review. With my niece only diagnosed with autism in her late 30s, it feels very special to me to share my review of Wonderfully Wired Brains today.

Published by DK Books on 4th May 2023, Wonderfully Wired Brains is available for purchase through the links here.

Wonderfully Wired Brains

An informative and inclusive children’s guide to neurodiversity for those not in the know and to inspire children who are neurodivergent.

Our brains are unique in the way they function, work, and think. Neurodiversity is still a relatively ‘new’ concept that can be tricky to understand, but this book is here to help! This inspirational book written by neurodiverse author Louise Gooding challenges misconceptions and shows how neurodivergent brains work a little differently.

It is common for neurodiverse people and those with neurological differences to feel as though they don’t fit in, but their extraordinary differences should be embraced. Wonderfully Wired Brains teaches children aged 7-9 all about the awesome abilities that neurodiverse individuals have, introduces them to advocates who are challenging neurodiversity stereotypes, and most importantly gives them a safe space to feel accepted.

This informative and educational book for children features:

– Accurate, understandable explanations of diagnoses that impact the brain, including each area of neurodiversity and what it can or does mean for anyone with that particular neurological difference.
– A positive, friendly look at neurodiverse brains that debunks myths and stereotypes.
– Informative, inclusive text is accompanied by colourful, modern illustrations.

The font and colours used have been selected to accommodate a range of neurodiverse readers. Combining neurodiverse experiences with science, history, and brain-bursting facts, Wonderfully Wired Brains has something for everyone!

Whether your child is neurodiverse or not, this book will inspire inquisitive young readers and show them that no two brains function in the same way and that everyone’s differences should be celebrated. There really is no other book like it.

My Review of Wonderfully Wired Brains

A children’s book about neurodiversity.

It was quite tricky to review Wonderfully Wired Brains as it took considerable effort to prise it from my husband’s hands! He’s in his mid sixties with a Ph.D in Chemistry and he loved this book! 

As with so many DK books, I simply want to repeat the book’s description as it sums up perfectly what a fabulous book Wonderfully Wired Brains is. In keeping with other DK books this one has all the physical properties and qualities one expects. There is a vibrant, robust and superb quality cover that encases a non-fiction book jam packed with information that makes Wonderfully Wired Brains perfect for home, school or other institution use.

The illustrations in Wonderfully Wired Brains actually made me cheer aloud! The children represented are as physically diverse as the brains being written about with children in wheelchairs, wearing glasses, with different coloured skin and hair and so on, so that the book feels inclusive before a word is read.

There’s a lovely personal introduction by Louise Gooding which means that children (and the adults around them) have an instant connection and feel they are not alone in their own neurodiversity. Indeed, brain difference is seen as absolutely normal whether that’s through a leech’s many brains through bi-polar brains to the fabulous artistry of Stephen Wiltshire.

The range of information in Wonderfully Wired Brains is astonishing so that every reader, regardless of age or their own unique brain, will find something of interest here. Just the two succinct pages on Brain Care would make us all happier and healthier if we followed them.

I think Wonderfully Wired Brains is fantastic at exploring neurodiversity but equally it has so many other uses too. The book can be used to model research practices with a glossary and index perfect for literacy lessons. The Brilliant brains in history or the Wonderfully wired people could lead to all kinds of projects, from oral presentations to the use of the Internet for example. This really is an educational book of the highest quality.

However, the most powerful aspect of Wonderfully Wired Brains is its humanity and inclusion. Written and illustrated with celebratory sensitivity whilst not shying away from issues such as tics, anxiety and depression that can affect neurodivergent people in particular, Wonderfully Wired Brains is completely brilliant. Every home, hospital, children’s group and classroom should have one. I thought it was sensational and only wish my family had had access to it years ago. 

About Louise Gooding

Louise Gooding is a British children’s author living in Switzerland with her family.

Louise has a keen interest in sharing stories that feature characters that stand out, are different and who have something to say.

Inspired by stories from her own experiences and within her family, she took up writing to find a way of discussing neurological and physical diversity, and how to explore other sensitive issues within children’s books.

Louise a member of SCBWI, an Inclusive Minds ambassador and leads The Writers and Illustrators of Zurich.

In her spare time Louise enjoys reading, painting, photography, spending time with her family and her work as a Book Fairy.

For more information, visit Louise’s website and follow her on Twitter @OnceUponaLouise. You’ll also find Louise on Facebook and Instagram.

About Ruth Burrows

Ruth Burrows has always loved drawing, painting and making, as a child she also loved entertaining and always took a lead part in the school play. Ruth’s two main passions eventually came together when she studied Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University.

Ruth currently works full time as an illustrator from her open studio and art shop in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, where you are welcome to drop by and say hello!

For further information visit Ruth’s website, follow her on Twitter @RuthBBurrows, or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

I’ve long been a fan of Louise Jensen so it gives me enormous pleasure to review her latest thriller The Fall for my latest My Weekly online review.

Previously I have reviewed Louise’s The Stolen Sisters here, and I stayed in with Louise writing under her pseudonym Amelia Henley to celebrate the publication of The Life We Almost Had in a post you can read here. I also reviewed The Life We Almost Had here and From Now On, one of my Books of the Year in 2022, here.

I reviewed Louise’s The Family here and it was one of my Books of the Year in 2019.

Published by Harper Collins’ imprint HQ on 27th April, The Fall is available for purchase through the links here.

The Fall

She promised not to tell. They made sure she couldn’t…

At her surprise 40th birthday party, Kate Granger feels like the luckiest woman in the world but just hours later her fifteen-year-old daughter, Caily, is found unconscious underneath a bridge when she should have been at school.

Now, Caily lies comatose in her hospital bed, and the police don’t believe it was an accident. As the investigation progresses, it soon becomes clear that not everyone in the family was where they claimed to be at the time of her fall.

Caily should be safe in hospital but not everyone wants her to wake up. Someone is desperate to protect the truth and it isn’t just Caily’s life that is in danger.

Because some secrets are worth killing for…

My Review of The Fall

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

However, I can say that The Fall is an absolute belter of a thriller that is totally compelling and that I just loved.

Do visit My Weekly to read more of my review here.

About Louise Jensen

Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift, The Surrogate, The Date, The Family, The Stolen Sisters and All For You. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Her next thriller publishes in Spring 2023.

Louise has been nominated for multiple awards including Goodreads Debut Author Of The Year, The Guardians ‘Not The Booker Prize’, best polish thriller of 2018 and she has also been listed for two CWA Dagger awards. All of Louise’s thrillers are currently under option for TV & film. She has also written short stories for various publications including ‘My Weekly’, ‘Hello’, ‘Best’ and ‘The Sun’, as well as having stories featured in multiple anthologies.

Louise also has a penchant for exploring the intricacies of relationships through writing heart-breaking and uplifting stories under the pen name Amelia Henley. The Life We Almost Had and The Art of Loving You were international best sellers. From Now On published in autumn 2022.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.

You can find out more by visiting Louise’s website, finding her on Facebook or Instagram and following her on Twitter @Fab_fiction.

 

It was my absolute pleasure to meet lovely Diane Jeffrey at Harrogate last year and I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for sending me a copy of her latest book, The Other Couple. I’m delighted to share my review of The Other Couple today. 

It was also my privilege to share an extract from Diane’s previous thriller The Couple at Causeway Cottage in a post you’ll find here.

The Other Couple is published by Harper Collins imprint HQ on 14th June 2023 in ebook and in paperback on 3rd August. It is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Other Couple

Two couples. A fatal accident. And a decision that changes everything…

Kirsten and Nick are enjoying a weekend away until, on their drive home, they accidentally run over and kill a man. They should call for help – but they have too much to lose, and no one can know the real reason they’re here. Instead, they make a split-second decision to conceal the accident.

Amy and Greg have just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. Amy is expecting a baby, and they couldn’t be happier. So when Greg fails to come home from a dog walk one weekend, Amy knows the police are wrong to believe he left of his own accord. Someone must be behind Greg’s disappearance, and Amy won’t give up until she gets justice – or revenge.

If you had nothing left to lose, how far would you go to find the truth?

My Review of The Other Couple

Greg is missing.

Oo. I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Couple because it’s filled with drama, deftly plotted and fast paced, making for an exciting and entertaining read. As the narrative progresses, there’s an added frisson of tension and mystery through some anonymous first person interjections from prison that draw in the reader still further making for a really captivating story. 

I loathed the selfishness of Nick from the very start and because Diane Jeffrey had created him so vividly, I was desperate for him to get his comeuppance. I found Kirsten fascinating. I couldn’t decide if I loathed her for her complicity with Nick, felt sorry for her because she is manipulated by him, or was contemptuous of her because of her cavalier attitude to the sanctity of her own marriage and family, and the ease with which she seems to disregard how her and Nick’s actions will impact Amy. 

Amy is both convincing and empathetic. I was on her side completely and thought the way Diane Jeffrey retained my faith in Amy was so skilful. I also loved the way Greg is a catalyst for all the exciting action, even though he is dead from the outset. What we have in The Other Couple is a set of truly realistic, layered and convincing characters that get right under the skin of the reader.

The Other Couple is a cracking, fast paced and twisty story that held my unwavering attention but at the same time, it’s far, far more than simple entertainment as Diane Jeffrey encourages the reader to contemplate morality and the fine line we walk in our lives. She explores marriage, family and relationships, the law and criminality, with absolute precision and a fluidity of style so that the story resonates long after it has been read. This is a narrative that has depth and thought-provoking themes as well as all the excitement and entertainment needed in a fabulous triller.

I thought The Other Couple was excellent. It held me spellbound and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Brilliant. 

About Diane Jeffrey

Diane Jeffrey is a USA Today bestselling author.

She grew up in North Devon and Northern Ireland. She now lives in Lyon, France, with her husband and their three children, Labrador and cat.

Diane has written six psychological thrillers, all published by HQ / HarperCollins.

The Guilty Mother, Diane’s third book, was a USA Today bestseller and her fourth novel, The Silent Friend, was a Karin Slaughter Killer Reads pick for ASDA. Her fifth psychological thriller, The Couple at Causeway Cottage has been shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

The Other Couple is Diane’s latest psychological thriller and will be released on 14th June 2023 in ebook and audiobook and on 2nd August 2023 in paperback.

Diane is an English teacher. When she’s not working or writing, she likes swimming, running and reading. She loves chocolate, beer and holidays. Above all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

For further information follow Diane on Instagram and on Twitter @dianefjeffrey, visit her website or on Facebook.

My grateful thanks to Kirsten Knight for sending me a copy of children’s book Harriet’s Hungry Worms by Samantha Smith and Melissa Johns in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

Published by EK Books on 9th May 2023, Harriet’s Hungry Worms is available for purchase here.

Harriet’s Hungry Worms

This funny, engaging eco story invites young readers to follow the adventures of Harriet’s ravenous compost worms as they munch their way through their wide and wonderful weekly menu.

Packed with worm facts, Harriet’s Hungry Worms is the ideal companion for worm warriors and curious composters keen to roll their sleeves up and put their kitchen food scraps to good use.

My Review of Harriet’s Hungry Worms

Harriet is feeding the worms.

I’m beginning to realise that any EK children’s book is a real delight. As with other EK books I’ve reviewed, Harriet’s Hungry Worms is beautifully produced with a real feeling of quality in its robust cover, smooth pages and perfect size for sharing in the home or school.

Harriet’s Hungry Worms is absolutely smashing. The illustrations bring alive a lovely ecological story that is filled with important information and is inspirational so that young children are bound to want their own wormery as a result of reading this book. Children learn how to create the best environment for worms and will adore the concept of using ‘worm poo’ and ‘worm wee’ to make vegetables grow. Indeed, the illustrations have a real feeling of ecology with earthy browns and greens that reflect the subject matter, giving a feeling of coherence that is so satisfying.

Aside from the brilliant wormy details, Harriet learns other skills such as responsibility as she feed the worms, and patience, because her siblings Fred and Sally seem to have better pets in the dog and the chickens, until she realises the usefulness of worms.

There’s a superb balance of text to image with perfect modelling of speech for emergent writers in Harriet’s Hungry Worms and the use of upper case letters for emphasis so that reading Harriet’s Hungry Worms provides a highly useful template. The language in the story is accessible for young independent readers too. Very young children have days of the week reinforced and the alliteration between the days and the way the worms eat is huge fun.

I also loved the facts and worm diet at the back of the book and could see this as the catalyst for further research.

Harriet’s Hungry Worms is a delight. It’s fun, informative and beautifully presented. I thought it was lovely.

About Samantha Smith

Samantha Smith lives in Melbourne with her three junior co-authors, an adopted cat, nine-hundred and ninety-seven compost worms and an impressive pumpkin vine that’s slowly taking over the backyard. As a lover of all things green, she completed doctoral research exploring young people’s relationship with the environment and how to encourage positive behaviour change. Harriet’s Hungry Worms is her first eco picture book, and she’s hoping it will inspire young worm warriors to roll up their sleeves and put their food scraps to good use.

You’ll find Sam on Instagram and can visit her website for further information.

About Melissa Johns

Melissa Johns is an artist, illustrator, an avid upcycler and a closet poet. She produces artworks predominantly made of recycled materials that lend her work a uniquely whimsical quality. Melissa is passionate about her family, her artistic creations and stimulating young minds through art and literature. Melissa has also illustrated Growing Pains and Tabitha and the Raincloud, both for EK Books.

It’s my pleasure to welcome back Lindy Keane Carter to Linda’s Book Bag today to chat with me all about The Rice Birds. I had hoped to include Lindy somewhat earlier but life rather got the better of me!

Lindy has previously featured here on the blog and it’s a real pleasure to discover her latest novel. Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Lindy Keane Carter

Welcome back to the blog Lindy! So you’ve published another book since you were last here. Tell us about this new work.

Thank you for having me again. I’ve brought my new historical fiction novel, The Rice Birds, set in 1849 in Charleston, South Carolina in the southern United States. The title refers to the migratory bobolinks that arrived twice a year in South Carolina’s 18^th and 19^th century rice plantations. The flocks could devastate the crop if the planter hadn’t timed his planting and harvesting around the arrivals. The book is not about birds! The title is a metaphor for my Irish protagonist and her friend, an enslaved house servant, runaways from a huge plantation, so they’re hunted, hungry, and hated like the rice birds.

Sounds fascinating. Why did they run away?

One of them commits a crime on the plantation, so they must flee to Charleston, earn some money somehow out of sight, and get to New York.

I love the ethereal quality of the cover. Tell me about it. 

It’s a golden rice field.

Here’s another photo that gives better idea of the grid system of waterways and dikes that flooded the fields with the tidal push of water from the creeks and rivers.

It looks very similar to the Fens where I live!

What else have you brought to share with us?

Some photos of hair art, a craze in the 1800’s. In my book, the two girls create hair art as a way to make money while in hiding. Creepy but impressive.

I’m not sure I’d be wearing those items Lindy!

Tell me a bit more about The Rice Birds.

You can expect to root for my poor Irish girl all the way. She arrives in America in 1849 expecting to work as an indentured servant in one of Charleston’s mansions (see the above photo of the city, which today looks much as it did then) but finds herself working in the house on a vast, remote rice plantation. There, she’s wooed by a carpenter (from County Mayo, of all places) but he betrays her, and she’s forced to flee. Just when she has the means to get on a boat to New York, an old enemy shows up in Charleston to carry out an illegal transatlantic slaving scheme and it will derail her plans.

I love the sound of this. Why did you make your protagonist Irish?

I wanted to bring an Irish voice to the historic narrative of Charleston. The Irish made so many contributions here, from 1640 on. Plus, I’m part Irish. Isn’t everyone in America?

I think so. When I was working in New York I think everyone I met claimed to be part Irish! Thanks so much for telling me all about The Rice Birds. It sounds a smashing read.

My pleasure. And by the way, you’ll learn a lot. This book is full of historical details that are based on my extensive research.

Brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing this with me.

The Rice Birds

In 1849, twin sisters fleeing Ireland’s famine arrive at New York’s seaport. Only one — Nora-is allowed to get on the boat to South Carolina to fulfil her work contract. On her master’s vast rice plantation, an enslaved worker — Pearl — befriends her. After one of them commits a crime, the girls flee to Charleston, a dangerous place for runaways. Nora frantically seeks to get back to her twin and Pearl tries to find her mother before heading north. Meanwhile, an old enemy’s illegal transatlantic scheme is about to derail the girls’ plans.

The Rice Birds, published by Evening Post Books, is available in paperback via the publisher here, or on your local Amazon site.

About Lindy Keane Carter

Lindy Keane Carter holds a journalism degree from the University of Georgia. After writing non-fiction for 40 years, she signed up for a fiction class and has won several awards for her short stories. The Rice Birds is her third novel. She’s the proud mother of three adults: two daughters and a son. She enjoys kayaking, swimming, and gardening in Charleston, South Carolina.

For further information, visit Lindy’s website or find her on Facebook.