The First Lie – A.J. Park

Out Tomorrow

“A. J. Park is a master of suspense who knows how to keep readers hovering tensely over the edges of their seats.” 
Sophie Hannah

THE FIRST LIE BY A.J. PARK

“This is a real page-turner. I finished it in one go!”
Martina Cole

A husband and wife cover up a murder. But the lie eats away at the fabric of their relationship and things unravel till they can’t trust anyone – even each other.

“A great thriller that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.”
Luca Veste

A freak accident. An impossible choice. But what was the first lie?

When Paul Reeve comes home to find his wife in the bathroom, bloodied and shaking, his survival instinct kicks in.

Alice never meant to kill the intruder. She was at home, alone, and terrified. She doesn’t deserve to be blamed for it. Covering up the murder is their only option.

But the crime eats away at the couple and soon they can’t trust anyone – even one another…

But there is much more at stake than anyone realises – and many more people on their trail than they can possibly evade…

“Fast-moving, gripping, the ground shifting perpetually beneath your feet as you read… I read it in one sitting.”
Alex Marwood

Available as a paperback, ebook and audio book.

Links:

Waterstones Paperback: http://tidd.ly/553cdf07

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KNl4rt

Ash Mountain – Helen Fitzgerald

Today I am joining the blog tour for the brilliant Ash Mountain by Helen Fitzgerald. Many thanks to Helen, Orenda Books, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours, for inviting me to be a part of the tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

Fran hates her hometown, and she thought she’d escaped. But her father is ill, and needs care. Her relationship is over, and she hates her dead-end job in the city, anyway.

She returns home to nurse her dying father, her distant teenage daughter in tow for the weekends. There, in the sleepy town of Ash Mountain, childhood memories prick at her fragile self-esteem, she falls in love for the first time, and her demanding dad tests her patience, all in the unbearable heat of an Australian summer.

As past friendships and rivalries are renewed, and new ones forged, Fran’s tumultuous home life is the least of her worries, when old crimes rear their heads and a devastating bushfire ravages the town and all of its inhabitants…

Simultaneously a warm, darkly funny portrait of small-town life – and a woman and a land in crisis – and a shocking and truly distressing account of a catastrophic event that changes things forever, Ash Mountain is a heart-breaking slice of domestic noir, and a disturbing disaster thriller that you will never forget…

PURCHASE LINKS:

Order here.

REVIEW:

From reading the blurb, I had assumed that Ash Mountain would be a family saga type novel, with secrets being revealed, rifts being healed, and the bushfire providing a little bit of background drama to it all. I was right in part, but my goodness was I wrong about the fire. It is almost a character in its own right as it advances on the town, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

Ash Mountain flits back and forth between the day of the fire, the days leading to the fire, and events thirty years previously, as we get to know Fran and her dysfunctional family. Everything about their stories and experiences feels very raw as they come to terms with their new lives, and, for Fran at least, the memories that returning to Ash Mountain stirs up. This human story on its own would be enough to keep me gripped by this book, as Helen creates a community of strong, relatable characters.

Like many other people, I watched the news of the recent bushfires in Australia, and I thought I had an understanding of what it was like over there, but this book brings the reality to life in ways that no news story did. Helen Fitzgerald captures the raw terror caused by an unstoppable, deadly fire in a way that caused an almost visceral reaction in me. It was painful to read about the utter destruction of lives, homes, wildlife, as the fire rips through the area.

In Ash Mountain, Helen Fitzgerald captures something that would previously have been unimaginable for people who haven’t lived through it and makes it real. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and is now a major drama for BBC1. Her 2019 dark comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in both The Guardian and Daily Telegraph. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Make sure you pay a visit to the other blogs taking part in the tour for more information about the book.

A Creak On The Stairs – Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

I have a fantastic Icelandic thriller for you all today as I join the blog tour for A Creak On The Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir. Many thanks to Eva, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours, for inviting me to be a part of the tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

The first in the electrifying new Forbidden Iceland series, The Creak on the Stairs is an exquisitely written, claustrophobic and chillingly atmospheric debut thriller by one of Iceland’s most exciting new talents.

When the body of a woman is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes, it soon becomes clear that she’s no stranger to the area.

Chief Investigating Officer Elma, who has returned to Akranes following a failed relationship, and her colleagues Sævar and Hörður, commence an uneasy investigation, which uncovers a shocking secret in the dead woman’s past that continues to reverberate in the present day…

But as Elma and her team make a series of discoveries, they bring to light a host of long-hidden crimes that shake the entire community. Sifting through the rubble of the townspeople’s shattered memories, they have to dodge increasingly serious threats, and find justice … before it’s too late.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

REVIEW:

One of my biggest fears is hearing a noise from within the house when I know that I am the only one home. Because of this, A Creak on the Stairs felt incredibly sinister and chilling to me from the very first sentence. Eva Björg Ægisdóttir perfectly captures the claustrophobic feelings that sometimes come from life in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Add to this the long nights and freezing temperatures of an Icelandic winter and you have the perfect recipe for an incredibly atmospheric, gripping noir thriller.

There are a lot of characters to get to know in this book, and at first I must admit I struggled a little to keep them straight in my head. Unless your Icelandic is better than mine, I heartily recommend keeping a snap of the name pronunciation list at the beginning of the book close at hand. It didn’t take long though before I was drawn into each character’s individual story as they are all so beautifully developed, and there is not a single character who comes across as two dimensional or surplus to requirements. I found I had a very vivid image of each of them in my mind after a few chapters.

As secrets are uncovers and revelations made, A Creak on the Stairs moves from a crime thriller to a more emotional, and at times heartbreaking story where there are no winners. I very much look forward to reading more of Eva’s books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva moved to Trondheim, Norway to study my MSc in Globalisation when she was 25. After moving back home having completed her MSc, she knew it was time to start working on her novel. Eva has wanted to write books since she was 15 years old, having won a short story contest in Iceland.

Eva worked as a stewardess to make ends meet while she wrote her first novel. The book went on to win the Blackbird Award and became an Icelandic bestseller. Eva now lives with her husband and three children in Reykjavík, staying at home with her youngest until she begins Kindergarten.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Living Among the Dead – Adena Bernstein Astrowsky

Today I am joining the blog tour for Holocaust memoir, Living Among the Dead, by Adena Bernstein Astrowsky. Many thanks to Adena for providing me with a copy of the book, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours, for inviting me to take part in the tour.

BLURB:

This is the story of one remarkable young woman’s unimaginable journey through the rise of the Nazi regime, the Second World War, and the aftermath. Mania Lichtenstein’s dramatic story of survival is narrated by her granddaughter and her memories are interwoven with beautiful passages of poetry and personal reflection. Holocaust survivor Mania Lichtenstein used writing as a medium to deal with the traumatic effects of the war.

Many Jews did not die in concentration camps, but were murdered in their lifelong communities, slaughtered by mass killing units, and then buried in pits. As a young girl, Mania witnessed the horrors while doing everything within her power to subsist. She lived in Włodzimierz, north of Lvov (Ukraine), was interned for three years in the labor camp nearby, managed to escape and hid in the forests until the end of the war.

Although she was the sole survivor of her family, Mania went on to rebuild a new life in the United States, with a new language and new customs, always carrying with her the losses of her family and her memories.

Seventy-five years after liberation, we are still witnessing acts of cruelty born out of hatred and discrimination. Living among the Dead reminds us of the beautiful communities that existed before WWII, the lives lost and those that lived on, and the importance to never forget these stories so that history does not repeat itself.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

REVIEW:

My interest in the Holocaust stems from my school days, and a visit to Yad Vashem when I was 18. Fast forward 20 years, and a recent visit to Krakow, plus the reading of many books on the subject, and I thought I was prepared for this book. I was wrong. When a book has you sobbing before the end of the first chapter, you know you are in for a bumpy ride. Even as I sit here now typing my review, I have tears in my eyes.

The book opens with an introduction to Mania Lichtenstein in her later life as a great-grandmother. Adena talks of her grandmother, her Bubbie, with such warmth and affection, and the strength of her spirit shines through in Adena’s words. The inclusion of some of Mania’s own writing on her experiences during the Holocaust only add to the depth of emotion in this book.

I think when reading fictionalised accounts of life as a Jew in Nazi occupied territories, it is easy to get caught up in the characters and their story, and while this doesn’t remove the horror of what happened, it does blur the edges a little. With this memoir, written in a factual manner, and also maybe because you know from the beginning how Mania’s story ends, there is none of the distraction of fiction, and at times it made me feel physically sick that people could behave in the way they did. Despite what I already knew of the Holocaust, I was shocked by the brutality of the genocide in Wlodzimierz and what Mania had to go through in order to survive. Her story is completely heartbreaking and will stay with me for a long time.

Living Amongst the Dead is not a book that you can sit down and read in one sitting. It is hard to read about the suffering that Mania, and countless other Jews, endured, and I found I could only cope with reading a little at a time. Despite this though, I would urge everyone to read this book. We must never forget this truly terrible period of history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Adena Bernstein Astrowsky has dedicated her career to helping the most vulnerable of our society. She did this by prosecuting child sexual abuse cases and domestic violence cases within the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. She became the local expert concerning the prosecution of domestic violence related strangulation cases and taught extensively on that subject. Currently, she handles post-conviction cases on appeal and foreign extradition cases. Adena taught Sunday School at her temple for eight years, and in her last two years she co-taught “Character Development Through the Studies of the Holocaust.” Adena contributes articles to MASK (Mothers Awareness on School-age Kids) Magazine, often writing about children’s safety, drugs, law and order, etc. Once a month Adena volunteers at a local Scottsdale library with her therapy dog, Charlie, as part of the Tail Waggin’ Tales Program. Adena has also chaired events to raise money for the Emily Center of Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Recently, Adena was recognized for her professional and philanthropic work with an Amazing Woman Award from the Phoenix Suns and National Bank of Arizona. Adena’s greatest role, however, is as the mother of three very active children. She, and her husband, Brad, are kept very busy with their respective dance, theater, music, and athletic activities.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Don’t forget to have a look at the other blogs taking part in this tour for more information on this book.

 

The Guest List – Lucy Foley

I am thrilled to be helping kick off the blog tour for The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Many thanks to Lucy, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours, for inviting me to be a part of the tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

Another murder. Another mystery.

Guests are called to a remote island off the Irish coast to celebrate the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules and Will. Everything has been meticulously planned, the scene is set, old friends are back together.

It should be the perfect day.

Until the discovery of a body signals the perfect murder.

A groom with a secret.

A bridesmaid with a grudge.

A plus one with motive.

A best man with a past.

It could be any, it could be all . . . But one guest won’t make it out alive. 

PRAISE FOR THE GUEST LIST

‘It grabs you from the off and keeps you guessing until the very end. A genuine treat of a read.’ Lisa Howells, Heat

“Both a classic whodunnit and a very contemporary psychological thriller that left me guessing right to the end – a wonderful read.’ Kate Mosse

‘Great fun. Lucy Foley is really very clever.’ Anthony Horowitz

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon

Waterstones

REVIEW:

I read The Hunting Party last year, and wasn’t sure if Lucy Foley would be able to top it. I mean, once you’ve written a thriller set in the eerie surrounds of a hunting lodge cut off from the rest of the world by snow, where do you go next? The answer, an isolated island filled with its own dangers in the middle of a raging storm. I was instantly put in mind of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and as I started reading, I was already on edge about what was to come.

The author’s style of writing, using multiple points of view, and not only keeping the killer’s identity a closely guarded secret, but also not revealing who the victim is, really builds tension. There is a simmering undercurrent of secrets and lies throughout, and as the storms grows in intensity so too do the revelations that slowly come to light. The storm feels like a character in its own right, making the whole situation feel increasingly ominous.

As the book progressed, I did have my suspicions about who the victim was going to be, although I did change my mind on a couple of occasions. Even as I became more sure about this though, it was still impossible to settle on who the killer might be. The interwoven lives and histories of each of the characters created a story full of unexpected developments, and every time I thought I was making progress in figuring everything out, something else happened to turn my thoughts on their head.

I read this book in one sitting, and I was a scrunched up ball of tension throughout! I love Lucy’s writing and can’t wait for her next book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry, before leaving to write full-time. The Hunting Party, an instant Sunday Times and Irish Times no.1 bestseller, was Lucy’s debut crime novel, inspired by a particularly remote spot in Scotland that fired her imagination. Lucy is also the author of three historical novels, which have been translated into sixteen languages. Her journalism has appeared in ES Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Grazia and more.

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A Dark Matter – Doug Johnstone

For my second blog tour of the day, I have a great thriller for you, in the form of A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone. Many thanks to Doug, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours, for inviting me to take part in the tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

After an unexpected death, three generations of women take over the family funeral-home and PI businesses in the first book of a brilliant, page-turning and darkly funny new series The Skelfs are a well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators. When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another women, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything… It’s a compelling and tense thriller and a darkly funny, warm portrait
of a family in turmoil.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

REVIEW:

The subject matter of this book, and indeed the opening scene, suggest that A Dark Matter should not be a funny book, so it came as a pleasant surprise to me that I could sense an underlying dark humour running throughout, as the Skelf women attempt to find their way without their patriarch. These three very different women all have their own unique ways of coping, which doesn’t always lead to the smoothest of sailings when they are forced to work together. Despite them coming from three very different generations, I found something instantly likeable and relatable in each of them.

With each of the main characters running separate, but equally complex, cases for the private investigation side of the family business, at the same time as juggling funerals and their own grief, this is a book that is jammed full of activity and drama. There are one or two scenes from the more funereal side of things that are not for the weak of stomach, but aside from that, I was engrossed from start to finish.

As each case reaches it conclusion, all shocking in their own way, the book itself reaches it’s dramatic climax in what, to me at least, was a totally unexpected turn of events. I will be looking out for what comes next from the Skelf women.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions – including a funeral home – and
has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Are You Watching – Ralph Vincent

Today finds me joining the blog tour for the YA mystery novel, Are You Watching, by Ralph Vincent. Many thanks to Ralph, Penguin Random House UK, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours, for inviting me to take part in the tour, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

A page-turning new YA thriller for the social media age, perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and One Of Us Is Lying.

Ten years ago, Jess’s mother was murdered by the Magpie Man.

She was the first of his victims but not the last.

Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she’s using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Get Are You Watching? in ebook now for only 99p – https://amzn.to/34J8Qsi

REVIEW:

Being a fan of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, when I saw the comparison between that book and this one, I jumped at the chance to take part in this blog tour, and I wasn’t disappointed.

In the Q&A at the back of the book Vincent Ralph says that he views each chapter of a book as a scene from a film, and this is something that definitely comes through in his writing style. Each chapter is short and snappy, creating a fast pace and a real feeling of tension. Of course it does also make it easy to fall into the, “Just one more chapter,” trap and before you know it, it is three o clock in the morning and you have finished the book. I know chapter length is something that readers have varying opinions on, and whilst I don’t really have a personal preference, I am aware that some people are not fans of the very short chapter. However, I would encourage these people to pick up Are You Watching? and give it a try, because, in my opinion, this style works perfectly for this book. Rooted as the story is in social media, the short, sharp chapters put me in mind of the posts you see on social media, and it reads almost as a stream of consciousness, or a Twitter thread, rather than a carefully thought out story.

Aside from the, “Just one more chapter,” issue, this book kept me reading into the wee small hours partly because I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next, but also partly because I started reading it at night and managed to freak myself out with thoughts of someone watching me, much as Jess’s YouTube viewers were watching her. Just the thought that her mother’s killer could be watching her every move really got under my skin.

As much as the thriller elements, the mystery, the intrigue, in this book kept me reading, it was the underlying story that really hooked me in. Yes, I wanted to know who the killer was and if Jess’s plan to catch him worked, but what will stay with me is the raw emotion of a family torn apart by grief and a young girl struggling to cope with the loss of a mother she never had the chance to really know. From the blurb, I didn’t expect a book that would be so heartbreaking and poignant, and it really touched me. I will be watching for what comes next from Ralph Vincent, that is for sure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Vincent Ralph has been writing in one form or another since his teens and always dreamed of being a novelist. He owes his love of books to his mother, who encouraged his imagination from an early age and made sure there were new stories to read.

Vincent has lived in London, Cornwall and Chester but he now lives in his home county of Kent with his wife, son and two cats.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Don’t forget to pay a visit to the other blogs taking part in the tour to find out more about this book.

The Home – Sarah Stovell

I am thrilled to be joining the blog tour for The Home, by Sarah Stovell, today. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour, and to Sarah and Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

When the body of pregnant, fifteen-year-old Hope Lacey is discovered in a churchyard on Christmas morning, the community is shocked, but unsurprised. For Hope lived in The Home, the residence of three young girls, whose violent and disturbing pasts have seen them cloistered away.

As a police investigation gets underway, the lives of Hope, Lara and Annie are examined, and the staff who work at the home are interviewed, leading to shocking and distressing revelations… and clear evidence that someone is seeking revenge.

A dark and devastating psychological thriller, The Home is also a heartbreaking and insightful portrayal of the underbelly of society, where children learn what they live … if they are allowed to live at all.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

REVIEW:

Just from reading the blurb for this book, I knew The Home was going to be a dark story, but I don’t think I had entirely prepared myself for just how dark. The home in question, if you can call it a home, Hillfoot House just felt so bleak and devoid of love. In such an isolated location and with a completely demoralised staff, you could be fairly certain that if the girls who lived there weren’t troubled before they went in, they certainly would be by the time they left.

Sarah Stovell throws you right into the heart of the action with the discovery of Hope’s body, and it is only as the story unfolds that you uncover the awful truth about what brought each of them to Hillfoot House, the unthinkable abuse and suffering that each of them had gone through. Although the murder mystery is a key part of the story, it is the raw emotion shown in the girls histories that will stay with me from this book.

By moving between the past and present, Stovell ensures that the reader is kept guessing about the truth of Hope’s death right to the end. I know I changed my mind about what had happened on more than one occasion as I was reading.

I don’t usually look to see who the publisher is when I am choosing a book to read, but Orenda is fast becoming a name I will be looking out for – from what I have read so far, anything they choose to publish is going to be a pretty safe bet for being an excellent read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Stovell was born in 1977 and spent most of her life in the Home Counties before a season working in a remote North Yorkshire youth hostel made her realise she was a northerner at heart. She now lives in Northumberland with her partner and two children and is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Lincoln University. Her debut psychological thriller, Exquisite, was called ‘the book of the summer ’ by Sunday Times.

 

 

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The Child on Platform One – Gill Thompson

Today I am joining the blog tour for one of the most moving books I have read in a long time, The Child on Platform One by Gill Thompson. My thanks go to Gill, Headline, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours, for inviting me to be a part of the tour and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

Inspired by the real-life escape of thousands of Jewish children from Nazi occupied Europe on the Kindertransport trains to London.

Prague 1939. Young mother Eva has a secret from her past. When the Nazis invade, Eva knows the only way to keep her daughter Miriam safe is to send her away – even if it means never seeing her again. But when Eva is taken to a concentration camp, her secret is at risk of being exposed.

In London, Pamela volunteers to help find places for the Jewish children arrived from Europe. Befriending one unclaimed little girl, Pamela brings her home. It is only when her young son enlists in the RAF that Pamela realises how easily her own world could come crashing down.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

REVIEW:

It feels wrong to say that I enjoyed a book centred around the Nazi treatment of the Jewish community in Europe and the Kindertransport, but this is a truly wonderful book that touched my heart and reduced me to tears, both sad and happy, on more than one occasion.

I knew a little about Nicholas Winton and his work with the Kindertransport prior to reading this book, but in all honesty had never given much thought to how it affected the families involved. The Child on Platform One really brought home to me how heartbreaking a decision it must have been for the parents who sent their children away, and how terrifying it must have been for the children to be torn from their families and moved to a country with strange food and a language they didn’t understand. In Eva’s desperation to save her child, and Pamela’s longing to save as many as she could, Gill Thompson creates two amazingly strong female characters who are stuck in a terrible situation, but are determined not to be beaten down by it.

As the war and the story progress, Gill includes just enough factual information to create a sense of foreboding about what is to come, without detracting from humanity of the tale she is telling. From the experiments that Josef is asked to work on, to the living conditions and musical performances at Terezin, these little snippets of fact woven into the story only serve to add more heart to the tale.

The Child on Platform One is heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measure. It is a book that everyone should read, even if historical fiction is not normally a genre you would try. We should never forget what happened, and in this deeply soul touching book, Gill Thompson is helping to ensure that we never do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gill Thompson is an English lecturer who completed an MA in C reative Writing at Chichester University. Her debut novel, THE OCEANS BETWEEN US, was a No. 1 digital bestseller and has been highly acclaimed. She lives with her family in West Sussex and teaches English to college students.

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Make sure you pay a visit to the other blogs taking part on this tour for more information on this emotional book.

 

Nothing Important Happened Today – Will Carver

I am thrilled to be joining the blog tour for Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver. My thanks to Will, Orenda Books, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours, for inviting me to take part, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

BLURB:

A shocking, mesmerisingly original, pitch-black thriller, which, following the critically acclaimed Good Samaritans, confirms Will Carver as one of the most imaginative, innovative and exciting authors in crime fiction.

Nine people arrive one night on Chelsea Bridge. They’ve never met. But, at the same time, they leap to their deaths. Each of them received a letter in the post that morning, a pre-written suicide note, and a page containing only four words: Nothing important happened today.

That is how they knew they had been chosen to become a part of The People of Choice: a mysterious suicide cult whose members have no knowledge of one another.

Thirty-two people on a train witness the event. Two of them will be next. By the morning, People of Choice are appearing around the globe. It becomes a movement. A social-media page that has lain dormant for four years suddenly has thousands of followers.

The police are under pressure to find a link between the cult members, to locate a leader who does not seem to exist …

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon

REVIEW:

Nothing Important Happened Today is a book that presents a fascinating concept of an apparently leaderless cult, but at the same time is also a book that teeters on edge of being either totally weird or completely brilliant. Read on to see what side I came down on.

Having studied religion throughout school, college and (briefly) university, the names of the cults and their leaders that came before The People of Choice were familiar to me, and yet despite my past studies, the book presented a new theory to me of what it is that makes a cult. I don’t think that I had ever properly considered before that the people on the inside don’t think of themselves as being part of a cult, rather that it is people on the outside that attach this label. This new idea alone would have been enough to keep me reading, but the more I read, the more I was absorbed into this damning look at the world we live in, and it’s obsession with appearance and social media “likes”.

Whilst the description of each of the cult members is cold and almost clinical, there is somehow still something deeply emotional about it. The use of numbers as identifiers, and on the whole never revealing the names of the members, resonates with real life. If you saw the story on the news of nine total strangers committing suicide at the same time at the same place, sure, you’d remember the story, but honestly, how long would you remember their names for? It is this realisation that makes this book compelling, if not always comfortable, reading.

Trying to unravel the who, the how, and the why behind the supposed cult of The People of Choice kept me thinking even when I wasn’t reading and was trying to get on with my own life – this book just stays with you as you try to work out how these people are connected, and why they would do what they did. Even when I thought I knew, honestly, I didn’t!

So, going back to the question of whether this book is weird or brilliant – quite frankly, it is brilliant. It is a real head-scratcher that goes far deeper than your average whodunit. If you like a thoroughly thought-provoking read, then this is the book for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.

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