If you’ve visited my site recently you may well have guessed I’m rather fond of an Agatha Christie story. Growing up I enjoyed watching Hercule Poirot on television (both Peter … Continue reading Read Christie 2019 – The official Agatha Christie Reading Challenge
I love a good drama no matter how it’s presented. Be it radio, television, book or on the big screen, each method has a thoroughly unique way of bringing the … Continue reading Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
So what will I be reading this Christmas Eve? This beautiful edition of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas was a gift from my husband on our anniversary in October. I’ve … Continue reading Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
Another fabulous discovery for me this year is the Poppy Denby Investigates series. I do love a whodunnit and have been a big Agatha Christie fan for many, many years, … Continue reading Poppy Denby Investigates by Fiona Veitch Smith
I am delighted to be taking part in the #blogtour for The Cairo Brief by Fiona Veitch Smith on Tuesday.
Not only will I be chatting about the book but I also have a guest post from the author herself on the shady world of antiquities theft.
Don’t miss it!
Two women have been murdered. Some time apart but it’s undoubtedly the same killer, yet nothing ties them together. Seth is an insomniac. He feels frustrated, lonely and spends his … Continue reading Good Samaritans by Will Carver
Fargo meets Baywatch in a darkly funny thriller by the critically acclaimed author of The Man Who Died Sex, lies and ill-fitting swimwear… Sun Protection Factor 100 Today I’m delighted … Continue reading Blog Tour – Palm Beach Finland by Antti Tuomainen
This evening I’m delighted to be hosting the blog tour for Street Cat Blues by Alison O’Leary. A quiet life for Aubrey? After spending several months banged up in Sunny … Continue reading Street Cat Blues by Alison O’Leary – Blog Tour
The Vigilantes behind him are nothing compared to the enemy within.
Having forfeited his youth to the state prison system, Michael moved back to the still vacant house of his parents in a town with one stoplight. A town that hated him. Had always hated him. And was ready to pick up where the prison system had left off.
Now he’s on the run from men who’ve tried to kill him once; but Michael is more than an ex-con. A powerful, sinister force skulks within him, threatening and destructive. What – and who – it will destroy next is the only real question.
From the bold voice that brought readers down with ‘Purgatory Road’ comes a new pulse-pounding, spine-rattling tale of vengeance and justice.
There is something rather delicious about a good thriller. The kind of thriller that sweeps you up in the story, pushing you on to the next chapter, making you turn page after thrilling page. With Coldwater Samuel Parker has created such a story. From the first page this was absolutely gripping. I was completely enthralled.
THE DAY WAS BORN IN DARKNESS
Michael opened his eyes and saw nothing.
Blackness.
The motes in his eyes drifted across the void.
His mouth was sealed with what felt like tape. Michael tried to lift himself and felt the hard knock of wood against his forehead. A light sprinkle of sand fell on his face, but he was blind to its source, he could only feel it as it dusted his lashes, scratching at his pupils. He raised his head slowly again until he felt the board press against his skin. He lay back down. His shoulders ached, his back. He tried to move his hands up to his eyes to rub the grit out of them but found they were bound together. He stated breathing faster, nostrils flaring in the dark.
He was as a newborn cast out into the vacuum of space. He could feel his heart beat faster as his mind raced to keep up with this discovery of himself. Michael could feel his nerves begin to fire in all his limbs as electric panic coursed through his body. He lifted his head again and hit the boards, a few inches above him.
And so it begins…
There is a sinister force running throughout this novel and there were many times that I questioned who was actually the monster. The level of hate towards Michael, a man who had served his time in prison, a prison in which he had been sent to as child and emerged a man. Yet we would be led to believe that he is evil, damaged and a danger to all those he comes in contact with. Even Michael himself who longs only to be accepted, to be left alone, knows that he will never be able to live a normal life. And yet he wants to live. He still has hope. So he runs from his pursuers, the vigilantes who have taken it upon themselves to rid their small town of this man who they believe does not deserve a second chance. Yet their very actions bring them closer to becoming the monster they are trying to destroy.
Michael is an incredibly complex character. He has so much going against him and although his crime was heinous, I did begin to feel a certain amount of empathy towards him. This novel is a wonderful metaphor for the effects of crime on those who commit it, their victims and anyone who has to deal with the aftermath. Once Michael committed the fateful act, the evil awoke within him and infiltrated everyone and everything he came into contact with.
It gave me much to think about but in essence this is a wonderful novel that was thrilling to read. I’m so delighted to have discovered Samuel Parker and I look forward to reading more from this exciting author.
Thank you so much to Rhoda Hardie for the review copy – you said I would love it and I absolutely did!
You can purchase a copy of Coldwater from Amazon. or any good bookshop. The ISBN number for the paperback edition is: 978-0800727345 but it is also available in Hardback and on eBook.
Coldwater was published by Revell part of the Baker Publishing Group.
If you’d like to read more about Samuel Parker then please do visit his website here.
Sarah Hilary is my author of the month, her DI Marnie Rome crime series from Headline Publishing is one of my favourites, and I get way too excited when I know the next book is due. Her series starts with Someone Else’s Skin, which simply blew me away. It won the Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year in 2015, and is followed by No Other Darkness, Tastes Like Fear, Quieter Than Killing, and her latest Come and Find Me which for me is quite possibly, her best yet.
I recently saw Sarah talking at ‘Cream of Crime’ held at the Steyning Festival, she chatted alongside Erin Kelly, Mark Billingham, and William Shaw. It was a fabulous evening and gave me a real insight into the way Sarah writes and thinks about her books. Sarah said that she particularly enjoys writing about the psychology of a crime, she really doesn’t want to write about good and bad, and questions who the monster really is. To write about darkness you also need light, and she doesn’t ever want to feel numb about what she is writing about. Sarah doesn’t like to plan, she just jumps off and starts to write, letting the plot surprise her. She has a friend who keeps a spreadsheet detailing every character in her books so she doesn’t get lost, as her fear is writing herself into a corner.
Liz – What is your first book memory, is it a happy one, does it have any reflection on, or link to what you write today? What were your childhood must reads.
Sarah – My first is a very happy memory: my grandmother reading a book called ‘Helen’s Babies’ to me and my siblings as we rolled around with laughter. We were a great family for books. All my earliest reads were recommended by my mother who introduced me to Georgette Heyer, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Stewart. As a small child, I love the Faraway Tree and Malory Towers by Enid Blyton, but also the Greek myths and short stories by Eleanor Farjeon some of which have really disturbing themes. I loved being scared by stories, even then.
Liz – For how long were Marnie, Noah, and Stephen in your mind before they escaped onto the page? In which order did they appear and did they exist first or the story?
Sarah – Marnie had a walk-on part in an earlier story where I needed a detective. The first time she appeared she was undercover in biker boots and a punk wig, which I’ve always thought oddly appropriate. In fact, that might be why I gave her such a spiky vibe, and the backstory about her teenage years as a rebel. Noah came much later, and made a far calmer entrance. There’s a solidity and a happiness to Noah which readers love (and I love, too). Stephen was the last to appear. He likes to stay in the shadows, as you might expect for a double murderer who’s keeping terrible secrets.
Liz – I’m rather taken with Stephen as a character, what is it like to have Stephen prowling around in your mind, how often does he knock at the door of your consciousness and how does he speak to you?
Sarah – Stephen is one of my favourite characters to write, although it’s really all about the tension in the scenes between him and Marnie. Stephen doesn’t speak to me much, but he has a habit of standing at my shoulder as I write, or else watching me with his dark eyes from across the room. I find him quite frightening, but I do love writing (and reading) these very dark characters.
Liz – I love your integrity on social media, if something riles you, do you wait, strategise, or launch straight in?
Sarah – Oh blimey ..! Sometimes I don’t wait, although I always try to because it never helps to just add fuel to a fight. There’s an awful lot of bullying and bigotry online. I cannot bear bullies so I find it hard to ignore that sort of thing. It’s becoming harder and harder to be on social media, though. Trump and Brexit have both had the effect of giving nasty people a sense of validation – I’m constantly staggered by the malice and ignorance I see online.
Liz – Who would have the best social media presence and why… Marnie, Noah, or Stephen?
Sarah – Noah, for sure. He would post pics of him and Dan dancing, plus Jamaican recipes and sunny words of wisdom. I don’t think Marnie would go near social media. As for Stephen, can you imagine his Twitter account? “Mood: murderous”. Maybe an Instagram account with photoshopped pictures of him and Marnie as siblings …
Liz – Is there a question you’ve never been asked and wish you had?
Sarah – I love to be asked who I think the real monsters are in my books. Stephen is many things, but I don’t think of him as a monster. There’s a woman in ‘Someone Else’s Skin’ who works in a refuge. She’s one of the worst monsters I’ve ever written.
Liz – Thank you Sarah, fabulous answers – and just to let you know, I now really want to see Stephen’s instagram account!
You can find Sarah at http://sarah-crawl-space.blogspot.com
Sarah can be found on twitter as @sarah_hilary she has a strong social media presence, and is wonderfully approachable.
Come and Find Me was published in hardback and eBook on the 22nd of March and will be published in paperback on the 4th of October 2018.
Book six in the series, Never Be Broken, is due to be published in May 2019 and so now is the perfect time to discover this fantastic author if you haven’t done so already.
Tales Before Bedtime 