My enormous thanks to Will Dady of Renard press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Crossing Over by Ann Morgan and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. It’s my privilege to share my review today.

Published by Renard Press tomorrow, 26th April 2023, Crossing Over is available for purchase here.

Crossing Over

Edie finds the world around her increasingly difficult to comprehend. Words are no longer at her beck and call, old friends won’t mind their own business and workmen have appeared in the neighbouring fields, preparing to obliterate the landscape she has known all her life. Rattling around in an old farmhouse on the cliffs, she’s beginning to run out of excuses to stop do-gooders interfering when one day she finds an uninvited guest in the barn and is thrown back into the past.

Jonah has finally made it to England – where everything, he’s been told, will be better. But the journey was fraught with danger, and many of his fellow travellers didn’t make it. Sights firmly set on London, but unsure which way to turn, he is unprepared for what happens when he breaks into Edie’s barn.

Haunted by the prospect of being locked away and unable to trust anyone else, the elderly woman stubbornly battling dementia and the traumatised illegal immigrant find solace in an unlikely companionship that helps them make sense of their worlds even as they struggle to understand each other. Crossing Over is a delicately spun tale that celebrates compassion and considers the transcendent language of humanity.

My Review of Crossing Over

Edie and Jonah’s lives are about to collide.

Crossing Over was a complete surprise. I was rather expecting an easy read portraying the relationship between two unlikely companions, but instead what I got was an intelligent, thoughtful, profound and affecting multi-layered narrative that ought to be compulsory reading for every politician because it illustrates to perfection the lives of two people for whom convention and rules are unworkable and inappropriate. I thought Crossing Over was incredibly powerful. It’s descriptive, moving and beautifully written with a Dylan Thomas type of intensity in its language and a Shakespearean pathos that I found intriguing, mesmerising and far more emotional than I’d anticipated. 

There’s deep emotion and occasional dark humour mixed with uncomfortable themes of PTSD and dementia, refugee lives and family relationships, racism, war and corruption as well as small community dynamics so that Ann Morgan portrays life in all its nuances in Crossing Over. This is a book that makes the reader think and to ponder it long after the final page is read. 

I loved the way the chapter headings are random and confusing, just like the eddying memories and experiences swirling in both Edie and Jonah’s minds. I thought this was an inspired aspect of the text and the manner with which the two main characters’ stories blend and cross over is skilfully wrought so that echoes between their lives feel natural as well as surprising and entertaining. 

Both characters are richly depicted because Ann Morgan gets right inside their minds, presenting their innermost thoughts with all their flaws, feelings and obsessions with a kind of brutal tenderness that feels astonishing. Through their past lives we come to understand their present selves to perfection.

The plot of Crossing Over appears deceptively simple in that two people find themselves sharing the same house, but that belies the sensitive and layered way Ann Morgan illustrates how we become who we become. She shines a spotlight on the way our past affects us and how the expectations about us from other people, including their prejudices and mis-judgements, are often facets of life we simply can’t escape.

Crossing Over is a beautiful, sometimes stark, and disturbingly realistic exploration of otherness and similarity that blends two disparate cultures into one simple humanity in an affecting, sobering and compelling narrative. I thought it was an incredibly pertinent and sobering tale that deserves a wide audience. 

About Ann Morgan

Ann Morgan is an author, speaker and editor based in Folkestone. Ann’s writing has been published widely, including in the Guardian, Independent and Financial Times, and by the BBC. In 2012, she set herself the challenge of reading a book from every country in a year – a project that led to a TED talk and to the non-fiction book Reading the World: How I Read a Book from Every Country. Her debut novel, Beside Myself, has been translated into eight languages. Crossing Over, her latest novel, draws on her experience living just a few minutes from where many of the small boats crossing the Channel land. She is Literary Explorer in Residence of the Cheltenham Literature Festival for 2022 and 2023.

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

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I don’t know if you’ve discovered Cranachan children’s books yet but I love them and I couldn’t be happier than to support their latest release – Euro Spies by Lindsay Littleson. I’m thrilled that Lindsay has kindly provided a guest post today about her favourite five European cities to celebrate Euro Spies.

Euro Spies was published on 20th April 2023 and is available for purchase here.

Euro Spies

COULD YOU BE A EURO SPY?

Samia is thrilled to win a sight-seeing holiday to Europe, but when shots are fired in the middle of the night on the Euro Metro, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary school trip…

Samia, and her fellow prize-winners, Ava and Frankie, are catapulted into a world of art, espionage, and terrible danger, as they discover the trip is being used as cover for a spying mission.

Can the children solve the fiendish clues hidden on famous European landmarks and avoid the scary strangers who are stalking their every move as they help Miss Watson from MI6?

Top Five European Cities

A Guest Post by Lindsay Littleson

Euro Spies is a love letter to all those magical cities in Europe I’ve visited in real-life and to those I haven’t visited YET.  My hope is that the novel will inspire young readers to want to see these places too. The characters in Euro Spies travel on the fabulous Euro Metro and zoom effortlessly between Paris,  Bern, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Brussels and Amsterdam. Giving a flavour of what each city has got to offer seemed a brilliant way to ignite children’s interest in European travel and certainly made the novel a joy to write.

Here is my own top five list of European cities!

Venice

I visited Venice with my partner a few years ago and completely fell in love with this stunning, romantic city.  Highlights of our trip included a visit to the island of Murano, St Mark’s Basilica and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, but to be honest, the best part of visiting Venice is just enjoying wandering across the bridges and through the narrow lanes. The gorgeous buildings give the city a magical atmosphere, which I’ve tried to describe in Euro Spies.

The gondolier, smart in his striped polo-shirt and straw boater, used the long oar to push through the sun-splashed green waters of the canal. On either side, ornate palazzos rose dream-like from the water.

Venice is such a special place, and if you haven’t visited, I’d highly recommend. There are downsides of course, and I mention them in Euro Spies. In summer, the city is overwhelmed by tourists and can become uncomfortably hot and crowded. But, I can only echo the words of  Charles Dickens. “I have never in my life been so struck by any place as by Venice. It is the wonder of the world. There is nowhere in the world quite like Venice!”

Paris

Paris holds a special place in my heart because it was my first visit to somewhere outside of the UK. Unusually for the early 70’s, the headteacher of the small village primary school I attended had ambitious ideas for school trips and decided the P7 pupils should go to Paris for four days. That trip was the highlight of my school days, which to be fair, isn’t saying a lot. But it WAS marvellous to be abroad for the first time in my life and I loved every moment. In Euro Spies, Samia feels that same sense of excitement.

As they headed up the stairs towards street level, and dropped off their luggage in the lockers, excitement started building in her chest. Caught in the crowds surging out of the exit, she scrambled to catch up with the others, and joined them on the pavement. 

Blinking in the sunlight, Samia gazed around at the tall elegant buildings with their wrought iron balconies, the shops with their colourful awnings, the cafes with their crowded outside tables. The city buzzed with movement and noise.

My Paris experience was a lot less dangerous and dramatic than the Euro Spies’ trip.  The highlight was when my best friend’s mum, who was with us as a parent helper, demonstrated how to remove her bra without taking off her jumper. It wasn’t information I needed at the time, but it has come in useful many times since!

Amsterdam

Another city on my Top Five is the capital city of the Netherlands. I love its cheerful, relaxed atmosphere, the plethora of cyclists, the lovely little shops on the Nine Streets and the fabulous art galleries. Like all my favourite cities, there are lots of lovely cafes in Amsterdam, , or you could do what Samia and the other Euro Spies do, and have a picnic lunch in the Vondelpark.

After they’d finished the tour of Anne Frank’s house and the museum, they went for a half hour walk along Amsterdam’s cobbled streets and canal banks to the Museum Quarter, where they ate a picnic lunch, sitting on the grass in the Vondelpark. In the distance, jazz music was being played in the bandstand. The paths were busy with cyclists and skateboarders. Samia bit into her broodje, a delicious sandwich filled with smoked chicken breast, crispy bacon and lettuce and she wished that they could stay here all afternoon, chatting and laughing and enjoying the sunshine and the park’s lively atmosphere.

Of course, all my travel plans, like everybody else’s were put on hold during lockdown. My most recent visit to Amsterdam was in March 2020. At the end of our Friday visit to the magnificent Rijks Museum, the doors closed and didn’t reopen for a long time. The Anne Frank Museum shut that afternoon too, and we came home from our break early, concerned that flights were about to be cancelled. I’ve still got our unused tickets for the Anne Frank Museum and have promised myself I’ll be back very soon.

Rome

As a child, I loved reading stories about Roman and Greek Gods. I visited Athens in 2017 and have always been keen to visit Rome. Finally, I’ve managed to organise a trip there and can’t wait to see the Eternal City. During the 2021 lockdown, I went on quite a lot of virtual tours to various European cities, as part of my Euro Spies research, and am so looking forward to seeing the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Colliseum in real-life! I’m imagining my experience will be similar to Samia’s.

As they exited the Termini Train Station, Samia was hit in the face by a chaotic hubbub of noise, heat and movement. Scooters weaved crazily between buses, horns blasted and crowds of people surged along the pavements. Rome seemed like bedlam after Bern’s calm orderliness, and it was strangely thrilling.

Seville

The final city on my Top 5 list isn’t a Euro Spies location…but could well appear in Euro Spies 2! I first visited Seville in December 2019 and adored the fact I could walk around the beautiful Royal Alcazar Gardens without needing a jacket, despite it being mid-winter.

The Nativity market was enchanting and the Christmas decorations in the Plaza San Francisco were stunning. I would totally recommend a winter trip to this glorious city.

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Those are fabulous cities Lindsay. Thanks so much for sharing your favourites with us. I can’t wait to revisit them all again when I read Euro Spies – and you will have to include Seville in book two!

About Lindsay Littleson

Lindsay Littleson is a bestselling, prize-winning author. She won the Kelpies Prize for her first children’s novel The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean (Floris, 2014). Guardians of the Wild Unicorns (Floris, 2019) was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal. Her best-selling The Titanic Detective Agency (Cranachan, 2019) regularly tops the Amazon charts in its category. The Rewilders (Cranachan, 2022) and Euro Spies (Cranachan 2023) are Lindsay’s seventh and eighth children’s novels respectively.

Lindsay lives with her partner Ian and their very noisy cat in a small village near Glasgow.

For further information, visit Lindsay’s website, follow her on Twitter @ljlittleson or find Lindsay on Instagram.

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I love Veronica Henry’s writing and it’s such a pleasure to be part of the Random Things Tours blog tour for her latest book Thirty Days in Paris. My thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to participate. I’m delighted to share my review of Thirty Days in Paris today.

If you’re new to Veronica Henry’s writing, where have you been? You’ll find my review of The Impulse Purchase here, A Night on the Orient Express here and of A Wedding at the Beach Hut here. A Wedding at the Beach Hut was one of my books of the year in 2020.

Published by Orion on 13th April 2023, Thirty Days in Paris is available for purchase through the links here.

Thirty Days in Paris

Because Paris is always a good idea…

Years ago, Juliet left a little piece of her heart in Paris – and now, separated from her husband and with her children flying the nest, it’s time to get it back!

So she puts on her best red lipstick, books a cosy attic apartment near Notre-Dame and takes the next train out of London.

Arriving at the Gare du Nord, the memories come flooding back: bustling street cafés, cheap wine in candlelit bars and a handsome boy with glittering eyes.

But Juliet has also been keeping a secret for over two decades – and she begins to realise it’s impossible to move forwards without first looking back.

Something tells her that the next thirty days might just change everything…

My Review of Thirty Days in Paris

Juliet returns to Paris.

Thirty Days in Paris is, quite simply, glorious and I loved every word. Veronica Henry immerses her reader into the Parisian setting with such skill and atmosphere that it’s as if you’re sitting on the banks of the Seine reading it. Her descriptions of food, aromas and places are so evocative that reading Thirty Days in Paris made me desperate to head back there as soon as I can. There’s a magnificent authenticity to the way Paris is conveyed.

I loved the plotting and the structure of the book. It’s fascinating how Juliet’s first person ‘Ingenue’ sections are gradually uncovered with a hint of mystery that leads Judith to her current third person narrative. As a result, Judith is a multi-layered, compelling character who is utterly convincing. I adored meeting her. I thoroughly appreciated the lack of drama in her separation from Stuart because it felt so plausible and real. Not all marriages end in bitter drama. 

The story is just wonderful as Juliet lays to rest the demons of her past. I found Thirty Days in Paris emotionally mature, intelligent and appealing so that Veronica Henry moved me to tears with her ability to convey Juliet’s inner thoughts and feelings so effectively. Despite the fact that Thirty Days in Paris is uplifting and liberating with love at its core, it tugs at the heart strings too with its vibrating, melancholic sense of missed opportunities and what might have been. At the same time, this is a story of hope and encouragement. Forget youth. Forget life beginning at forty. What Veronica Henry shows you is that life begins at whatever point an individual decides and all that is needed is to be a tiny bit brave. I thought this message was outstanding. 

I loved meeting Olivier, Natalie and the Beaubois family too. Corrine adds a poignancy to the story that is a catalyst for Juliet’s life but the lightness of touch in Veronica Henry’s writing of this element is just perfect. 

Indeed, I thought Thirty Days in Paris was perfect all round. Whether it’s because Juliet is older than the thirty-something protagonists of so many novels, or whether it’s the author’s skilful use of the senses to create place, or perhaps the quality of emotion running through the story I’m not sure. Thirty Days in Paris has a je ne sais quoi that makes it a truly fabulous read. I absolutely loved every moment of reading it and it is one of my favourite books this year. 

About Veronica Henry

Veronica Henry has worked as a scriptwriter for The Archers, Heartbeat and Holby City amongst many others, before turning to fiction. She won the 2014 RNA Novel of the Year Award for A Night on the Orient Express and is a Sunday Times bestselling author of over twenty books. Veronica lives with her family in a village in north Devon and can often be found cooking up the perfect seaside feast.

Find out more by visiting Veronica’s website or following her on Instagram or Twitter @veronica_henry. You’ll also find her on Facebook.

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It’s a little over a year ago that I reviewed It’s a Wonderful World by Jess French and today I’m very pleased to feature another of her books for children – Pets and their People. My huge thanks to Natasha Finn at DK for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

Pets and their People was published by DK on 6th April 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Pets and their People

Learn everything there is to know in this heartwarming guide about pets of all kinds, and the many different ways to take care of them and give them the happiest life possible.

In this ultimate guide to pets, whether you’ve got them or not, children will enjoy learning lots about the different animals that we might think of as pets, including their history, behaviour, and body language. Discover practical things to do with pets, such as how to treat them kindly, look after their everyday needs, and give them the best life possible.

With author and vet Dr Jess French, delve deeper into the world of pets than you ever have before! The best thing is, you don’t even need a pet to enjoy them. Pets and Their People provides inspiration for kids aged 7-9 who can’t own pets, showing them that we can care for animals in lots of other ways – from volunteering at animal shelters to leaving food for them out in the wild. From old favourites such as playful puppies and cuddly cats, to more unusual pets such as lizards and snakes, to bugs and hedgehogs in parks and gardens, there are many fascinating animals to meet.

Inside the pages of this adorable book about pets, you’ll find:

– Age-appropriate, exciting and varied information for 7-9 year olds, with a visual guide showing how a newborn kitten grows into a cat and what it needs at each stage, a guide to encouraging good pet behaviour, poorly pets and how vets help them, playing with and grooming pets, pet history, fun facts, mythbusters, and much more.
– A broad range of pets, including dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, other rodents, horses, rabbits, a range of reptiles, birds and more!
– High-quality photography to give children an accurate understanding of how healthy pets look and behave, plus beautiful illustrations created from well-researched sources that are authentic and trustworthy.

From fluffy and friendly to scaly and shy, our pets are all wonderfully unique, so let’s find out how to take good care of them so they feel just like part of the family! Have you ever wondered why cats meow at us but not at each other? When will a dog wag its tail at you? What should you feed a pet snake? And how can you provide a happy home for animals in the wild? Find out all these things and much, much more as you turn the fact-filled pages of this educational animal book.

My Review of Pets and their People

Everything a child might want to know about pets!

It’s actually really tricky to review Pets and their People as reading the blurb says it all. This is a super book for children aged 7-9 that gives them real insight into the world of animals at just the right level of language and information, so that they can understand both the pleasures and the responsibilities of pet ownership.

As ever with a DK book, the physical quality of Pets and their People means it will endure robust handling in schools and the home. Thick, strong covers hold vibrant illustrations and photographs to support the text and it’s so pleasing to realise the book is produced through sustainable sources. Indeed, the balance of text and image means that there is plenty to engage emergent or reluctant readers and I thoroughly appreciated the use of different ethnic characters in the images so that Pets and their People feels inclusive. The glossary at the end of the book helps children understand and acquire new vocabulary and the index is great for  developing research skills rather than just a reliance on Google for finding information.

The range of animals means there is something to appeal to all children and the book is packed with interesting facts. I had no idea a ferret could be an electrician! However, what works so well in Pets and their People is the way in which pets are put first in the title and the way in which children are encouraged to engage with animals even if they are not able to have a pet at home. Jess French encourages children to understand and protect the natural world with ideas any child can adopt. I’d love to see a home or primary school project making bug hotels for example.

I think Pets and their People is a book to educate, inspire and fire the imagination and a love of animals far beyond the conventional dog or cat as a pet for young children. It’s great.

About Jess French

Jess French is a nature lover, TV presenter, author, and qualified vet. She is known for her show on CBeebies, called ‘Minibeast Adventure with Jess’, which encourages children to explore the outdoors and get to know the bugs around them. She has written two other books for DK, What a Waste, which tackles the subject of sustainability for children, and The Book of Brilliant Bugs, which explores the world of minibeasts. Jess is a keen conservationist and has a passion for oceans and the animal world.

For further information, follow Jess on Twitter @Zoologist_Jess or find her on Instagram.

It’s always a pleasure being part of a book’s new life and I’m thrilled to participate in the cover reveal for Gill Paul’s latest novel, A Beautiful Rival.

I adore Gill’s writing and she has featured on Linda’s Book Bag several times. Most recently I reviewed The Manhattan Girls here.

I reviewed Gill’s The Collector’s Daughter for My Weekly’s online magazine in a post you’ll find here.

Previously Gill featured on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed The Lost Daughter here, and Gill wrote a superb guest post here. I reviewed The Second Marriage here too.

So you can see why I’m so excited about A Beautiful Rival. Let’s find out more:

A Beautiful Rival

The world is at war, but on the gilded streets of Fifth Avenue, New York, a battle of a different kind is brewing…

New York, 1915.
Elizabeth Arden has been New York’s golden girl since her beauty salon opened its famous red door five years prior. Against all odds, she’s built an empire.

Enter Helena Rubinstein: ruthless, revolutionary – and the rival Elizabeth didn’t bargain for.

With both women determined to succeed – no matter the personal cost – a battle of beauty is born. And as the stakes increase, so do the methods: poaching employees, planting spies, copying products, hiring ex-husbands.

But as each woman climbs higher, so too does what she stands to lose.

Because the greater the height, the harder the fall…

In this stunning new novel, internationally bestselling author Gill Paul reveals the unknown history of cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and their infamous rivalry that spanned not only decades, but also broken marriages, personal tragedies, and a world that was changing dramatically for women – perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Dinah Jefferies and Karen Swan.

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Doesn’t that sound fabulous?

Published by Harper Collins on August 31^st in the UK, Australia and NZ, and September 5^th in the US, A Beautiful Rival is available for pre-order as follows in these links: US, UK, Australia and NZ.

About Gill Paul

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women. Her novels have topped bestseller lists in the US and Canada as well as the UK and have been translated into twenty languages. The Secret Wife has sold over half a million copies and is a book-club favourite worldwide.

You can follow Gill on Twitter @GillPaulAUTHOR, visit her website and find her on Instagram and Facebook for more information.

This month’s U3A book group choice was Into the Water by Paula Hawkins and I’m very pleased to share my review today as I simply didn’t get time last week when we had our meeting.

Into the Water was published by Penguin way back in 2017 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Into the Water

The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon.

In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help.

Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind.

But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.

And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . .

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, satisfying read that hinges on the stories we tell about our pasts and their power to destroy the lives we live now.

My Review of Into the Water

Nel has drowned. 

Into the Water is an absolute maelstrom of a book. Reading it is akin to being in an eddying whirlpool where you hardly know which way is up. There’s a primeval sense of threat, of evil and deception running through the pages so that every character feels like an unreliable narrator and truth is difficult to grasp. Having seen the character list at the start of the book I was filled with dismay because I feared I’d be unable to keep tabs on who was whom. This didn’t happen. They all felt distinct and equally unlikeable, untrustworthy and fascinating. 

The plot is as sinuous and fast flowing as any river and I think what works so effectively in Into the Water is the sense of human powerlessness in the face of water’s power and our obsession with its ability to harm and heal. Paula Hawkins weaves together the iterative image of water; fluid truth, release and death incredibly skilfully. If the reader substitutes the word ‘truth’ for ‘water’, the complex cleverness of the book becomes even more apparent.

Although the fast paced plot revolves around the motif of water and events at the Drowning Pool over several centuries, spiced by an undercurrent of the supernatural through Nickie, it is human relationships, particularly that between Jules and Nel, that make Into the Water such a gripping read. Our assumptions about the lives of others, our mis-interpretation of their words and actions, our overlaying of societal norms and expectations are just some of the themes Paula Hawkins explores. There are dark and disturbing aspects that add to the sense of menace highly effectively. I thought the way Nel is at the heart of the action even though she is dead was deftly handled too. 

I found Into the Water an unpleasantly mesmerising and gripping read. I think it will probably divide readers but as I’m about the only person who has neither read Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train nor seen the film, I came to Into the Water with no expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has been a global phenomenon, selling 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over forty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a No.1 box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Into the Water, her second stand-alone thriller, was also a global No.1 bestseller, spending twenty weeks in the Sunday Times hardback fiction Top 10 bestseller list, and six weeks at No.1.

For further information, visit Paula’s website or find her on Instagram.

It’s a little over a year since I stayed in with P N Johnson to hear all about his thriller Killer in the Crowd in a post you’ll find here. Today, as his latest thriller, Run to the Blue is released, Phil has kindly allowed me to share an extract with Linda’s Book Bag readers.

Run to the Blue is published by Burning Chair today, 14th April 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Run to the Blue

Run to the Blue is a fast moving thriller set in London, Suffolk and the beautiful Greek Islands. There are secrets and lies, killers and spies!

….Breaking News!… TV reporter Tess Anderson is on the run – her husband’s affair with a Government Ministerhas been exposed and a London crime boss has ordered her death. She was last seen in the Greek islands with a mysterious American yachtsman….more follows….

An Extract from Run to the Blue

I was dreaming of him and those precious hours we’d spent together in Two Rock Bay. How we swam from the boat in the early summer sun, the glistening water forming droplets on wet, naked skin. The astounding revelation of who he really was…

Then I opened my eyes and came back to reality. As I crawled into consciousness, I could make out the now familiar sound of Greek being spoken outside the room. In amongst the rapid-fire words, I picked out my own name: Tess Anderson. The constant blip from the monitor by the bed became uncomfortably loud as I fought the pain and eased myself up on the pillows. Snatches of what had happened were seeping back. I looked out of the window, the only relief from the stark white walls of the hospital room, to see the beckoning blue sky and sense the rising heat of the Corfu sun.

Slowly, I eased myself up a little further. Every part of me seemed to hurt. I caught a glimpse of a stranger in the mirror above the sink: was that really me? There was dried blood on my cropped, newly blonde hair. When I raked my fingers through it, I saw my nails were broken, my wrists were bruised. I looked down at my legs, scarred by raised, red cuts. I clasped my hands together, wishing I was holding his.

I needed answers. I manoeuvred myself out of bed as carefully as I could and sat down on the side of it, trying to make sense of those last few days… Who were my betrayers and who were my friends? What had really happened last night? Had he died too? Whatever the answers, I knew it wasn’t over yet. I was still in danger.

There was a knock on the door. A doctor walked in, accompanied by a policewoman. Grave-faced, they stared at me as I waited, in silence, for them to tell me the news I was desperate to hear.

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No! You can’t just leave us dangling like that Phil. I now need to know exactly what happens…

About PN Johnson

As a TV Newsreader, Reporter and Producer for both BBC East and ITV Anglia, Phil Johnson covered everything from tracking down criminals in Spain and going on high-octane police chases, to interviewing pop stars, politicians and celebrities.

Phil was also the face and voice of Crimestoppers in the eastern region for many years and created the successful TV series: “999 Frontline”.

Now living near Norwich, England, Phil loves music, travelling, walking, and sailing, and bringing exciting new characters with amazing stories to the page.

For further information, follow Phil on Twitter @PhilJohnson01. You can also find Phil on Facebook and Instagram.

My enormous thanks to Sophie Ransom for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for No Place To Hide by JS Monroe and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

Published by Head of Zeus today, 13th April 2023, No Place to Hide is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.

No Place to Hide

You might be paranoid, but that doesn’t mean they’re not watching you.

Adam lives a picture-perfect life: happy marriage, two young children, and a flourishing career as a doctor. But Adam also lives with a secret. Hospital CCTV, strangers’ mobile phones, city traffic cameras – he is convinced that they are all watching him, recording his every move. All because of something terrible that happened at a drunken party when he was a medical student.

Only two other people knew what happened that night. Two people he’s long left behind. Until one of them, Clio – Adam’s great unrequited love – turns up on his doorstep, and reignites a sinister pact twenty-four years in the making…

No Place to Hide is a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together the dark web, murder, and blackmail…

My Review of No Place to Hide

Adam’s life is in free fall. 

I absolutely loved No Place to Hide because it’s effective, alarming and gripping as a result of the fast paced chapters, the mix of first and third person with Adam at the centre, and the brilliant motif of Marlowe’s Dr Faustus woven so intelligently throughout. I thought naming Adam after the first man was a stroke of genius too because it adds to the sensation of temptation, threat and danger.

There’s a creepy, almost distasteful atmosphere that permeates the narrative set in 1998 so effectively that the reader feels almost as tainted by it as those who come into contact with Louis seem contaminated. I thought this effect was quite brilliant. Once the two time scales intertwine then the same effect occurs in Adam’s present too, making for an affecting and disturbing story. 

The characters are so well drawn. Adam shows how one wrong decision or careless moment can shape a whole life – or indeed a whole death and illustrates how easily we can be manipulated. Clio is enigmatic with a potent mix of sexual power and vulnerability so that the reader is as unsure of her integrity as Adam is, and Louis is both Faustian and Shakespearean in his malevolence, his manipulation of others and his hubris. These people become a heady cocktail of danger and threat.

I loved the exploration of the Big Brother concept. I don’t want to spoil the story for others, but J.S. Monroe will have you looking carefully at the world around you and wondering just who is watching you. Indeed, I think a decade ago I would have found this element almost science fiction, but now the reality and potential of this deftly plotted and exciting novel is all too possible, making it scary and believable. 

Other themes within the story are perfectly balanced. There’s the mundane nature of Adam’s life as he and Tania navigate marriage with two small and demanding children, pitched against darker themes of mental health, the media, trust and morality. Class, profession and education all play their part too so that No Place to Hide appeals broadly and relevantly. 

I thought No Place to Hide was superb. It held me captivated throughout and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s an excellent read.

About JS Monroe

JS Monroe, is the author of five psychological thrillers, including the international bestseller, Find Me. Under his own name, he has written five spy novels, one of which, Dead Spy Running, was optioned by Warner Bros. He is currently the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford.

After more than 25 years in journalism, including two stints as Weekend editor of the Telegraph, and working as a foreign correspondent in New Delhi, Jon became full-time author in 2015.

Jon lives in Wiltshire with his wife, Hilary Stock, a fine art photographer, and is on the committee of Marlborough LitFest.

For more information, visit J.S. Monroe’s website, follow him on Twitter @JSThrillers or find him on Instagram and Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

What a pleasure to be reviewing The Love Algorithm by Claudia Carroll for My Weekly online today. I’ve long been meaning to read Claudia Carroll’s writing and this gave me the perfect opportunity.

If you pick up a copy of this week’s My Weekly magazine you’ll also find a short story, The Unexpected Date, written by Claudia.

Published by Bonnier imprint Zaffre in paperback on 30th March 2023, The Love Algorithm is available for purchase here.

The Love Algorithm

True love is only just a swipe away? Right?

Iris lives by numbers. The only thing missing from her perfectly calibrated life is a partner – and not for lack of trying. After decades of disappointment, Iris practically has a PhD in online dating. But something still eludes her: that unquantifiable spark.

Kim is too busy being the life of the party to look for love. Her terrible dates make great stories for her friends and co-workers, as long as she’s not caught by her tyrannical boss, Iris.

Connie, Kim’s recently widowed mum, is single for the first time since the 1970s. The dating game has changed a lot since her day . . .

Sick of being let down, Iris takes matters into her own hands – using her analytical skills to create the first real formula for love. With Kim and Connie on board, they launch Analyzed, a dating app like no other.

As Analyzed takes the world by storm, are the three women in over their heads? Is love really just a numbers game?

My Review of The Love Algorithm

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

However, I can say that The Love Algorithm is entertaining, witty and has lashings of sassy humour in a narrative I really enjoyed.

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

About Claudia Carroll

Claudia was born in Dublin, where she still lives and writes full-time. The only job she reckons, where you can stay in your manky track suit all day, look out the window and still get paid. However, even on the bad days when she honestly feels like flinging the computer up against a wall, she still considers this by a mile The Best Job Ever.

Claudia is the proud author of bestselling novels, including Meet Me in Manhattan, Love Me or Leave Me, Me and You, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother.

For further information, follow Claudia on Twitter @carrollclaudia, Facebook, and Instagram.