Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 67

Secrets And Lies by Joy Wood

Secrets and lies bind three women together.

Jenna, the beautiful yet fragile wife of the heir to the Montgomery fortune.
Bridget, the wily housekeeper who carries out her duties with diligence and guile.
Lucy, the jewellery designer living an almost reclusive life.

#SecretsAndLies @Joywoodauthor #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour

Oak Ridge is the mansion where the heinous Montgomery family reside. A place where subterfuge, blackmail and murder have become the order of the day. Challenging the Montgomery family is never an option – defeating them impossible.

All three women are forced to take them on. But only one of them is confident of victory because she’s watched and learned from the masters themselves.

My Review

Got to love a book with characters who are greedy, obsessed, hiding secrets and go round killing people. Otherwise where’s the entertainment value and Secrets and Lies has it in spadefuls.

I love this story. It has all the elements:
Jenna, the beautiful, fragile wife of the heir to the Montgomery fortune.
Bridget, the creepy housekeeper who ‘carries out her duties with diligence and guile’ – I’d say obsessed and with an overinflated opinion of herself. And bonking the boss.
Lucy, a reclusive jewellery designer living in Oban with her twin boys.
Jenna’s husband Leo, cruel and controlling, and on a charge of murdering his chauffeur and about to appear in court.
His domineering father Avery, who is ten times worse and rules the Montgomery roost. Like Teflon, nothing sticks, though the police wish it would.
And Avery’s wife, ‘sickly Susan’ as Bridget calls her, who is getting sicklier by the day.

It’s almost the cast of a Shakespearean tragedy!

Enter Jack. Tall, dark and handsome. Owner of a newspaper and determined to discover any truths that will release his sister Jenna from her suffocating marriage to Leo Montgomery. And write about Leo and Avery at every opportunity. They hate him with a vengeance.

We know there will be danger afoot. We know/hope there will be romance. But the ending was still a terrible shock. Brilliant!

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.

About the Author

Joy was born in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire and loves it so much she has returned to spend her retirement there. Joy has a degree in public health and for thirty years has worked as a nurse both in the private sector and the NHS, in a range of positions from ward work, clinics, theatres and the community. Since her retirement, she has written and independently published six novels with a strong romance theme running through them. All are full of twists and turns which she hopes will have the reader eagerly turning the pages for ‘just one more chapter’. More recently, she has interjected a crime/thriller component into her writing.

Joy is a popular public speaker in and around Lincolnshire where she delivers her humorous talk about the transition she’s made from nurse to author (From Bedpan to Pen). She speaks at a range of events such as WI meetings, luncheon clubs, after dinner guest speaker, book clubs and author events. At these events, she sells signed paperback copies of her books and promotes the availability of them electronically.

As Joy watches the tide turn daily walking along the quaint but beautiful seafront, she is able to find writing ideas, whatever the weather. She likes to develop the characters and plot in her head assisted by the melancholy charm of the seafront particularly during the winter months. Despite being offered traditional publishing contracts from smaller publishers, the ones she would truly like to sign with still are proving elusive! Joy’s paperback books are sold locally in her home close to the Cleethorpes seafront which generates footfall for those on seaside trips.

Quote from Joy:

“Writing is my passion. I strive with each novel for a narrative that invites the reader into a world that is captivating, engaging and menacing. Five of the books that I’ve independently published fall into the category of crime, with twists and turns I hope will keep the reader turning the pages well into the night. My greatest desire is to acquire more readers – my driving force is to sell more books!”

The Celeste Experiment by Omar Imady

When modern science fails to save his wife Celeste, Michael turns to religion. When religion fails to cure her, he is left painfully searching for answers. 
 
From his grief flows anger, determination, and finally the plan – a meticulous experiment to finally unravel the truth in one of civilizations’ biggest question of all, religion. 

#TheCelesteExperiment #omarimady @VillaMagna_pub #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #literaryfiction

At the heart of this plan is Hamida Begum. A young woman of depth and intelligence, heiress to a lost lineage. Selected and prepared. Qualified in ways even Michael could never have anticipated.  Will her involvement in his vast, mysterious, and at times unethical experiment spell deliverance for Hamida as well as for Michael?   
 
This literary work, with a touch of magical realism, The Celeste Experiment is the story of one man’s attempt to sever the spiritual threads of history once and for all. It is a thrilling journey of revenge and conviction, sorrow and rage, design and entrapment, whispered words. A tale where no one and nothing is vindicated…except love.

My Review

Wow! Just wow! What a fantastic book! The story is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, it exceeded all expectations and then some.

It starts with Michael and his love for his wife Celeste. But when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Michael decides he will do anything to save her. Medical science does not have the answer, so he turns to religion, but when that also fails he sets out to prove that if religion can’t save her, then religion must be a lie.

In the meantime, seventeen-year-old Hamida Begum lives with her grandmother in a slum in Kolkata. She is an intelligent girl, who loves to read, and attends a faith school where she can receive an education in spite of their poverty. It is believed that she is the heiress to a lost lineage.

She has been carefully selected and brought to England, where she is mentored first by Miss Patience and then by sheep farmer Charlotte. In the second part of her ‘preparation’, she travels the world with Maurice, who has been chosen to be her companion and lover.

It is all part of the experiment – the one that Michael believes will prove his theory. But Michael’s story and Hamida and Maurice’s are part of the bigger picture of religion and philosophy and spiritual ties, where ultimately the only thing that matters is love.

A wonderful, amazing story, full of rich descriptions and beauty. I could not put it down.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of this blogger readalong.

About the Author

Omar Imady is an uncommon collection of many things – poet, historian, novelist, Syrian, American, exile, Sufi, ‘Alan Wattsian**’, cat lover, avid coffee drinker, insatiable gastronome – all of which find expression in his growing repertoire of eclectic fiction. He is the author of multiple books, including The Gospel of Damascus, a 2012 Book of the Year Award finalist, and When Her Hand Moves, a collection of three controversial, thought-provoking novellas. His forthcoming novels dig ever deeper into the human experience of alienation and the quest for meaning in a world increasingly hostile to answers.  

** Alan Watts’ essential message, and the whole point and joy of human life, as he shared in the preface to his autobiography In My Own Way, was to “integrate the spiritual with the material”. He believed that this could only be done by carving “your own way”, by “accepting your own karma”, and by “following your own weird.”

Simon Says Die by Erika Strauss

For the last ten years, Angela Thompson has been living a nightmare.

While motherhood was never her goal, she has tried everything to connect with her son, Max. It was supposed to be the two of them against the world, until Max’s behavior grew increasingly disturbing.

The missing items, lost pets, and strange drawings she could handle, but now, the murder of little Tommy Marshall has the entire town of Oregon, Ohio on edge.

#SimonSaysDie #ErikaStrauss @darkedgepress #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour 

Beaten with a large rock and left to die in the woods, the police search frantically for a sadistic child killer. Unfortunately, all of the evidence points to Angela. She swears that she would never hurt a child.

Her gut tells her that Max is involved but authorities find it hard to believe that a ten-year-old boy could pull off the perfect murder and put his mother on death row. In fact, nobody believes her. But they don’t know Max like she does.

They don’t know how depraved her angelic little boy can be.

My Review

I literally read this in one day. It’s a short book and very creepy. When ten-year-old Max is the narrator, I felt really uncomfortable. In fact it’s an uncomfortable read altogether, with some unsavoury characters.

Max’s view of his mum Angie is shocking (though she’s not exactly the perfect mother) and his treatment of his four-year-old cousin Phoenix is cruel and sadistic. How does he expect a four-year-old to behave? He can’t help crying and ‘whining’, especially when Max is around.

Angie has always suspected there is something not right with her son – she has taken him to four psychiatrists, but no-one believes her. In fact her older sister Mari thinks Max is a little angel, though her husband Robert doesn’t agree.

According to the blurb: ‘The missing items, lost pets, and strange drawings she could handle’ – I have to say I would be very upset if I thought my child was responsible for the disappearance of next door’s Yorkshire Terrier and other neighbourhood pets. But then ten-year-old Tommy Marshall is found dead, having been hit over the head with a stone and left for dead in the woods. All the evidence points to mum Angie, but she suspects Max. But who would believe her angelic son is capable of such a heinous act?

Right up to the end you won’t know what’s going on and the twists and turns were enough to make you gasp, but there are some things you will never guess.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Erika Strauss has dedicated her life to writing stories that show that there are two sides to every story. Everyone has a background story, and everyone has their own set of intentions, whether they are good, bad, or indifferent. Striving to create memorable tales, Erika writes stories that will draw the reader into the psyche of the broken and their victims.

Living in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, with her husband, three daughters, and rescue/emotional support dog, Baker, she spends her days writing in her home office. When she’s not writing, she can be found in the kitchen, cooking and baking up a storm. If you can’t find her there, you might find her reading a book from her large library of suspenseful crime novels.

The Engagement by Nasheema Lennon

Speak now or forever rest in peace . . .

THE PERFECT FIANCÉ

When Victoria’s best friend Gwen announces she is marrying the rich and handsome Michael, celebrations are strained. Victoria doesn’t trust Michael – he’s hiding something. And he reminds her of someone she needs to forget.

THE DREAM WEDDING PLAN

Too loved up to see Michael’s dark side, Gwen drags Victoria into a whirlwind of dress shopping, engagement drinks and elaborate maid-of-honour duties. Meanwhile, a mysterious visitor is leaving unwanted gifts in Victoria’s home, and Michael is becoming aggressive: no one gets between me and Gwen.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

The clock is ticking until the big day. Will Victoria expose Michael’s secret, and save her best friend from a marriage made in hell? Or will her past catch up with her first?

My Review

What a cast of unlikeable characters! With friends like these, who needs enemies, as they say. Selfish, untrustworthy, nosy, flaky, violent, jealous, the list of endearing traits is endless. I am glad to say I have never had friendships like this – my friends know when to help and when to back off. If I said (like Greta Garbo) I want to be alone, they’d simply say ‘I’m at the end of the phone if you need me,’ not follow me home and insist on staying.

First we have Victoria – she’s a therapist (God help her clients) – and flaky as hell. Not that I blame her after her past relationship with Dylan, but I don’t think she is ready to help anyone – for about the next ten years at least.

Then there’s Gwen, Vic’s selfish ‘best friend’ who is getting married to Michael. So busy organising an art exhibition, she just dumps it all on her friends. Jessica is a right bitch – telling everyone what to eat before the wedding so they don’t get fat, how to style their hair, what to wear. P*&s off Jess. I need chocolate for stress. Samira is nice but can we trust her?

Michael is rich and handsome but secretive. What is he hiding from Gwen? I’m not sure I cared after a while, she is that selfish and appearingly as dim as a TocH lamp (as my late father-in-law used to say).

What about Isaac? As far as my fellow book club readers were concerned, the jury’s out.

I loved this book. I so enjoyed the madness. All that metaphorically shouting at Victoria, ‘JUST TELL HER!!’ And that ending! Totally unexpected. Sometimes I was exhausted just reading it.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Nasheema Lennon is a writer of Mauritian heritage based in Nottingham. She studied psychology and criminology at university before nine years working in the prison service, where she facilitated cognitive behavioural therapy programmes. She then changed paths to complete her PGCE, becoming a primary school teacher. Her first novel, The Engagement, was shortlisted for the Owned Voices Novel Award 2022.

Deuce (Jax Diamond Mysteries#3) by Gail Meath

One for sorrow, two for spice triggers a game of three blind mice.

While vacationing in New England, PI Jax Diamond and his courageous canine partner, Ace, bite off more than they can chew when two small town deaths reveal two big time killers, and the locals don’t take too kindly to strangers.

#Deuce @GailMeathAuthor @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour

Laura Graystone, Broadway star, auto expert, and Jax’s heartthrob, is once again front and center digging for clues while trying to ditch an old boyfriend. That is, until her brother becomes Jax’s prime suspect. Then all hell breaks loose, and Ace is left in the lurch, tracking down leads with his new sidekick, Susie.

A crazy duet of crimes sends Jax, Laura and Ace into a tailspin in small-town USA during the Roaring Twenties. Where no one is above the law, everyone is a suspect, and time is running out before the clock strikes one.

My Review

Another great book in the Jax Diamond mysteries series. I’ve read the first two and this one is just as good.

Handsome private detective Jax is back of course, with his sidekick Ace the German Shepherd, Laura ‘Songbird’ Graystone and Police Officer Tim ‘Murph’ Murphy from books one and two. This time Jax and Laura have taken some time off to visit her family in the quiet town of Millbury, where she was born and lived until moving to New York to appear on Broadway.

They are going to have a nice holiday, but no sooner have they set foot in the town when Ace discovers a dead body under a pile of leaves. Not just dead, but murdered, and Jax cannot help but get involved. It’s what he does best after all, and the local cops don’t seem as competent as his police mates back in the Big Apple. But then Millbury isn’t exactly the crime capital of America so they don’t have the experience to deal with it.

Unfortunately, Jax isn’t made welcome by some of the residents, particularly Laura’s brother Tommy, still grieving for their father after his death twelve years earlier, or by the deputy sheriff who has fancied her for years. The sheriff isn’t exactly playing ball either. Ace has a fan though – young Susie who is staying with her grandparents next door has taken a real shine to him and calls him her best friend.

Once again fast-paced, quick, easy to read, and exciting, with our favourite cast of characters. Roll on Book Four – what will our intrepid trio get up to next time.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.

Follow her at:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Gail-Meath-Author-121289219261348
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gailmeathauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GailMeathAuthor
Website: https://www.gailmeath.com

Dragonfly Summer by J H Moncrieff

No small town’s secrets can stay buried for long. Moncrieff digs into the treachery of memory and the power of female friendships…

Dragonfly Summer is a gripping thriller that asks: What happens when the past comes back to haunt you?

#DragonflySummer #JHMoncrieff @flametreepress #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour 

Jo Carter never thought she’d return to Clear Springs, Minnesota. But when the former journalist receives a cryptic note about the disappearance of her friend Sam twenty years before, she’s compelled to find out what really happened. During her investigation, she learns another high school friend has died in a mysterious accident. Nothing is as it seems, and Jo must probe Clear Springs’ darkest corners and her own painful and unreliable memories to discover the truth – and save herself from the killer who could still be on the hunt.

Deliciously twisty and suspenseful from the first minute to the last, Dragonfly Summer proves that no small town’s secrets can stay buried for good.

My Review

I really loved this book. It has touches of magic and the supernatural which adds an extra layer to a an exciting thriller.

Following the mysterious disappearance of Jo Carter’s friend Sam, she leaves her home town of Clear Springs to go to university and then to live in New York where she starts out as an investigative journalist, but now works in PR. As far as she is concerned, there is nothing to go back for.

Then one day, over twenty years later, she receives a message about Sam’s disappearance and she feels compelled to return and try to uncover the truth. She also discovers that their other friend Amanda has been killed in a horrific accident. She was heavily pregnant when she died. Her grieving husband Doug also happens to have been Sam’s boyfriend when she went missing.

So many secrets, so much intrigue and at least one person who doesn’t want Jo to find out what really happened. But the problem for Jo is that something happened at the time that she doesn’t remember. In fact she has almost no memory of Sam or Amanda or anything that took place that year – the year they should all have graduated from High School – only Sam never did.

There are other people who Jo left behind – her friend Jack and her own father, whom she hasn’t seen since she left. More of her relationship with her father is revealed in the book and it’s a harrowing read.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

J.H. Moncrieff is the author of nearly twenty books of dark fiction. City of Ghosts won the 2018 Kindle Book Review Award for Best Horror/Suspense. She won Harlequin’s international search for “the next Gillian Flynn” in 2016. Moncrieff began her writing career as a journalist. Her articles have appeared in many publications, including Chatelaine, FLARE, Writer’s Digest, and The Globe and Mail.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @flametreepress

The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton

Very few people get the opportunity to stay here.
And some don’t get to leave …

Zoey doesn’t remember anything about last night. But she knows something went badly wrong. For she is no longer in New York. She’s woken up in the desert, in a white building she doesn’t recognise, and she’s alone.

When she discovers she’s been admitted to The Sanctuary, a discreet, mysterious, isolated refuge from normal life, to avoid jail, she is stunned. She knows she has secrets, troubles, but she thought she had everything under control. But as she spends more time with other residents, she begins to open up about what she’s running from. Until she realises that not everyone in The Sanctuary has her best interests at heart, and someone might even be a killer . . .

My Review

I love books like this. At times slightly far-fetched, it never lets up with the suspense and intrigue. Most of the characters are quite unlikeable in a likeable sort of way. (Simpkins the cat is my favourite character said one of my fellow readers.) You almost sympathise with some of them – the ‘poor little rich kids’ like Riley and Finn (I’m not judging). But being rich doesn’t mean you don’t have problems. The staff are all a bit strange as well – an ex-addict, a Shaman, and a psychotherapist to name just three.

Thirty-two-year-old Zoey goes out with her friends one night, gets blind drunk, and finds herself alone in a tiny room in the middle of a desert in some kind of rehab facility, where everyone except her seems to know what’s going on. She’s in a strange place, and there’s a woman screaming in a tent somewhere that resembles a big top.

While The Sanctuary, as she discovers it’s called, is not technically a lock-in, anyone who tries to leave has to walk 20 miles through the baking hot sand, with only scorpions and poisonous snakes to keep them company. Zoey knows, she’s tried and failed.

Of course she can leave on the next helicopter, but then she’d have to pay for the flight, plus the two flights it took to get here from New York and any treatment she has had so far. It costs an arm and a leg to stay at The Sanctuary and she has no idea who is paying for her. All she discovers is that it was part of the deal to keep her out of prison – she can’t even remember what she did or is supposed to have done – but who does she know who has that kind of money? No-one it would seem.

Her life so far has been a mess, never settling, always running, though she tells herself it’s fine and that she’s in control. And as she spends more and more time with the other residents, she realises they all have problems, addictions and secrets.

Brilliant! I couldn’t wait for the next ‘stave’ to land (reading with The Pigeonhole online book club you get one tenth of the book every day and can discuss the story with your fellow ‘pigeons’). Great twists at the end – most of us would never have guessed.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Emma grew up in Sussex; after a stint au pairing in Paris and a couple of half-hearted attempts to backpack across Europe, she studied English at Oxford University, then trained in journalism. During her career as a journalist, she wrote many articles for national newspapers, including regular pieces for the Times Travel section.

Following publication of her picture book, Rainy Day, Emma wrote three YA novels. Her first, Now You See Me, was an Amazon bestseller and nominated for the Carnegie and Amazing Book Awards. Better Left Buried, her second, was one of the best YA reads for 2015 in the Sunday Express. Her third YA novel, Cruel Heart Broken, was picked by The Bookseller as a top YA read for July 2016.

Find out more at www.emmahaughton.com or www.facebook.com/emmahaughtonwriter.
Or get in touch via Twitter: @Emma_Haughton  

AnOther World by Cat On A Piano / Theatrephonic

Adam has Cerebral Palsy. Evie has SMA2, a form of Spinal muscular atrophy**. They are both wheelchair users. Adam also has a dog called Barney who is very friendly and steals things.

Adam’s physical deterioration is much slower than Evie’s, whose decline is rapid. But in a virtual reality world called AnOther World they can be whatever they want to be. Evie is a singer in the real world but in AnOther World she also rides horses and can feel the wind in her hair. Adam runs and runs. Evie is going to teach him to ride.

This was so moving, I cried and cried. That’s all I am going to say.

**SMA is a rare genetic disease that affects the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement.

Written by Andrew N Williams
Directed by Emmeline Braefield

Starring
Scott Peacock as Adam
Emmeline Braefield as Evie

Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions

Music:
Juno in the Space Maze by Loopop
Brass Orchid by Bobby Richards
Instant Crush by Corbyn Kites
Spacetimes Blues by Loopop
Submarine by Dyalla
This is Not the End by True Cuckoo
Spacetime Blues by Loopop
Eagle Rock by Wes Hutchinson
Dusty Rhymes by Freedom Trail Studio
Time’s Up by Loopop
All This Useless Beauty by Jeremy Black
Barely Small by Freedom Trail Studio

***This podcast contains discussion and depiction of suicide. It may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. If you feel like you need help, please reach out. A list of UK based help services are listed below.

The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield

Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.

Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.

For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram @theatrephonic, or visit their Facebook page.

And if you really enjoyed this week’s episode, listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…

***

List of Resources:
Samaritans.org: 116 123
Thecalmzone.net : 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
sossilenceofsuicide.org/what-where-why : Call 0300 1020 505 – 8am to midnight every day
papyrus-uk.org/hopelineuk : for people under 35 – Call 0800 068 41 41 – 9am to midnight every day or Text 07860 039967

The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 2 by Sophia Lambton

Mind the gap between youth’s pedestal and looming adulthood.

Two years have passed since Anneliese and Isabel braved the bombardment of the Blitz. Risks are resumed and revelations rattle as the past begins to rear its ugly head. Suffering sends Isabel on downward spirals; Anneliese falls victim to society’s expectations. Skeletons come tumbling from Susanna’s closet and for some the sex-and-death divide grows thinner.

Spying on the escapades of the sororal van der Holts, The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 2 invites you to encounter more of Anneliese and Isabel than they know of themselves. Self-recognition is discomfiting. And we have only just begun.

My Review

I finished the review of volume one of The Crooked Little Pieces with this:

‘…. it’s very different. Don’t expect straightforward historical fiction. It’s more about emotions and the relationship between two women, who even though they are twins are disparate and diverse. As we leave them amidst world war two, I look forward to the next instalment in this fascinating tale.’

And I couldn’t wait for the second instalment of this brilliant story. Then it arrived and I wasn’t disappointed. We continue to follow the sisters two years on. The war is over. Isabel is married to Steven, whose tastes in the bedroom are both weird and dangerous. Isabel is accepting but her sister Anneliese is worried and rightly so. But Isabel wants a baby so badly that she is prepared to put up with anything.

Eventually she falls pregnant – the next part of the book is very emotional – and is convinced she is expecting a girl. She wants to call her Amelita after Italian soprano Amelita Galli-Curci who was popular in the mid 20th century. I only mention this because it’s a name I have not heard since childhood – my late mother was a huge fan and we had her LPs at home.

In the meantime, Anneliese is still finding it hard to practice as a psychiatrist – not a career choice deemed seemly for women in the 1940s. She still sees her own psychiatrist Susanna (this is a necessity for anyone working in mental health and still is as far as I know though today it would be called counselling), but seems to spend most of the time arguing with her. Susanna’s past is also beginning to emerge and much of it is not pretty.

Unlike Isabel, Anneliese has no interest in relationships, sex or babies. She is only interested in her career, but often questions her ability to relate to her patients.

Another fabulous instalment in the story of these two fascinating women and I can’t wait for volume three.

Many thanks to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Sophia Lambton became a professional classical music critic at the age of seventeen when she began writing for Musical Opinion, Britain’s oldest music magazine. Since then she has contributed to The Guardian, Bachtrack, musicOMH, BroadwayWorld, BBC Music Magazine and OperaWire, and conducted operatic research around the world for a non-fiction work set to be published in 2023. Crepuscular Musings – her recently spawned cultural Substack – provides vivid explorations of tv and cinema together with reviews of operas, concerts and recitals at sophialambton.substack.com.

The Crooked Little Pieces is her first literary saga. This is volume 2. She lives in London.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

The most compelling, challenging and contemporary novel you will read this year – and which will start conversations we need to have around authenticity, identity and gender.

From the bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan comes a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Olivia fled her abusive marriage to return to her hometown and take over the family beekeeping business when her son Asher was six. Now, impossibly, her baby is six feet tall and in his last year of high school, a kind, good-looking, popular ice hockey star with a tiny sprite of a new girlfriend.

Lily also knows what it feels like to start over – when she and her mother relocated to New Hampshire it was all about a fresh start. She and Asher couldn’t help falling for each other, and Lily feels happy for the first time. But can she trust him completely?

Then Olivia gets a phone call – Lily is dead, and Asher is arrested on a charge of murder. As the case against him unfolds, she realises he has hidden more than he’s shared with her. And Olivia knows firsthand that the secrets we keep reflect the past we want to leave behind ­­- and that we rarely know the people we love as well as we think we do.

My Review

As this book is jointly written by Jodi Picoult, you know that it will raise important questions and make you think.

One of the questions this book asks is whether we are entitled to keep secrets about our past from the people we love. Some secrets are best left buried if they do not in any way affect anyone else. But there are others where it is necessary to tell the truth and leave the recipient of the secret to decide for themselves whether it’s something they can live with. Or is it?

I am not going to give any personal opinions here. I have to play devil’s advocate though suffice to say that my sympathies lay entirely with Lily and her mother Ava. I would like to think I would have behaved like Ava in the same circumstances. And I cried for Lily over and over.

Olivia, on the other hand, can be very naive and annoying, but that’s the whole point. Her voice will be that of many people. Her own experiences in her abusive marriage tempers her opinions and even allows her to doubt Asher’s innocence at times. Would you? Would I? Nature or nurture? I just don’t know.

If I had one criticism it would be that some of the information – for instance all about the bees – can be a bit drawn out making the book a little overlong. However, many of my fellow Pigeon readers liked the ‘bee’ stuff best. Maybe if I was reading on holiday with all the time in the world I would feel differently.

But regardless of how you feel, there is no denying it’s a brilliant book that will stay with you for a long time. I’m so glad I read it.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight novels, including Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.

Jennifer Finney Boylan is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books. A nationally known advocate for human rights, she is a trustee of PEN America. For many years she was the national co-chair of GLAAD as well as a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. She lives in New York City and Belgrade Lakes, Maine, with her wife, Deedie. They have a son, Sean, and a daughter, Zai.