Angry Aubergines.
  • Home
  • TBR Pile
  • Book Reviews
  • Book Blog
  • Travel Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • TBR Pile
  • Book Reviews
  • Book Blog
  • Travel Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

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?
Picture

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. 
0 Comments

20/11/2018 0 Comments

Review: The Broken Girls

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
Page length: 338 pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publication Date: 29 November 2018 (Paperback)
Publisher: Wildfire
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars: 5 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT THE BROKEN GIRLS
 
THEY WON'T FORGIVE. THEY WON'T FORGET.
 
1950 - At the crumbling Idlewild Hall school for unwanted girls, four room-mates begin to bond over dark secrets and whispered fears - until one of them mysteriously disappears...
 
2014 - Journalist Fiona Sheridan can't get over the murder of her sister twenty years ago, near the ruins of Idlewild. And when another body is found during renovations of the school, she begins to uncover horrors that were meant to remain hidden - and a voice that won't be silenced.
 
For fans of Lisa Jewell and S.K. Tremayne, The Broken Girls is a chilling story of murder, revenge, and secrets that refuse to stay buried...
Picture

My Review:

The Broken Girls has been out as an e-book since March 2018, and this review coincides with the paperback release (out 29 November 2018). The story surrounds an old boarding school Idlewild Hall. The school closed in 1979 and in 2014 has been bought.
 
The tale flits between two timelines – when the school was still open and functioning in 1950, four friends who share a dorm room. And one of the girls goes missing. And 2014 when a reclusive millionaire has bought the school with plans to bring it back to life, and a local journalist, Fiona Sheridan, who with a hidden agenda wants to find out why?
 
Fiona is fighting her own demons; her sister was murdered and dumped outside Idlewild Hall, and it's not only ghosts from her past who are scaring her. The stories of the haunted school, the missing girl, the dead sister are woven together beautifully. I was fearful, mystified and curious for answers!
 
Such a good book, I hope we see more of Fiona Sheridan.
 
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. 
0 Comments

9/10/2018 0 Comments

Review: All The Hidden Truths

All the Hidden Truths by Claire Askew
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Length: 384 pages
Publication Date: 9 August 2018
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4 out of 5

 
Link: AMAZON (UK)
 
ABOUT ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS:
 
This is a fact: Ryan Summers walked into Three Rivers College and killed thirteen women, then himself.
 
But no one can say why.
 
The question is one that cries out to be answered - by Ryan's mother, Moira; by Ishbel, the mother of Abigail, the first victim; and by DI Helen Birch, put in charge of the case on her first day at her new job. But as the tabloids and the media swarm, as the families' secrets come out, as the world searches for someone to blame... the truth seems to vanish.
 
A stunningly moving novel from an exciting new voice in crime, ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS will cause you to question your assumptions about the people you love, and reconsider how the world reacts to tragedy.
Picture

My Review:

Another brilliant debut!

I found the book a little difficult to get into but by the third chapter or so, I was well and truly in the story. It is told from three perspectives: Ryan's mother, Moira; Ishbel, the mother of Abigail, the first victim; and DI Helen Birch. The subject matter is hard, dark, and thought provoking, as is how the media and social media respond to such a catastrophe. I really enjoyed the conflicting narration, and felt for all the characters in the hopeless and heartbraking situation. Not to mention the finale is devastating.
 
I hope this is the first installment of a DI Birch series.
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 

0 Comments

6/9/2018 0 Comments

Review: Lying to You

Lying to You by Amanda Reynolds
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Page Length: 368 Pages
Publication Date: 26 July 2018 (Paperback)
Publisher: Wildfire
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

 
ABOUT LYING TO YOU:
 
You think you know the truth about that night, but what if your husband is LYING TO YOU?
 
When Jess Tidy was Mark Winter's student, she made a shocking accusation. Mark maintained his innocence, but the damage was done.
 
Karen Winter stood by her husband through everything, determined to protect her family.
 
Now, ten years later, Jess is back. And the truth about that night is finally going to come out…
Picture

My Review:

Jess has made a new life in London, putting the tragedy of her youth behind her until her brother calls – their mother has passed away unexpectedly and Jess is forced to confront her past. Ten years earlier, Jess alleged something awful happened to her, which caused a teacher to go to prison.

The story is told from three perspectives: Jess, the teacher's wife Karen Winter, intertwined with transcripts from Jess' counseling sessions.
 
The book should be called Lying to Red Herrings. The twists and turns, together with the breadcrumbs, left you wanting to find out more. It's made up of quite short chapters so it's quick to get through.  The ending felt a little rushed with how the story unfolded. But how it ended was an unexpected surprise.
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.
0 Comments

28/8/2018 0 Comments

Review: Something in the Water

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Page Length: 352 Pages
Publication Date: 26 July 2018 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Source: ARC via NetGalley


Stars:  4 out of 5

Link: AMAZON (UK)

ABOUT SOMETHING IN THE WATER:

Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough; Mark a handsome investment banker with a bright future. They seem to have it all, until Mark loses his job and cracks start to appear in their perfect life.
 
But they’re determined to make it work. They book their dream honeymoon and trust that things will work out – after all, they have each other.
 
On the tropical island of Bora Bora Mark takes Erin scuba diving. Mark is with her – she knows he’ll keep her safe. Everything will be fine. Until they find something in the water.

Erin and Mark decide to keep their discovery a secret -- after all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events...  which will endanger everything they hold dear.

Picture

My Review:

2018 IS THE YEAR FOR DEBUT NOVELISTS!
 
The story starts slap bang in the middle of drama and then you go back to the beginning where there is a very slow build. By the time that Erin and Mark reach their honeymoon it feels like they are family and you know everything you need to know, you are left in a complete (false) sense of security.
 
Erin and Mark find something in the water, which may or may not be illegal, and may or may not be illegal for them to keep. The conundrum is – what should they do? Its very careful and clever plotting keeps you in suspense until the very end.
 
A stupendous debut!
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All 2018 2019 4.5 Stars 4 Stars 5 Stars Alice Feeney Alison May Amanda Reynolds Angry Aubergines Anne Buist Anthony Horowitz Arthur Doyle Audible Audiobook Autobiography Best In Books Beth O'Leary Book Review Captain Haddock Catherine Bennetto Catherine Steadman Cat Marnell Chip Cheek Claire Allan Claire Askew Clare Mackintosh Comedy Contemporary Fiction Crime Fiction Cristina Alger David Mitchell Debut Book Elaine Proctor Elizabeth Enfield Essays Graeme Simsion Gytha Lodge Harlan Coben Heidi Parks Helen Fields Historical Fiction Holly Bourne Jane Corry JG Murrary Jodi Picoult Jonathan Pie Jon Naismith & Graeme Garden Justin Myers Karin Slaughter Kate London Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott Kristen Simmons Krysten Ritter Laura Jane Williams Lauren Groff Lee Child Legal Leila Slimani LE Luttrell Lisa Gardner Lisa Jewell Literary Fiction Liz Nugent Lizzy Barber Lucy Foley Luke Jennings Lynda LaPlante Marian Keyes Matt Haig Mature Love Mel Sherratt Memoir Mhairi McFarlane MRC Kasasian Musical Natalie Savona With Charlotte Watts Nico Walker Non Fiction Non-fiction Nutrition Patrick DeWitt Paulo Coelho Police Procedural Political Political Fiction Political Satire Preview Psychological Thriller Rachel Lynch Richard Lumsden Riley Sager Robert Harris Robert Webb Romance Romantic Comedy Ronnie O'Sullivan Rosie Walsh Roxane Gay Saga Sarah Vaughan Satire SD Monaghan Short Story Collections Simone St James Sophia Money-Coutts Sophie Hannah Teresa Driscoll Thriler Thriller Tom Walker Tony Parsons Val Emmich Women's Fiction Young Adult

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.