Watching Edie by Camilla Way Book Review

BLURB:

THERE ARE SOME FRIENDS YOU’LL NEVER FORGET…
NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY

BEFORE
Edie is the friend that Heather has always craved. But one night, it goes terrifyingly wrong. And what started as an innocent friendship ends in two lives being destroyed.

AFTER
Sixteen years later, Edie is still rebuilding her life. But Heather isn’t ready to let her forget so easily. It’s no coincidence that she shows up when Edie needs her most.

NOW
Edie or Heather?
Heather or Edie?

Someone has to pay for what happened, but who will it be?

MY THOUGHTS

I heard great things about Watching Edie and I was desperate to read it, but I’ve got such a huge pile of books to read at home that I thought it would take a good few months to get round to it. Then a friend highly recommended it to me, saying that she had read it in just two days, which was a new record for her; I was won over by her enthusiasm for the book and it went straight to the top of my reading list, and I haven’t regretted it.

            Watching Edie is a truly dark tale, about two best friends, Heather and Edie. Camilla weaves an intricate plot surrounding the two characters and we soon delve into a darker world that isn’t just about the friendship between two girls. As another layer of their friendship is peeled back, you are left hanging on the edge of your seat, desperate for the next valuable piece of information.

The story is set over two time lines, the present, when Edie is heavily pregnant and living alone at her apartment in London, and back to the summer when the girls were sixteen, the year they first met. Edie is drawn to Heather because of her uniqueness and Heather is equally drawn to Edie. Throughout the novel there is always a sense of foreboding which keeps the reader turning the pages, I was desperate to find out what had happened in the girl’s past and when the truth was revealed, I was left reeling. I am still thinking about Watching Edie now and what perhaps lies ahead for the characters of the book in the future. If you’re looking for a gripping thriller that will grab you by the throat and won’t let go, this is a book for you. Camilla Way is certainly an author to watch.

PUBLISHER: HARPER COLLINS

PUBLICATION DATE: 28th July 2016

PRINT LENGTH: 304 PAGES

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-Edie-unsettling-psychological-thriller/dp/0008159017/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472586596&sr=1-1&keywords=Watching+Edie

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge Book Review

BLURB:

There are some fates worse than death . . .

Called to a Southampton nightclub, Detective Inspector Helen Grace cuts the duct tape from the asphyxiated victim and discovers she knows him.

A man from the double life she has concealed from her superiors, Helen is determined to find his murderer - while keeping their relationship hidden at all costs.

When a new victim is found, Helen works around the clock to stop her life unravelling. She'll do anything to solve this case - but dare she reveal her own darkest secrets and lose everything?

And would even that be enough to stop this killer?

MY THOUGHTS 

Little Boy Blue is the fifth book in the DI Helen Grace series. The novel opens with the death of Jake Elder, a dominator, whose body has been found in a club called The Torture Rooms in Southampton. Nothing prepares Helen for when she arrives at the scene and when she discovers the identity of the victim, it rocks the foundation of her life and now her own career is beginning to look uncertain. 

Arlidge has delivered a fast paced and nail biting thriller. It helps to have read the previous books in the series to understand the premise of what is going on in the fifth installment although this is not necessary. 

I really liked the tension there was in the police force as the investigation into Jake Elder's death stepped up a place. Arlidge builds on this well to deliver a stunning ending which left me demanding more and I can't wait for Hide and Seek to come out in September. The ending of Little Boy Blue certainly had me on the edge of my seat. 

There were interesting character developments throughout the novel which I really enjoyed, particularly with DSs Charlie Brooks and Sanderson. I also liked the sub-plot which detailed Helen's relationship with her boss, Gardam. This is, no doubt, the darkest Helen Grace thriller yet. 

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: 2nd June 2016 (paperback) 

Print length: 384 pages 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Boy-Blue-Detective-Inspector/dp/140591923X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471686548&sr=1-1&keywords=Little+Boy+Blue

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land Book Review

Blurb:

'NEW N A M E.

NEW F A M I LY.

S H I N Y.

NEW.

ME . '

Annie's mother is a serial killer.

The only way she can make it stop is to hand her in to the police.

But out of sight is not out of mind.

As her mother's trial looms, the secrets of her past won't let Annie sleep, even with a new foster family and name - Milly.

A fresh start. Now, surely, she can be whoever she wants to be.

But Milly's mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water.

Good me, bad me.

She is, after all, her mother's daughter...

MY THOUGHTS

In Good Me Bad Me, Ali Land has created an incredible voice in the protagonist of her novel, Milly. Milly’s mother is a serial killer and Milly has to testify against her in court as the only sole witness to her crimes. But can she testify against her own mother? Milly has to deal with seeing her mother’s name in the press and in the news, which her foster parent Mike does his best to shield her from. Mike convinces Milly she doesn’t share any of her mother’s traits. But is Milly more like her mother than she realises?

Whilst Milly awaits the trial, she is taken in by a foster family, but her foster sister, Phoebe isn’t the shiniest of characters. I loved how Ali built tension in her writing, particularly in her scenes when Milly and Phoebe are together; there were definitely scenes when her writing had me on the edge of my seat. Milly finds solace in her friend, Morgan, but even there, there are tensions and Milly has to fight her demons.

I thought Ali drew on Milly’s character superbly. Quietly, Milly resents the thought of having to testify against her mother and she has to face her demons when Phoebe draws on this at school. But the worst of Milly’s trials is yet to come. Ali delivers a surprising ending which I didn’t see coming.

Good Me Bad Me is an extraordinary debut, and I encourage everyone to get their hands on it. There is no doubt about it; this book will definitely be a hit. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advance review copy. 

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Publication date: 12th January 2017

Print length: 400 pages

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Me-Bad-Ali-Land/dp/0718182928/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471444308&sr=1-1&keywords=Good+me+bad+me

BOOKS TO WATCH OUT FOR!

I have listed below a list of books I am looking forward to reading later this year and next. If you think I've missed out any books you think I should add, please let me know.



Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

Blurb: The nation is gripped by the infamous 'Ragdoll Killer'

Every news bulletin and headline is obsessed with this story.
Your friends, your family and your neighbours are all talking about it.

Believe the hype. Sold in over 32 countries and counting, RAGDOLL is the standout thriller of the year.

A body is discovered with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together like a puppet, nicknamed by the press as the 'ragdoll'.

Assigned to the shocking case are Detective William 'Wolf' Fawkes, recently reinstated to the London Met, and his former partner Detective Helen Baxter.

The 'Ragdoll Killer' taunts the police by releasing a list of names to the media, and the dates on which he intends to murder them.

With six people to save, can Fawkes and Baxter catch a killer when the world is watching their every move?

Publisher: Trapeze

Publication date: 23rd February 2017 

Print length: 304 pages

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragdoll-Daniel-Cole/dp/1409168743/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471173897&sr=1-2&keywords=Ragdoll

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land

Blurb: 'NEW N A M E .

NEW F A M I LY.
S H I N Y.
NEW.
ME . '

Annie's mother is a serial killer.

The only way she can make it stop is to hand her in to the police.

But out of sight is not out of mind.

As her mother's trial looms, the secrets of her past won't let Annie sleep, even with a new foster family and name - Milly.

A fresh start. Now, surely, she can be whoever she wants to be.

But Milly's mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water.

Good me, bad me.

She is, after all, her mother's daughter...

Publisher: Michael Joseph 

Publication date: 12th January 2017

Print length: 400 pages

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Me-Bad-Ali-Land/dp/0718182928/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471174096&sr=1-1&keywords=Good+me+bad+me

The Watcher by Ross Armstrong

Blurb: The Girl on the Train meets Rear Window, The Watcher is an absolutely addictive and on trend commercial psychological suspense read, with a captivating unreliable narrator and some powerful narrative twists.

She’s watching you, but who’s watching her?

Lily Gullick lives with her husband Aiden in a new-build flat opposite an estate which has been marked for demolition. A keen birdwatcher, she can’t help spying on her neighbours.

Until one day Lily sees something suspicious through her binoculars and soon her elderly neighbour Jean is found dead. Lily, intrigued by the social divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified, knows that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat.

But can Lily really trust everything she sees?

Publisher: HQ

Print Length: 384 pages

Publication date: 29th December 2016

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watcher-Ross-Armstrong/dp/0008181187/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471174230&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Watcher+Ross+Armstrong

The Two o'clock boy by Mark Hill

Blurb: TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS... ONE BECAME A DETECTIVE... ONE BECAME A KILLER...

One night changed their lives
Thirty years ago, the Longacre Children's Home stood on a London street where once-grand Victorian homes lay derelict. There its children lived in terror of Gordon Tallis, the home's manager.

Cries in the fire and smoke
Then Connor Laird arrived: a frighteningly intense boy who quickly became Tallis' favourite criminal helper. Soon after, destruction befell the Longacre, and the facts of that night have lain buried . . . until today.

A truth both must hide
Now, a mysterious figure, the Two O'Clock Boy, is killing all who grew up there, one by one. DI Ray Drake will do whatever it take to stop the murders - but he will go even further to cover up the truth.

Discover the gripping, twist-filled start to a fantastic new London-set crime thriller series starring morally corrupt DI Ray Drake - the perfect new addiction for fans of Luther.

Publisher: Sphere

Publication date: 17th November 2016

Print length: 432 pages

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-OClock-Boy-Ray-Drake/dp/0751563234/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471174323&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Two+o%27clock+boy

In her Wake by Amanda Jennings Book Review

In her Wake is a beautiful, atmospheric and moving piece of work. When Bella Campbell travels home to attend her doting mother’s funeral with her controlling husband, David, she could never have imagined how her life would pan out after one day. Bella had an idyllic childhood in a huge house known as the Old Vicarage, and her mother loved her to bits. But there has always been something odd about her childhood, something she could never explain, until now, when the floodgates are about to be thrown wide open. When she turns up at her mother’s funeral, her father is desperate to tell her something but struggles to tell her his secrets and Bella is left reeling in shock when the mysteries of her past are finally revealed.

Bella travels to Cornwall in an attempt to get to grips and understand this new, frightening world she has found herself in. And it is here, on the beautiful Cornish coast, that everything about her life changes forever. Everything she thought she knew is a lie and she is desperate for answers.

In her Wake is packed with twists and turns and its ending certainly gives you with lots to think about. Amanda writes her scenes beautifully. I could visualise the scenes clearly in my mind and taste the salt of the sea air on my tongue. I really connected with the characters, and I felt Bella’s emotions as she embarked on a traumatic journey. The story pulls you right into Bella’s world and stays with you long after you have finished. A five star read, I thoroughly recommend it.  

Publication date:  22nd March 2016

Publisher: Orenda Books

Print Length: 340 pages

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Wake-Amanda-Jennings/dp/1910633291/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470838412&sr=1-1&keywords=In+her+wake