Stephanie Dagg's Blog, page 20
October 4, 2019
Four Christmases and a Secret by Zara Stoneley: fun, festive and fabulous
Four Christmases and a Secret
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
Except for Daisy Christmas means another of Uncle T’s dreaded Christmas parties, complete with Christmas jumper and flashing antlers. And Oliver Cartwright. Gorgeous Oliver Cartwright. Who she hates.
Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is. Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things.
This Christmas however Daisy is determined things will be different. There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers. No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too.
But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share…and it could change Daisy’s life forever…
My review
Christmas starts now with this lovely book by Zara Stoneley. It couldn’t be anything but lovely – she’s a fantastic author. And since I have a soft spot for heroines called Daisy then I knew I was in for a treat when I started this story.
And what a treat it is! We meet some splendid characters, two and four-legged, the plot is original and very entertaining and the writing is wonderfully readable and humorous. We really care about our slightly ditzy Daisy and want things to work out well for her. We cringe alongside her when her mum and her mum’s best friend constantly extols the virtues of the perfect Ollie. We will her on in her attempts to make a success of things, but I think we also love that, like us, she’s only human and her life is a rollercoaster of minor disasters and tiny, occasional victories.
Uncle Terrence is a superb, uniting character in the play. He’s something of a Father Christmas in that he’s the life and soul of the family’s Christmas, and keeps it alive for them all, even when they might not fully appreciate it.
‘Four Christmases and a Secret’ is fun, festive and fabulous. Find out for yourself!
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QRTC5JC/
US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QRTC5JC/
Author Bio
Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of ‘The Wedding Date’.
She lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.
Born in a small village in the UK, Zara wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true. She now writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say ‘ahhh’.
Zara’s bestselling novels include ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘No One Cancels Christmas’, ‘The Wedding Date’, ‘The Holiday Swap’, ‘Summer with the Country Village Vet’, ‘Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage’ and the popular Tippermere series – ‘Stable Mates’, ‘Country Affairs’ and ‘Country Rivals’.
Social Media Links –
Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley
Instagram: zarastoneley
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/zara-stoneley?follow=true
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007WK307G
October 3, 2019
Murder in Capital Letters by Peter Bartram: lively and humorous 1960s mystery
Synopsis
SHOT TWICE! Brighton antiques dealer Freddie Hollingbourne-Smith is murdered in his workshop – and crime reporter Colin Crampton is first on the scene.
TOO MANY SUSPECTS: Colin discovers plenty had reason to kill Freddie… like thwarted beauty queen Julie Appleyard, his jilted mistress… snooty toff Sir Tunnicliffe Hogg, his persecuted neighbour… devious hard-man Harry Spittlefield, his cheated partner… not to mention fiery and passionate Isabella, his betrayed ex-wife.
CRYPTIC CLUE: Colin must puzzle out the mystery left by a small pile of printers’ type – all in capital letters – before he can finger the killer.
THE CLIMAX EXPLODES on the famous train, the Brighton Belle. With Colin’s feisty Australian girlfriend Shirley at his side, the laughs are never far from the clues as the pair hunt down the murderer
My review
This is a lively, humorous book set in 1960s Brighton. Our hero Colin Crampton is a journalist for the local paper. He enjoys his job, most of the time, and is as hardworking as any of the others at the office.
In this story he’s running an errand for a dodgy friend, and in doing so is first at a murder scene. He’s determined to get to the bottom of the crime, and this brings into contact with some fascinating, and occasionally scary, people and into some dicey situations. But Colin is determined and clever, and lucky, and it looks like he should survive the ordeal.
The setting is wonderfully portrayed and is a blast from the past for some of us readers who remember the 1960s. Colin and his companions are flawed and entirely human, and they get up to some very entertaining activities.
This is a very enjoyable, clever book that’s a delight to read.
This is a free Crampton of the Chronicle novella available from colincrampton.com.
September 30, 2019
Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters: charming and atmospheric
Synopsis
No matter how far you go, home is where the heart is…
Beth Williams hasn’t been home for ten years. After falling pregnant at sixteen, she ran away from the imposing Scottish estate where she grew up rather than risk her family’s disapproval, working hard to build a life for herself and daughter Isabelle – but now she’s finally returning to Glendale Hall.
As Beth tries to mend her broken family ties, and fights to bring the community of Glendale back together, she realises that the story she has told herself for a decade might well be a very different one from the truth. Even though she ran from Glendale it has never left her heart. And, she soon realises, neither has Drew – Beth’s first love.
Will Beth be able to forgive her mother and grandmother (and herself) for what happened ten years ago? What will Drew say when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him for so long? Can a festive trail bring the village back together?
Will Christmas work its magic on Glendale – or will Beth be forced to run away from it all over again?
A charming, uplifting novel that will warm your heart – the perfect read to curl up with this autumn. Fans of Trisha Ashley, Debbie Johnson and Cathy Bramley will love this gorgeously romantic read.
My review
This is very Christmassy, festive novel, but it has a gritty edge. Teenage pregnancy is a bit of a prickly issue and it’s one that features in this story. Beth ran away at sixteen when expecting her baby and she stays away for ten years before returning with daughter Isabelle. Beth had her reasons and some of those aren’t easy to overcome. There’s challenge alongside the charm in the story.
Beth isn’t the only one who has altered during that time: her hometown has as well. Glendale is in a downward spiral, perhaps reflecting her grandmother’s serious illness. However, Beth isn’t running away again. She decides to tackle things and make life better.
As she tries to give Glendale a second chance, she herself gets one too. Her first love, Drew, appears on the scene.
Victoria Walters creates some wonderful characters for us to meet, and her clever plot has them interacting in fascinating ways.
The seasonal events, activities and settings in this story are very atmospheric, and also magical. This book is a great one to start your Christmas reading season with.
Purchase Links:
Apple:
https://apple.co/2Y9e9h3
Amazon:
amzn.to/2X0utPZ
kobo
http://bit.ly/32Np4zS
Author Bio –
Victoria Walters writes up-lifting and inspiring stories. Her moving debut novel THE SECOND LOVE OF MY LIFE was chosen for WHSmith Fresh Talent and shortlisted for an RNA award. Victoria was also picked as an Amazon Rising Star. Her heart-warming new novel SUMMER AT THE KINDNESS CAFE is available to download now.
As well as being an author, Victoria also works as a Waterstones bookseller and buys far too many books there. She lives in Surrey with her cat Harry (named after Harry Potter). Victoria is not only obsessed with books but loves buying slogan tops, mugs and notebooks, and posting them all on Instagram.
You can discover more about Victoria – and find pictures of Harry the cat – by following her on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on Twitter at @Vicky_Walters or by visiting her blog at:https://victoria-writes.com/.
Escape to Giddywell Grange by Kim Nash: uplifting and enjoyable
Escape To Giddywell Grange
Maddy Young thought she had it all.
Swanky city apartment? – yep. Fancy car? sorted. High-flying career? – tick.
Even if she’s lost most of her friends because of spending all her time at work, and can’t remember when she last had fun, it’s worth it.
Until she’s suddenly made redundant. Now she’s 37, jobless, and after the breakup with the former love of her life, unhappily single.
Enter Maddy’s childhood friend, Beth, the owner of Growlers, the doggy daycare centre at Giddywell Grange, on a mission to make Maddy see there’s more to life than work.
Soon, Maddy is swapping spreadsheets for volunteer duty at the library, daily Starbucks for cups of tea with elderly neighbours, and her Prada handbag for doggy poo bags… And with Beth’s gorgeous brother, Alex, back from the States, Maddy starts to think that Giddywell Grange might just be her happy place.
But when her old life – and her old boyfriend – comes calling, will Maddy go back to the job she loved so much? Or will she discover that the key to happiness lies in making others happy?
An uplifting romantic comedy that will warm your heart – perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Milly Johnson and Katie Fforde.
My review
What can I say about this book except that it’s brilliant! It’s so readable, so funny, so moving, so uplifting, so clever and oh, so enjoyable!
Our heroine Maddy is a super character. She’s warm, genuine, imperfect and so perfectly human and we love her at once. It’s impossible not to be fully enchanted by her and to care about and be interested in everything she does. Her best friend Beth is a fabulous person too, and the ideal foil for Maddy. We see Maddy develop and subtly change and rediscover both happiness and fulfilment.
There’s a hint of romance, plenty of humour, lovable dogs, misunderstandings, amusing and awkward but fascinating incidents and lots to keep us thoroughly entertained.
Don’t miss it!
Purchase Links:
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2YvQdIf
iBooks: https://apple.co/316BJwj
Author Bio
Kim Nash lives in Staffordshire with son Ollie and English Setter Roni, is PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture and is a book blogger at www.kimthebookworm.co.uk.
Kim won the Romantic Novelists Association’s Media Star of the Year in 2016, which she still can’t quite believe. She is now quite delighted to be a member of the RNA.
When she’s not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog, reading, standing on the sidelines of a football pitch cheering on Ollie and binge watching box sets on the TV. She’s also quite partial to a spa day and a gin and tonic (not at the same time!) Kim also runs a book club in Cannock, Staffs.
Amazing Grace was her debut novel with Hera Books and came out in April 2019.
Escape to Giddywell Grange is Kim’s second novel and will be published on September 18th 2019.
Connect with Kim on Social Media here:
Twitter: (@KimTheBookworm) https://twitter.com/KimTheBookworm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimTheBookWorm/
Instagram: @Kim_the_bookworm
Writing Fiction by James Essinger: stimulating and thorough
Writing Fiction – a user-friendly guide
‘Writing Fiction is a little pot of gold… Screenplay by Syd Field for film, Writing Fiction by James Essinger for fiction. It’s that simple.’
William Osborne, novelist and screenwriter
Writing Fiction – a user-friendly guide is a must-read if you want to write stories to a professional standard.
It draws on the author’s more than thirty years of experience as a professional writer, and on the work and ideas of writers including:
Anthony Burgess
Joseph Conrad
George Eliot
Ken Follett
Frederick Forsyth
Dan Harmon
Ernest Hemingway
David Lodge
Norman Mailer
John Milton
Ben Parker
K. Rowling
William Shakespeare
Martin Cruz Smith
R.R. Tolkien
The twenty-four chapters cover every important matter you need to know about, including: devising a compelling story, creating and developing characters, plotting, ‘plants’, backstory, suspense, dialogue, ‘show’ and ‘tell’, and how to make your novel more real than reality.
Also featuring special guest advice from legendary screenwriter Bob Gale, who wrote the three immortal Back to the Future movies (1985, 1989 and 1990), and novelist and screenwriter William Osborne, whose many screen credits include the co-writing of the blockbuster Twins (1988), this highly entertaining book gives you all the advice and practical guidance you need to make your dream of becoming a published fiction writer come true.
My review
This is a very positive, stimulating book for anyone who loves to write, even if they’re still only in the dreaming stage.
The author takes us through all the aspects of writing that we need to know about – everything from what fiction actually is, to how to create rounded characters, show versus tell, devising an interesting story line and so on. If you can think of something you want to know about, then you can be sure of finding it dealt with in this book.
The author refers to fifteen famous writers, from Shakespeare to J K Rowling, and not just novelists but also dramatists and screenwriters, to illustrate the points he’s making and to act as inspiration. James Essinger is an established author himself and he’s really speaking from the heart and genuinely sharing his mastery of the craft of writing with us.
The style is modest, lively and witty. He hooks the reader’s interest from the very start and keeps your attention all the way through. There’s a very useful summing-up section and some enlightening appendices. This book a breath of fresh and very informative air in its genre.
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Fiction-user-friendly-James-Essinger-ebook/dp/B07VYY9XH9/
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-user-friendly-James-Essinger-ebook/dp/B07VYY9XH9/
Author Bio –
James Essinger has been a professional writer since 1988. His non-fiction books include Jacquard’s Web (2004), Ada’s Algorithm (2013), which is to be filmed by Monumental Pictures, and Charles and Ada: the computer’s most passionate partnership (2019). His novels include The Mating Game (2016) and The Ada Lovelace Project (2019).
Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/james.essinger
https://twitter.com/jamesessinger
September 27, 2019
Christmas Child by Carol Rivers: moving and heart-warming
Christmas Child
The 2019 Victorian romance from the Sunday Times bestselling author.
A perfect Dickensian saga for Christmas.
Christmas Day, London 1880. Snow falls … a dying Irish girl clutching her new-born baby drags herself to the sanctuary of an East End orphanage and throws herself on the mercy of the Sisters of Clemency. The nuns raise little Ettie O’Reilly as their own, but the lives of the nuns and orphans are soon crushed by an unscrupulous bishop. The heart-breaking outcome turns Ettie’s life upside down and Christmas will never mean the same again.
Will Ettie ever find her friend Michael Wilson whose secret holds the key to their past? Will Ettie keep her innocence and survive the traumatic events that are about to erupt?
My review
What a moving, tear-jerking yet ultimately heart-warming tale to open your Christmas reading season.
We follow Ettie’s eventful childhood and early womanhood as she grows up an orphan, then has to make a living in a cruel world. The author creates the Victorian setting so vividly, and shows us the great divide between the haves and have-nots.
Ettie is a superb heroine. She’s a complex, strong yet gentle girl, and somewhat guilt-ridden. She has a lot of hardships heaped onto her from the very start, far more than any one person should. Yet she never loses hope and perseveres courageously. She’s a coper and makes the best of the circumstances that surround her at any time.
The story sweeps us along and we invest deeply in Ettie, wanting things to come right for her. We’re delighted when she has her chance at romance but, of course, that doesn’t quite go smoothly…
This is a beautiful, touching and seasonal tale.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VFQ56MQ/
US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VFQ56MQ/
Author Bio –
“Were there’s muck there’s money!” If my family had a royal crest I’m sure those are the words that would have been hewn into the stone above it.
Mum and Dad were both East Enders who were born on the famous or should I say the then infamous Isle of Dogs. They were costermongers selling fruit, veg and anything else that would stand still long enough!
Their family were immigrants who travelled to the UK from Ireland and France, while others emigrated to America.
As a child I would listen to the adults spinning their colourful stories, as my cousins and I drank pop under the table.
I know the seeds of all my stories come from those far off times that feel like only yesterday. So I would like to say a big heartfelt thank you to all my family and ancestors wherever you are now … UK, Ireland, France or America, as you’ve handed down to me the magic and love of story telling.
Carol xx
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/carol.rivers1/
https://twitter.com/carol_rivers
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/carolriversagas/boards/
http://www.instagram.com/carol_rivers01
Giveaway to Win Five dedicated signed paperback novels by Carol Rivers (Open to UK Only)
One winner will win the following signed books
“Lizzie Flowers and the Family Firm”
“Molly’s Christmas Orphans”
“A Wartime Christmas”
“A Sister’s Shame”
“Eve of the Isle”
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494282/
Love’s Long Road by G D Harper: a gripping, gritty novel
Love’s Long Road
Glasgow, 1975. How do you cope when your boyfriend kills himself because of you?
When Bobbie Sinclair’s boyfriend commits suicide and blames her, she vows never to love again. Instead she chooses to lead a double existence, kind-hearted by day and promiscuous by night. She increasingly struggles to maintain the balance between light and dark and soon finds herself sucked into the world of a controlling and ruthless crime lord from which she must escape.
Set against a vibrant but seedy 1970s Glasgow backdrop, Love’s Long Road plots Bobbie’s desperate plight. Starting a new life but constantly afraid of her past catching up with her, she battles danger, adversity and drug addiction on the long and perilous road back to love.
Love’s Long Road is about dealing with the guilt of terrible events in your past and the risk of being corrupted by the world around you; it is a story that captures to perfection what it was like to be young and single in the 1970s.
My review
This is quite a challenging, dark novel. Our heroine Bobbie undergoes a traumatic experience which sets her down a self-destructive, self-centred path. These choices take her into dangerous territory.
There’s plenty of drama that’s set in the seedier side of life. This is well portrayed, and the general atmosphere is quite menacing and stifling. This helps emphasise how hard it’s going to be for Bobbie to escape from this place she’s chosen to inhabit – if she can escape it at all.
Bobbie is a complex person. She’s not especially likeable but the author is successful in making us care about her, about what happens to her. She’s strong and determined and those are good qualities.
There are other troubled individuals to meet, as well as some loyal, genuine people who help us keep a moral perspective.
An interesting, eventful book. The author has a very readable style, and has come up with a gripping, gritty plot to entice you.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loves-Long-Road-G-D-Harper-ebook-x/dp/B01CFZH9GA
US – https://www.amazon.com/Loves-Long-Road-G-D-Harper-ebook-x/dp/B01CFZH9GA
Author Bio –
I was placed third in the 2015 Lightship Prize for first-time authors, won a 2016 Wishing Shelf Award Red Ribbon, been shortlisted at the UK Festival of Writing for Best First Chapter, longlisted in the 2017 UK Novel Writing Competition.
In 2017, I was one of twelve authors selected for Authors in the Spotlight at the Bloody Scotland book festival in Stirling, showcasing who they considered to be the best emerging talent in crime fiction, and was the only self-published author to be chosen. I have spoken at numerous other book events, including Blackwells’ Writers at the Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; a stand-alone slot at the Byres Road Book Festival in Glasgow, and the Aye Write! Book Festival, also in Glasgow.
I went to Glasgow University in 1975 and lived in the city’s West End, the time and place for the setting of the majority of Love’s Long Road.
Social Media Links –
www.gdharper.com
Facebook: @gdharperauthor
Twitter – https://twitter.com/harper_author
September 22, 2019
Henry’s Tale by David Pipe: entertaining, uplifting and definitely different!
Henry Ford, the cutest Border terrier puppy, lives with his papa Alan and mama Jenny. Alan loves his job, playing golf and above all, Henry. Jenny loves designer clothes, handbags and shoes. She doesn’t love Henry. When Jenny insists on a week of high life on Majorca, Henry’s world takes a nosedive.
An attempted dognap and a traumatic stay in the veterinary clinic leave Henry a sad and confused puppy. Desperately lonely he sets off on an adventure with his friend Bully, a streetwise Essex bulldog, where he meets the beautiful Paula and for the first time experiences the heartbreak of puppy love.
Back at home, his mama and papa’s marriage is on the rocks – will Alan agree to Jenny’s ultimatum? Will he choose Jenny or Henry?
My review
Talking animals tend to be so closely associated with entertainment for children – books, films etc – that it’s most certainly not an easy task to produce a book for adults narrated by a dog. David Pipe succeeds triumphantly. He uses this literary device to great effect in a totally suitable way for adults. There’s subtlety, nuances, elements of self-discovery and development, and even a little bit of adult dog content!
Henry makes for a good narrator, and he interacts in an entertaining and interesting way with a variety of fellow canines and humans, both pleasant and unpleasant. He has some rather stressful adventures but takes it all in his stride, and the ending is definitely the one we want for him. This is a fun novel, but some serious issues are touched on, which just adds to its texture and persuasiveness.
I don’t think you even need to be a dog-lover particularly to enjoy this story. It’s a tale for anyone who’s looking for something that’s entertaining, ultimately uplifting and definitely a bit different.
Purchase Link – GetBook.at/Henry
About the author
David Pipe was born in 1949 in a small Essex village. He attended a local grammar school then the University of Hull where he took a B.Sc in chemistry. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry in England and South Africa before studying for a PhD in organic chemistry at Imperial College. After spells at universities in Geneva and Mulhouse he joined the oil industry in Germany where, aged 53, he gratefully took a redundancy package. Following a period of self-employment he wound down his business, eventually giving it up to scratch the writing itch which has produced Sacrificing Starlight, a timely reminder of the risks our children face and Henry’s Tale, where ghostwriting for his furry friend he describes the emotional growth of a puppy on the rollercoaster of life, compressed into a few weeks because puppies learn faster than their staff.
When he’s not writing David spends his time travelling, reading, swimming and jogging. He is married and lives in Hamburg with his wife and their Border terrier Henry.
Note from me: there should be more graphics but I’m currently unable to download them as our internet is playing up today! And just to mention this is a blog tour organised by the awesome Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources.
I’ll add the other pictures just as soon as technology permits!
Social Media Links –
Twitter @dfpwriter
Bridge to Eternity by Romola Farr: highly intriguing
Bridge to Eternity
Audrey, recently widowed, is not saying why she left her comfortable home in the south of England to move into an old school boarding house on the edge of a moor. Tina, a young estate agent, is concerned for Audrey’s safety as she believes the folklore about a schoolboy who never went home. Property developers, annoyed at losing a site ripe for demolition, make plans to encourage Audrey to sell. Malcolm, a charming widower, brings a welcome light into Audrey’s life until it shines into a very dark corner…
My review
This is quite a chilling story which will grip you from the very beginning. It centres on the old schoolhouse that our heroine Audrey has bought. But why exactly? And why are several other people particularly interested in the property? The reasons are complex and clever, and you’ll enjoy discovering them.
The action takes place in the mid-1960s and the present day, and we jump between the two time periods. That keeps the interest going and it’s satisfying to gradually see how events more than half a century apart tie together.
The pace is brisk and there’s plenty of excitement. The ominous Russian brothers are very well portrayed, and we meet plenty of other fascinating characters. The house provides an atmospheric, definitely brooding setting for this highly intriguing tale.
Purchase Links:
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bridge-Eternity-Romola-Farr-ebook/dp/B07PPPTQZ5
US – https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Eternity-Romola-Farr-ebook/dp/B07PPPTQZ5
Author bio
“I started my working life in the theatre and was very lucky to find myself on the West End stage in a hit play at the age of 16. My career and life nearly ended there as I was knocked down by a car on the way home one Saturday night. I recovered and went on to be quite a successful photographic model. Later, when that part of my career did die, I turned to writing and made quite a good living writing screenplays, making films, and writing advertising copy for a marketing company. A few years ago I entered a short-story competition and fell in love with prose and knew I had to tell my own story within a fictional framework. At the moment I am hiding behind a nom de plume.”
Social Media Links – @RomolaFarr
September 21, 2019
Palm Trees in the Pyrenees by Elly Grant: complex, compelling – and what an ending!
Palm Trees in the Pyrenees
A rookie cop, a dash of mysterious death, and a heap of suspicion – as the heat rises, lethal tensions boil over in the Pyrenees.
Unappreciated, unnoticed, and passed over for promotion, thirty-year-old Danielle’s fledgling career in law enforcement is going nowhere – until the unexpected death of a hated Englishman turns her small town upside down.
Set in the idyllic south of France, Palm Trees in the Pyrenees is the first whodunit novel in Elly Grant’s thrilling murder mystery series. Against a background of prejudice, jealousy, and greed, Danielle pieces together the sparse clues of a fractured homicide. But will she find enough evidence to solve the case – and get the recognition she deserves?
To find out, get your copy of ‘Palm Trees in the Pyrenees’ – right now.
My review
This is not what you might expect from a whodunit in that it’s rather darker than many novels in this genre. But not initially, and that’s what is so very different and clever! From an apparently straightforward opening, things become increasing complex. And the ending will take your breath away.
An unliked and unlikeable Englishman falls to his death from a balcony in a quiet French tow. Young policewoman Danielle is the first on the scene and this story is about her solving the crime.
The book has a very immediate, happening feel to it due to the use of the present tense. And also, as our narrator Danielle is French, she explains that English isn’t her first language and that makes you pay more attention to her language. It’s perfect, but it’s a clever touch that makes you more aware than normal of the phrasing and nuances in her words.
The setting is vivid and transports you to southern France and those palm trees.
Thoroughly absorbing and intriguing, this is a compelling book that it’s impossible to put down once you start reading.
Purchase Links
Palm Trees in the Pyreness will be FREE on 16th – 20th Sept 2019
https://www.creativia.org/palm-trees-in-the-pyrenees.html
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ITJ51MA/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01ITJ51MA/
Author Bio –
Hi, my name is Elly Grant and I like to kill people. I use a variety of methods. Some I drop from a great height, others I drown, but I’ve nothing against suffocation, poisoning or simply battering a person to death. As long as it grabs my reader’s attention, I’m satisfied.
I’ve written several novels and short stories. My first novel, ‘Palm Trees in the Pyrenees’ is set in a small town in France. It is the first book of my ‘Death in the Pyrenees series and they are all published by Creativia. The others in the series are, ‘Grass Grows in the Pyrenees’, ’Red Light in the Pyrenees’, ’Dead End in the Pyrenees’, ‘Deadly Degrees in the Pyrenees’ and ‘Hanging Around in the Pyrenees’. Creativia has also published my grittier crime novels set in Glasgow, ‘The Unravelling of Thomas Malone’ and ‘The Coming of the Lord’ as well as my thriller, ‘Death at Presley Park’. Also published are my Romance ‘Never Ever Leave Me, as well as a collaboration on the quirky black comedy ‘But Billy Can’t Fly’ and short stories called ‘Twists and Turns’.
As I live much of the year in a small French town in the Eastern Pyrenees, I get inspiration from the way of life and the colourful characters I come across. I don’t have to search very hard to find things to write about and living in the most prolific wine producing region in France makes the task so much more delightful.
When I first arrived in this region I was lulled by the gentle pace of life, the friendliness of the people and the simple charm of the place. But dig below the surface and, like people and places the world over, the truth begins to emerge. Petty squabbles, prejudice, jealousy and greed are all there waiting to be discovered. Oh, and what joy in that discovery. So, as I sit in a café, or stroll by the riverside, or walk high into the mountains in the sunshine, I greet everyone I meet with a smile and a ‘Bonjour’ and, being a friendly place, they return the greeting. I people-watch as I sip my wine or when I go to buy my baguette. I discover quirkiness and quaintness around every corner. I try to imagine whether the subjects of my scrutiny are nice or nasty and, once I’ve decided, some of those unsuspecting people, a very select few, I kill.
Perhaps you will visit my town one day. Perhaps you will sit near me in a café or return my smile as I walk past you in the street. Perhaps you will hold my interest for a while, and maybe, just maybe, you will be my next victim. But don’t concern yourself too much, because, at least for the time being, I always manage to confine my murderous ways to paper.
Read books from the ‘Death in the Pyrenees’ series, enter my small French town and meet some of the people who live there —– and die there.
Alternatively read about life on some of the hardened streets of Glasgow or for something different try my other books and short stories.
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