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11/2/2019 0 Comments

Review: Adèle

Adèle by Leila Slimani
Genre: Literary Fiction   
Page Length: 224 pages
Publication Date: 15 January 2019
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  5 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT ADÈLE
 
Adèle appears to have the perfect life. A respected journalist, she lives in a flawless Parisian apartment with her surgeon husband and their young son. But beneath the veneer of 'having it all', she is bored - and consumed by an insatiable need for sex, whatever the cost. Struggling to contain the twin forces of compulsion and desire, she begins to orchestrate her life around her one night stands and extramarital affairs, arriving late to work and lying to her husband about where she's been, until she becomes ensnared in a trap of her own making.
 
An erotic and daring story - with electrically clear writing - Adèle will captivate readers with its exploration of addiction, sexuality, and one woman's quest to feel alive.
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My Review:

I thought this was pitched as a story about an unhappy marriage and it is but it is so much more.  I went back to the book blurb and it says it all:
 
But beneath the veneer of 'having it all', [Adèle] is bored - and consumed by an insatiable need for sex, whatever the cost.
 
Adele is unhappily married and feels trapped by her husband and child, both of whom she loves. She's addicted to strangers and risky one night stands. She alienates her best friend who she uses as a regular alibi.
 
Adèle is a brilliant book, and the eponymous protagonist gives it all with little remorse. There are moments of sex, but rarely sensual. It concentrates of the perfunctory of coitus and Adèle's sex addiction is the chase and the conquest rather than the deed. As Adele herself confesses her only ambition is to be wanted. The betrayal of her family is deep-rooted. The story is fascinating as it flowed. It is intimate and revealing, as if I was being told the all the gory and exposing details from a friend.
 
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.
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9/2/2019 0 Comments

Review: The Mystery of Three Quarters

The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah
Page length: 401 pages
Genre: Crime Fiction, Agatha Christie  
Publication Date: 23 August 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF THREE QUARTERS
 
Returning home after lunch one day, Hercule Poirot finds an angry woman waiting outside his front door. She demands to know why Poirot has sent her a letter accusing her of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, a man she has neither heard of nor ever met.
 
Poirot has also never heard of a Barnabas Pandy, and has accused nobody of murder. Shaken, he goes inside, only to find that he has a visitor waiting for him — a man who also claims also to have received a letter from Poirot that morning, accusing him of the murder of Barnabas Pandy…
 
Poirot wonders how many more letters of this sort have been sent in his name. Who sent them, and why? More importantly, who is Barnabas Pandy, is he dead, and, if so, was he murdered? And can Poirot find out the answers without putting more lives in danger?
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My Review:

I was a little apprehensive to read The Mystery of Three Quarters. I had such high expectations. I'm delighted to say Ms Hannah delivered a genuine article. From the first chapter I was at home with Poirot and excited to read the rest of the book.
 
Poirot is brought into the aftermath of Barnabas Pandy's death which had been deemed natural causes. All the red herrings littered amongst the story brought joy. And then the gorgeous (and extensive) summing up. At a time where the punishment for murder was hanging, the tension of the gallows added to the plot.
 
Thank you Ms Hannah for bringing Hercule back to life. I look forward to reading more of Poirot's adventures.
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 
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7/2/2019 0 Comments

Review: The Promise

The Promise by Teresa Driscoll
Page length: 309 pages
Genre: Crime Fiction/Psychological Thriller
Publication Date: 7 February 2019
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT THE PROMISE
 
It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.
 
Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.
 
But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.
 
Beth wishes she could take back the vow they made.
 
But somebody is watching and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret stays buried. Now, with her beloved family in peril, can Beth still keep the promise?
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My Review:

I've really enjoyed Ms Driscoll's I Am Watching You and was looking forward to reading The Promise, so much so – it may have skipped ahead of others to make it to the top of the pile!
 
From the get go you know something has happened in the past of Beth, Sally, and Carol, and it's bad. And that bad thing is coming back to haunt them. Beth and Sally hire a private detective but he comes with his own demons. They have to find Sally. The more they look for Sally, the more she doesn't want to be found. And then things really start to go wrong.
 
It's a haunting psychological thriller, a brilliant book and great story.
 
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 
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7/2/2019 0 Comments

Review: Gallowstree Lane

 Gallowstree Lane by Kate London  
Genre: Crime Fiction
Page Length: 368 pages
Publication Date: 7 February 2019

Publisher: Corvus
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4.5 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT GALLOWSTREE LANE
 
Please don't let me die. Please don't. The final words of teenager Spencer Cardoso as he bleeds out on a London street, his life cut short in a single moment of rage.
 
Detective Inspector Kieran Shaw's not interested in the infantry. Shaw likes the proper criminals, the ones who can plan things.
 
For two years he's been painstakingly building evidence against an organized network, the Eardsley Bluds. Operation Perseus is about to make its arrests.
 
So when a low-level Bluds member is stabbed to death on Gallowstree Lane, Shaw's priority is to protect his operation. An investigation into one of London's tit for tat killings can't be allowed to derail Perseus and let the master criminals go free.
 
But there's a witness to the murder, fifteen-year-old Ryan Kennedy. Already caught up in Perseus and with the Bluds, Ryan's got his own demons and his own ideas about what's important.
 
As loyalties collide and priorities clash, a chain of events is triggered that draws in Shaw's old adversary DI Sarah Collins and threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane...
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My Review:

I first discovered Kate London through  The Pigeonhole https://thepigeonhole.com/ - a great app which serialises new books. Gallowstree Lane is the third for DS Collins and DC Griffiths of The Metropolitan Series. The interesting thing is that Sarah Collins and Lizzie Griffiths aren't partners, so you get to see more scope of the case and cases.
 
Whilst concentrating on gangs and the destruction of knife crime, it's a wonderfully telling of police procedure powerplay.
 
It was very thought-provoking: How valuable are informants and undercover police to the system, is anyone expendable? Is one murder worth an entire investigation? Crime isn't always black and white, and as you find yourself siding with the lawless and then the law, it's hard not to be caught in the grey murky middle. I read the second half in one sitting and couldn't go to bed until I had finished.
 
Ms London's writing shines as does her authenticity (she used to be a police detective).
 
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.
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7/2/2019 0 Comments

Review: The Deceivers

The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons
Page length: 375 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: 5 February 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4.5 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT THE DECEIVERS
 
Welcome to Vale Hall, the school for aspiring con artists.
 
When Brynn Hilder is recruited to Vale, it seems like the elite academy is her chance to start over, away from her mom’s loser boyfriend and her rundown neighborhood. But she soon learns that Vale chooses students not so much for their scholastic talent as for their extracurricular activities, such as her time spent conning rich North Shore kids out of their extravagant allowances.
 
At first, Brynn jumps at the chance to help the school in its mission to rid the city of corrupt officials―because what could be better than giving entitled jerks what they deserve? But that’s before she meets her mark―a senator’s son―and before she discovers the school’s headmaster has secrets he’ll stop at nothing to protect. As the lines between right and wrong blur, Brynn begins to realize she’s in way over head.
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My Review:

I’ve pledged to read more YA this year and I’m so glad I started with The Deceivers.
 
The intro had me well and truly hooked: Welcome to Vale Hall, the school for aspiring con artists. By the end of chapter one I was firmly Team Brynn. And willing her to run away and escape. With the exception of Fagin’s Gang in Oliver and Layer Cake, crime has never looked so appealing in literature. Brynn deserves more than her lot, and when everything she has conned so hard for is in turn stolen she feels her life is over.
 
Vale Hall offers Brynn a great start and a hopeful route to college. But at what cost? Everyone has their secrets and no one can afford to be kicked out of Vale Hall. Brynn eventually trusts some of her new friends to help.
 
A great story with twists and turns galore.
 
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 
 
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