TLC Book Tours Review: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

Genre: Adult (Mature YA), Fiction, Good Girl Bad Girl,

Pages: 368 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Harper (May 17, 2016)

Source: Publisher/TLC Book Tours

Rating:

Synopsis:
Three girls went into the woods; two came out.
It sounds like a joke, or a riddle. But it was only, would ever after be, the rest of our life.
Shortly after Halloween, 1991, the local high-school basketball star is found in the woods near Battle Creek, Pennsylvania, with a bullet in his head and a gun in his hand—a discovery that sends tremors through this conservative community, already unnerved by growing rumors of satanic worship in the region.

In the wake of this incident, bright but lonely Hannah Dexter is befriended by Lacey Champlain, a dark-eyed, Cobain-worshipping bad influence. Lacey forges a fast, intimate bond with the impressionable Dex, making her over in her own image—and unleashing a fierce defiance with unexpected and harrowing consequences. By turns a shocking story of love and violence and an addictive portrait of the intoxication of female friendship, Girls on Fire is an incendiary and unforgettable snapshot of girlhood: girls lost and found, girls weak and strong, girls who burn bright and brighter—and girls who flicker away.

Excerpt:
This is not a cautionary tale about too much - or the wrong kind - of fucking. This is not a story of bad things happening to bad girls.

Welome to the final stop of the TLC Book Tour for Robin Wasserman's latest novel, 'Girls on Fire'

First off, I love the fragmented edginess of the US cover (top) which I think is indicative of the troubled girls' characters. I'm not so sure about the cover for the UK publication (above)  as I don't think it says anything about the book or of who its target audience is.

Hannah is a rather nondescript, uninteresting kind of girl who meets Lacey, an intoxicatingly exciting bad girl. They form an unlikely relationship which becomes intensely obsessive and increasingly unsettling.

'Girls on Fire', told in alternating first person narratives is a coming of age tale in which each of the girls recount, in their own words, their perspective of the events leading up to the final confrontation. Their personal POV's are what gives the story such powerful raw energy, and impact.

Robin Wasserman has constructed a very real and scary portrayal of troubled teens living in small town in the US during the 1990's. I certainly remember the gothic phase of the 90's, the music of Nirvana, and the obsession for teens with anything supernatural or demonic, so I, in the main, believed in the characters and their behaviour.  However, there were a few hilariously 'over the top' scenes which had me chortling, 'oh come on'...'oh too much'...'how's that work then?'.  I can't say anything about the scenes to which I refer due to giving away spoilers but you'll know them if you read the book. This is but a minor gripe and it certainly didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the book.

If you have to like your main characters, or crave a happy outcome, you will be in for one hell of a disappointment and a scary unrelenting ride with this telling of sick, twisted and manipulative girls. I always remember some guy telling me when I was in my teens, 'if you girls only knew what power you held over us (men)...' yeah pretty scary now I know, but fortunately for everyone most girls don't have the self awareness or confidence to know how to use this power and by the time we realise what it is, it's gone.

Anyway back to it, with crass and vulgar language these girls are hugely unlikeable with little redeeming features. There are references to rape, sexual encounters, toxic relationships, heaps of profanity, teen angst, and of course lots of bad behaviour throughout.

At times I did feel too old for what I perceived to be a YA novel. It felt perverted and voyeristic to be reading a confessional piece, however Wasserman reeled me in until I was hooked and unable to get free, until I was fully invested in the girls and their chaotic world, and until I reached the highly sensational conclusion.

The target audience, to my surprise, is the adult market and not YA.  For me 'Girls on Fire' didn't quite have the maturity of writing style and was at times reliant on coincidence and a certain amount of belief suspension for a successful crossover to an adult audience. Younger readers may not question the scenarios but most adults almost certainly would.

That gripe out of the way, I thoroughly enjoyed 'Girls on Fire' an intensely twisted, well written compelling story and one I'd definitely recommend. I will be taking a look at Robin Wasserman's previous YA novels on the back of this one.

Disclaimer: Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary copy of Girls on Fire in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

About The Author:

Robin Wasserman is a graduate of Harvard University and the author of several successful novels for young adults.  A recent recipient of a MacDowell fellowship, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Girls on Fire is her firs novel for adults.

Tour schedule:

Tuesday, May 17th: Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World

Wednesday, May 18th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Thursday, May 19th: Book Hooked Blog

Friday, May 20th: A Bookish Way of Life

Monday, May 23rd: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Tuesday, May 24th: 5 Minutes For Books

Wednesday, May 25th: Thoughts On This ‘n That

Thursday, May 26th: Booksie’s Blog

Monday, May 30th: Ms. Nose in a Book

Tuesday, May 31st: The Book Diva’s Reads

Tuesday, May 31st: A Soccer Mom’s Book Blog

Thursday, June 2nd: Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, June 6th: Lilac Reviews

Monday, June 6th: Booksellers Without Borders

Monday, June 6th: From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, June 7th: StephTheBookworm

Wednesday, June 8th: A Book Geek

Thursday, June 9th: SJ2B House Of Books

Quick Review: They Are Among Us by C Bryan Brown

THEY ARE AMONG US

C. BRYAN BROWN

Genre: Vampire Thriller

Publisher: Post Mortem Press (15 April 2016)

Pages: 268

Source: Purchased

Rate:

Synopsis:
Special Agent Alexandria Maxell believes in human monsters, those whose soul is tainted by the desire for torture, rape, and murder. However, the discovery of a burned body may change her mind as all the evidence indicates the victim and the killer are creatures that exist on human blood. As the body count rises, Alexandria and her team initiate a desperate manhunt to bring the killer to justice, only to uncover a plot to decimate mankind and enslave the survivors. 

Jack Damage has hunted humans for centuries, preying on them at will. Now, twice betrayed by his own kind, Jack is conscripted into the impending human genocide, and he must fight the war on two fronts if he hopes to preserve anything from his old way of life. When the return of a vicious, unrelenting enemy threatens the future of both races, Jack must shift his focus from preservation to survival.  

Out of time and options, Alexandria and Jack both realize that truth and salvation will only exist when they are among us.

My Thoughts:
Ok...this started off brilliantly. The tension build up was superb (tantalising and teasing) and the characters well drawn and above all believable with the unbelievable happenings going on around them.

I loved it..then came the second half and that's where, for me, it fell apart. It almost felt as if this part was written by someone else or that the storyline was running away with itself, out of control.

The potential was huge on this and I'm definitely going to give this author another go.

NOMAD by James Swallow

If, like me, you've been waiting for the follow up to Terry Hayes' fabulous I Am Pilgrim you'll know the frustration of having to wait until next year for its publication.  However, here is a another thriller in a similar vein to tide you over.

Right now NOMAD is available for just 99p today! Get your copy here: amzn.to/1UtJzYu

NOMAD is a fast-paced, pulse-racing terrorist thriller - perfect for fans of I Am Pilgrim, Bourne, 24 and Homeland. It is an espionage thriller for the digital age, inspired by the works of Ludlum, Fleming and Clancy, and is firmly set in a Post-WikiLeaks world.

Praise for NOMAD:

‘An intelligent, likeable and, above all, believable hero is faced with a frighteningly credible threat in a thriller that hits the tarmac running and doesn't stop accelerating until its terrifying conclusion.’ - Ben Aaronovitch

‘A terrific white-knuckle, lip-chewing thriller. Marc Dane is the British Jason Bourne. About bloody time!’ - Rhianna Pratchett

‘Exciting and thought-provoking in equal measure, NOMAD is a thinking reader’s white knuckle thrill ride. James Swallow has written a benchmark technothriller for the 21st century, one that’s as engrossing as it is plausible.’ - Richard Dansky

About The Author:

James Swallow is a veteran scriptwriter and is the three-time New York Times bestselling author. He was nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for his writing on the critically acclaimed DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION, 2013’s blockbuster videogame with over 2.18 million copies sold.

The Mother A Novel by Yvvette Edwards

The Mother A Novel by Yvvette Edwards

Genre: Fiction

Hardcover: 256 pages


Publisher: Harper Collins/Amistad (May 10, 2016)

Source: TLC Book Tours/Publisher (digital-ARC)

Rating: 

Synopsis:
From the critically acclaimed author of A Cupboard Full of Coats comes a provocative novel of a mother enduring the loss of her child, illuminating some of the most important and troubling issues of our time.

Marcia’s husband, Lloydie, expresses his tender love for his wife each morning by preparing a cup of tea and setting it by her bedside. This routine was part of the wonderful, secure life they had built, complete with a brilliant and handsome sixteen-year-old son, Ryan.

Then the unimaginable happens, and in a single moment Marcia is stripped clean of everything she had presumed was hers for keeps. Ryan, not the kind of boy to find himself on the wrong end of a knife, is brutally murdered. Consumed by grief and rage, she is forced to carry the weight of the family’s pain. She has to assume the role of supporter for her inconsolable husband, who has distanced himself and created a secret life. She must also bridle her dark feelings and endure something no mother should ever have to experience: she must go to court alone for the trial of her son’s killer, Tyson, another teenage boy. As the trial takes apart her son’s life and reassembles it in front of strangers, Marcia, always certain of Ryan’s virtues, finds her beliefs and assumptions challenged as she learns more about her son’s death and of Tyson’s life.

The Mother is a moving portrait of love, tragedy, and survival—and of the aftershocks from a momentary act of cruel violence that transforms the lives of everyone it touches.

My Thoughts:
Marcia, 'The Mother', is forced to attend the trial of her son's killer without the support of her husband.
Lloydie, is devastated and unable to cope, or come to terms, with the death of his son. He withdraws evermore into his own solitary world, driving a wedge between him and his wife emotionally and physically.
Marcia, consumed by anger, resentment and the inability to share in each other's grief, slowly the gap between them widens and the rift in their relationship looks unrepairable.

As this heartbreaking story unfolds we learn a lot about each of the characters and their backgrounds, the comfortable lifestyle of Marcia and her family compared to that of the impoverished accused, Tyson Manley, and of Sweetie his alibi for the night of the killing.  I don't want to say much more about these two but boy did I feel for Sweetie. I really felt for Sweetie.

The Mother is a powerful tale about a mother's loss of her 17 year old son who, after football practice one evening, is stabbed to death. The events are narrated in the present tense through Marcia's voice which has an incredibly intense, raw quality. I instantly felt a connection with her and was compelled to listen to what she had to tell me. Marcia recalls banter between herself and Ryan that reminded me of the all too familiar dialogue I often have with my own teen son. It was these moments that brought these characters alive for me.

On another level this novel had a particular hold over me due to it's setting and subject matter. In 2014, my friends sister was stabbed to death on her way to work one morning, I couldn't help but feel devastated once again for my friend and family as well as for this fictionalised family in 'The Mother'.  Whilst the circumstances are not entirely the same there were enough similarities for the story to have an impact on me emotionally.  Both victims were of similar ethnic background, both lived in London, both were horrifically stabbed to death for the most senseless motives. I found it difficult to continue reading initially and gave up at the 20% mark. However I'm glad to say I did go back to it after a day or so.

Yvvette Edwards has written a truly powerful, heartbreaking story of loss, about poverty and the lack of help or support for those living in deprived areas, of the grieving process, inconsolable anger, the utter devastation caused by one solitary mindless act, and the traumatic road one must travel in order to be able to come to terms and and make sense of the world in which loved ones no longer have a place.

Authentic and 'real', with a beautiful cover I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of The Mother A Novel by Yvvette Edwards was provided by Harper Collins via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest unbiased review. Thank you TLC Book Tours for allowing me to take part in this tour.

About Yvette Edwards

Yvvette Edwards, the author of the highly praised A Cupboard Full of Coats, has lived in London all her life. She resides in the East End and is married with three daughters and a stepson. The Mother is her second novel.

Photo by Danielle Acquah

TLC TOUR STOPS:

Thursday, May 12th: A Bookish Way of Life

Thursday, May 19th: Tina Says…

Monday, May 23rd: Ms. Nose in a Book

Tuesday, May 24th: Queen of All She Reads

Friday, May 27th: SJ2B House Of Books

Monday, May 30th: Back Porchervations

Tuesday, May 31st: Kritters Ramblings

Thursday, June 2nd: Booksie’s Blog

Friday, June 3rd: From the TBR Pile

Saturday, June 11th: A Dream Within a Dream

SHEKINAH by Paul Beech - FREE DOWNLOAD

You can now download my nephew first novel for free. I think it's very good. Biased?"   Source: Jim Al-Khalili"

Update : Shekinah by Paul Beech is currently free to download for a limited time only !

Get your copy now here at AMAZON UK & AMAZON COM

TLC BOOK TOURS : Alice In Bed by Judith Hooper

Alice In Bed: A Novel by Judith Hooper

Hardcover: 325 pages

Publisher: Counterpoint (October 13, 2015)

Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours

Rating:

Synopsis:
Arm yourself against my dawn, which may at any moment cast you and Harry into obscurity, Alice James writes her brother William in 1891. In Judith Hooper's magnificent novel, zingers such as this fly back and forth between the endlessly articulate and letter-writing Jameses, all of whom are geniuses at gossiping. And the James family did, in fact, know everyone intellectually important on both sides of the Atlantic, but by the time we meet her in 1889, Alice has been sidelined and is lying in bed in Leamington, England, after taking London by storm.

We don't know what's wrong with Alice. No one does, though her brothers have inventive theories, and the best of medical science offers no help. So, with Alice in bed, we travel to London and Paris, where the James children spent part of their unusual childhood. We sit with her around the James family's dinner table, as she - the youngest and the only girl - listens to the intellectual elite of Boston, missing nothing.

The book is accompanied by Hooper's Afterword,"What was Wrong with Alice?," an analysis of the varied psychological ills of the James family and Alice's own medical history.

My Thoughts:
Based on the diary of Alice James and correspondence between Alice and the rest of the James's family I found Judith Hooper's Alice In Bed to be an utterly fascinating and compelling novel.

We meet Alice, daughter of the famous author Henry James, in her late 30's during the latest bout of illness which has rendered her bedridden. Similar episodes of illness have plagued Alice since she was young and no one has been able to diagnose what is wrong with her. During this episode of incapacitation Alice reminisces about her life, friendships, family, and lovers, giving the reader a glimpse into the private lives of this often amusing, intelligent but ultimately tragic family.

I was particularly fascinated by Alice's relationships with her cousin Sara, and Katherine Loring with whom she formed intensely passionate affairs. The emotions and subsequent sexual encounters, particularly relating to the former friendship, were a revelation to Alice, but also confusing especially as the relationship was not on equal footing.

Alice comes across in Hooper's novel as a highly intelligent, quick witted, articulate young woman, who inside the family, is encouraged to participate in stimulating conversation and argument with her brothers and father on a multitude of topics. However outside of the family her spirited enthusiasm to engage fully in life's experiences is deemed unnatural, and inappropriate behaviour for a young lady.

There was so much that I enjoyed about the book; the prose was exquisite, and entirely in keeping with the period.  My reading copy is full of highlighted text, sentences and paragraphs of beautifully written descriptions of the conversations and acerbic quips between the members of the family. I spent hours looking up words in a dictionary and although I do recognise that this may be a drawback for some readers, I found it enlightening.

Alice In Bed is an intelligent thought provoking, cleverly imagined life of Alice James and one which I recommend unreservedly to anyone interested in American literature, and the lives of privileged women living during this era. It would be an ideal choice for book reading groups as I'm sure it would generate a lot of debate and interesting discussion.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Alice In Bed in exchange for my unbiased, honest review.

Forthcoming Reviews: Wolf Trial, Neil Mackay & Shekinah, Paul Beech

Reviews to come over the next few days are;

Rating:

The Wolf Trial: a novel by Neil Mackay, an intriguing and phenomenally good piece of fiction based on a 16th century serial killer which I rated at almost the perfect 5

Rating:

& Shekinah by Paul Beech, an exceptional debut offering to the teen/YA genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and looking forward to a follow-up. I gave it a big thumbs up with a 4 out of 5

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund

Publisher: Random House UK Vintage Publishing (14 April 2016)

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Genre: Scandi-crime, Adult, Thriller

Pages: 768

Rating:

The International Sensation
It starts with just one body – tortured, mummified and then discarded.
Its discovery reveals a nightmare world of hidden lives. Of lost identities, secret rituals and brutal exploitation, where nobody can be trusted.
This is the darkest, most complex case the police have ever seen.
This is the world of the Crow Girl.

My Thoughts:
Now for a crime story which, unlike Fiona Barton's 'The Widow', definitely is not so simply told, or lacking in nasty scenes. This one contains a multitude of extremely violent scenes of torture, child abuse, child trafficking and murder so definitely NOT for everyone.

At over 750 pages this is a huge tome which I devoured in just a few days. Written in short easy to digest chapters I had no problem keeping track of who was who; who did what to who; etc., etc,. Not since reading Stieg Larsson's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' have I been so enthusiastic about reading or recommending a Scandi/Nordic crime novel.

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund is a very dark, violent and intensely disturbing read with in-depth descriptions of suffering, abuse and rape, and a plethora of shocking scenes. This most certainly won't be a book for everyone, and definitely not for those upset by such scenes.

I am not going to say anymore about this one except that if you are not one of the above then 'just read it'.

Shamelessly twisted and at times sensationally over the top, The Crow Girl was for me a hugely enjoyable, addictive read.  Perfect for fans of, Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbo, and David Lagercrantz.

Disclaimer: A complementary proof copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

About the author:
Erik Axl Sund is the pseudonym for 2 authors who have been friends and collaborators for years: Jerker Erikson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist.
Håkan was a sound engineer, musician and artist, while Jerker was a music producer and worked as a librarian in a prison. Both live in Sweden where they are now full-time writers, and also run an art gallery together.
Originally written as a trilogy before being re-worked for the English language markets The Crow Girl is their first book. The complete trilogy received the 'Special Award' from the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers in 2012, with the academy highlighting the trilogy's "hypnotically captivating psychoanalysis in crime fiction form."

The Widow by Fiona Barton

The Widow by Fiona Barton
Genre: Crime Thriller, Mystery & Suspense, General Fiction, Adult

Publisher: Random House UK, Transworld Publishers/Bantam Press (Jan, 2016)
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Pages: 320

Rating:

Synopsis:

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. "The ultimate psychological thriller". (Lisa Gardner). We've all seen him: the man - the monster - staring from the front page of every newspaper, accused of a terrible crime. But what about her: the woman who grips his arm on the courtroom stairs - the wife who stands by him? Jean Taylor's life was blissfully ordinary. Nice house, nice husband. Glen was all she'd ever wanted: her Prince Charming. Until he became that man accused, that monster on the front page. Jean was married to a man everyone thought capable of unimaginable evil. But now Glen is dead and she's alone for the first time, free to tell her story on her own terms. Jean Taylor is going to tell us what she knows. Du Maurier's REBECCA meets WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and GONE GIRL in this intimate tale of a terrible crime. "My book of the year so far". (C. L. Taylor, author of THE LIE).

My Thoughts:
The Widow the debut offering from Fiona Barton is an 'easy-read' crime suspense thriller about the abduction of a little girl from her own front garden. Set in Hampshire, (United Kingdom) it also visits other locations such as Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport during the course of the book. Originating from the Portsmouth area myself, I found it intriguing to read a novel set in and around places I know pretty well.

The sole narrative written in the first person is that of the widow, which sets her apart from the other characters giving her focus and a sense of alienation from everyone else.  The rest of the narratives are all in the third person and include that of, the detective, the reporter, the mother and the husband. They have their own space in the form of short individual chapters so there's no confusion of who's speaking or losing your place.

Told through these narratives in a shifting of time, back and forwards The Widow commences with the death of 'the husband' and during the course of the book the truth tantalisingly seeps out, but not without several nice twists and turns along the way. The tension held throughout and I didn't feel cheated by a 'meh' ending which I feared it might have, and even when the fate of the little girl is divulged I eagerly continued turning the pages as fast as I could to get the conclusion.

I am not sure if I was supposed to find any of the characters likeable or feel sympathetic toward them, but for me only 'the detective' had any real sense of humanity or likeable traits, but what I did do was find myself questioning the whole media and police detection processes and how the general public view victims and suspects and apportioning blame and guilt. The Widow certainly made me feel a little uncomfortable about certain areas of our lives, especially our relationships via social media.

I had only intended to do a quick skim of the pages for recommendation purposes at our bookstore but I couldn't stop reading it.  A pleasant surprise after hearing that it would be 'another', 'the next' 'The Girl on the Train' or 'Gone Girl', which it isn't. It's different apart from its simplicity of its narrative style. However it may well be the next 'The Girl on The Train' in terms of success, I have no doubt.

It is important to mention, due to the subject matter, that there are no graphic scenes of violence or abuse and safe for readers who are uncomfortable with such descriptions. The Widow is an entertaining thought provoking, compelling read which I highly recommended.

Disclaimer: A complementary copy of The Widow by Fiona Barton was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

In life I was a scientist called Fanning.

Then, in a jungle in Bolivia, I died.

I died, and then I was brought back to life... 

Prompted by a voice that lives in her blood, the fearsome warrior known as Alicia of Blades is drawn towards to one of the great cities of The Time Before. The ruined city of New York. Ruined but not empty. For this is the final refuge of Zero, the first and last of The Twelve. The one who must be destroyed if mankind is to have a future.

What she finds is not what she's expecting.

A journey into the past.

To find out how it all began.

And an opponent at once deadlier and more human than she could ever have imagined.

Well this beauty came in today and I was determined to 'bagsy it' to be the first to read it, however, I was not the only one.  There are several of us that coveted this sole copy. I couldn't do it...deprive my co-workers of the chance to read a few lines during lunch breaks. So there it sits on the table in the staff room for us to take turns reading it...howl...

Justin Cronin's The City of Mirrors has to be the stores most anticipated book of the year.

Maybe another copy, or two, may find a way to us...we can only hope.

Thank you to Orion publishers for sending this much coveted proof copy to our store.

The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin
Orion Publishing Group (16 June 2016)

Fellside by M.R. Carey

Fellside by M. R. Carey (Read Jan 2016)

Source: Publisher - Little Brown Book Group (proof copy)

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Supernatural

Pages 550

Rating:

Warning: Possible Spoiler Alert

A haunting and heart-breaking new thriller from the author of the word-of-mouth bestseller The Girl With All the Gifts Fellside is a maximum security prison on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. It's not the kind of place you'd want to end up. But it's where Jess Moulson could be spending the rest of her life. It's a place where even the walls whisper. And one voice belongs to a little boy with a message for Jess. Will she listen?

Discover M. R. Carey's powerful new novel - a chillingly atmospheric tale filled with tension, action and emotion that's set to take the world by storm.

Praise for M. R. Carey:
'Original, thrilling and powerful' - Guardian
'Haunting, heartbreaking' - Vogue
'A great read that takes hold of you and doesn't let go' - John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of Let the Right One In
'Scary, tense and fast-paced...but with a heartwarming tenderness' - Marie Claire
'A dark, intriguing read' - Martina Cole
'As brilliant as it is dark and devious' Jonathan Maberry

Source: Waterstones website

What I Thought:
Jess Moulson has been severely disfigured as a result of a fire and she is also suffering from amnesia. She has been sentenced for the manslaughter of a child and finds herself at Fellside a maximum security prison in the middle of nowhere.  During her incarceration Jess has visits which she believes are from the child she killed, and he tells her that he doesn't remember much about who he was or how he came to be at Fellside. All he can recall is that a lady hurt him very badly.  Jess, feeling guilty and wanting forgiveness, promises to help him try to remember who the lady was and what happened to him.

Running parallel to the main storyline are several sub plots, one of which is of the inmates and the frightening often brutal world of manipulative and coercive relationships between the prisoners themselves and staff, and of the hierarchical system in which they find themselves.

When I received my proof copy of Fellside by M.R. Carey, I couldn't contain my excitement and delved right into the book the moment it was unwrapped.

The pace is sharp, intelligent, fast and exceedingly well written.  I was hooked immediately and tore through the first 400 pages in next to no time, however a niggle or two had started to creep into my consciousness and the last third of the story just became a stretch too far. I skimmed the last third of the book leading to the final court appeal drama which included a couple of twists (both of which I saw coming), and in my opinion an unforgivable plot hole involving a mobile phone. Fellside is an Interesting premise but it didn't fully convince me with the mounting ethereal dream sequences and real world implausibilities. So when the otherworldly happenings increased in a 'way too weird' way and because of the plot hole reveal, Fellside lost all credibility for me and I was unable to suspend my belief any further.

The setting too felt off. Fellside is a fictional private prison situated on the edge of the Yorkshire moors but the writing style, depictions of the prison environment and general atmosphere had an American feel which didn't feel authentic to me.

So after a great start and right through to the last third of the book I'd definitely have given a 4 star rating, but finally settled on 3.5. A little disappointed, I was, but maybe expectations were high after the success of The Girl With All The Gifts ... or maybe if I had been aware of Carey's background in writing graphic novels I may have been more likely to have 'got it' and known that a pretty high level of 'belief suspension' would be needed to fully appreciate it.

Had I known too that Carey had spoken to former inmates of private prison institutions  in the UK, I would also have found some scenarios a little more believable. However these assumptions are all with the benefit of hindsight, and even though it makes me feel bad about my views, I can only say what I actually thought whilst reading. You can read an interesting review with M.R. Carey here at, Liz Loves Books blog

It's hard to have missed all the, by all accounts justified, 'hype' over Carey's debut novel, The Girl With All The Gifts, and despite my view of Fellside I am still looking forward to reading it.

Disclaimer: A complimentary proof copy of Fellside by M.R. Carey was provided by the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

Fall Of Man In Wilmslow by David Lagerkrantz

Fall of Man in Wilmslow: The Death and Life of Alan Turing
by David Lagercrantz

Publisher: Quercus Books (7 May 2015)

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (digital ARC)

Pages:368

RATING:

Synopsis:
June 8, 1954. Alan Turing, the visionary mathematician, is found dead at his home in sleepy Wilmslow, dispatched by a poisoned apple.

Taking the case, Detective Constable Leonard Corell quickly learns Turing is a convicted homosexual. Confident it's a suicide, he is nonetheless confounded by official secrecy over Turing's war record. What is more, Turing's sexuality appears to be causing alarm among the intelligence services - could he have been blackmailed by Soviet spies?

Stumbling across evidence of Turing's genius, and sensing an escape from a narrow life, Corell soon becomes captivated by Turing's brilliant and revolutionary work, and begins to dig deeper.
But in the paranoid, febrile atmosphere of the Cold War, loose cannons cannot be tolerated. As his innocent curiosity fast takes him far out of his depth, Corell realises he has much to learn about the dangers of forbidden knowledge.

What I Thought:
The pace of David Lagercrantz's novel 'Fall of Man in Wilmslow' feels frustratingly slow, so slow in fact that In the beginning I didn't think I could continue if the action didn't ratchet up a notch or two.  After my initial uncertainty and perseverance, I adjusted and appreciated the languid pace, taking in every detail. It was from that point onwards that I loved the book and characters, especially that of Allan Turing as imagined by Lagerkrantz.

As I said before, the pace in this novel is painfully slow and not going to hold the attention or interest of everyone, especially those wanting an action packed, edge of the seat thriller. Fall of Man in Wilmslow sure won't rock their boat. However, I found it to be a deeply rewarding historical, educational, suspenseful, read.  The substantial character development, and Lagerkrantz's astounding ability to simplify complex mathematical concepts and philosophical conversation for the layperson more than compensates for the lack of pace to my mind.  In particular I found the conversation on the 'liars paradox' totally fascinating. I believe I even understood it, at the time of reading !

Fall of Man in Wilmslow is on the surface a detective mystery novel set during the 1940's and 1950's when paranoia, and conspiracy theories were rife. You just couldn't trust those scheming communists, or far worse those immoral homosexuals... always ripe for the Russians to coerce into an uncompromising position and blackmail into divulging our national secrets.

DC Leonard Corell is assigned to the 'open and shut' case of an apparent suicide. That of an 'Alan Turing'.  Corell becomes obsessed and fully immerses himself in his investigation to find out who Alan Turing was and what he did during the war. His fascination with Turing leads him to some unsavoury characters and into dangerous waters, but also along the way he discovers more about himself and his family, and ultimately begins to question his own prejudiced beliefs.

The atmosphere of tension of suspicion, is palpable and I got a real sense of the overpowering hatred and sexual bigotry of the times towards the homosexual community.

On a deeper level it is a fascinating character supposition analysis of an immensely talented genius and how he was treated appallingly even by those who knew what he had achieved during the war. Not only did no one help him, they actively encouraged the accusations, then left him to be destroyed mentally after his treatment of chemical castration for the most heinous crime of being a homosexual.

I found Fall of Man in Wilmslow to be a deeply affecting novel and couldn't help but think what a waste of an exceptionally gifted mind. What advancements may we have delayed in the computing and artificial intelligence fields.  It is beautifully and sensitively written - to my mind it is an absolute must read for anyone wanting an intelligent, thought provoking mystery thriller.

One of my favourites this year.

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of Fall of Man in Wilmslow was provided by Quercus Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

LATE REVIEWS - I have an excuse...really this time !

My excuse for not getting my reviews done on time !

Tess our new addition to the family is a Patterdale X Parsons terrier and at 11 weeks is demanding rather a lot of our attention.

I will endeavour to get my latest (late) review of Man Falls in Wilmslow by David Lagercrantz done as soon as possible.

In The Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman

In The Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman

Pages: 304 (Hardback)

Genre: Magical Realism, Folklore, Holocaust, Short Stories

Publisher: Scribner

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Recommended for fans of:

David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Sun-Mi Hwang's The Hen who Dreamed She Could Fly

RATING:

Synopsis:

A radiant debut collection of linked stories from a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, set in a German-occupied town in Poland, where tales of myth and folklore meet the real-life monsters of the Nazi invasion.

1942. With the Nazi Party at the height of its power, the occupying army empties Poland’s towns and cities of their Jewish populations. As neighbor turns on neighbor and survival often demands unthinkable choices, Poland has become a moral quagmire—a place of shifting truths and blinding ambiguities.

Blending folklore and fact, Helen Maryles Shankman shows us the people of Wlodawa, a remote Polish town: we meet a cold-blooded SS officer dedicated to rescuing the creator of his son’s favorite picture book, even as he helps exterminate the artist’s friends and family; a Messiah who appears in a little boy’s bedroom to announce that he is quitting; a young Jewish girl who is hidden by the town’s most outspoken anti-Semite—and his talking dog. And walking among these tales are two unforgettable figures: the enigmatic and silver-tongued Willy Reinhart, Commandant of the forced labor camp who has grand schemes to protect “his” Jews, and Soroka, the Jewish saddlemaker and his family, struggling to survive.

Channeling the mythic magic of classic storytellers like Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer and the psychological acuity of modern-day masters like Nicole Krauss and Nathan Englander, In the Land of Armadillos is a testament to the persistence of humanity in the most inhuman conditions.

What I Thought:
These intertwined short stories take place in Wlodawa, a small village in Poland during WWII during the nazi occupation and include:

1 In the Land of the Armadillos, narrated by a nazi officer;
2 The Partizans;
3 The Messiah;
4 They Were LIke Family to Me;
5 The Jew Hater, the second story narrated by a nazi officer.

I adored everything about this book from the cover artwork (the author's own) depicting two of the 'fictional' characters from the titular story of the book, to the exquisite prose and narrative of each of the interconnected short stories.

Holocaust written as magical realism fiction ! ... Surely that cannot do justice to the horrific mass murder of so many during this evil period in history.  However, Helen Maryles Shankman has written a beautiful rendition full of mysticism and religious folklore about her characters and married the horrific reality with magical realism perfectly. In an interview with review blogger, Jeffrey Keen, she says; "...Magic is the only way I can approach the horror of what happened across Europe in 1945. Without it, all that is left is grim, inexplicable reality..."

Source: Review and interview: http://jeffreykeeten.booklikes.com/post/1291928/in-the-land-of-armadillos-by-helen-maryles-shankman).

The stories in this book so affected me that they tore a hole in my soul and I literally cried as the emotive scenes played out, but ultimately I also felt a spark of hope and faith in the eventual power of good triumphing over evil. I held my kindle to my chest on numerous occasions after reading such powerful passages.

In The Land of Armadillos is a book that sucked me in, halted me in my tracks and made me think and evaluate, even reevaluate the actions of certain individuals ... simply stunning, moving, and uplifting ... I want everyone who has a heart to experience this masterpiece. An awe inspiring book that will stay with me for a very long time.

You can read more about In The Land of Armadillos and Helen Maryles Shankman here: http://helenmarylesshankman.com

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of In The Land of Armadillos was provided by Scribner via Netgalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

TLC BOOK TOURS REVIEW: BENEATH STILL WATERS by Cynthia A. Waters

Beneath Still Waters, Cynthia A. Graham

Genre: Contemporary/Historical/Murder Mystery/Deep South/PTSD

Pages: 224

Publisher: Blank Slate Press (31 March 2015)

Source: TLC Book Tours/Publisher

RATING

The swamps and bayous around Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas have always been dark and mysterious, but on this summer day two boys stumble across the remains of a baby girl, headless and badly decomposed.

Hick Blackburn, a reluctant sheriff with a troubled past is called to the scene. With nothing to go on except the baby’s race and sex, the task of discovering who she is and how she died challenges all of Hick’s investigative skills. But Hick faces a deeper challenge. The vision of the infant has left him shattered, a reminder of a war crime he has tried to lock away, a crime that has begun to eat away at the edges of his life, destroying him one relationship at a time.

With the aid of his deputies, Hick will begin to piece together his investigation, an investigation that will lead him to question everything. As he is forced to examine the town he grew up in, he will come to terms with the notion that within each of us lays the propensity for both good and evil. His investigation will turn up lies and ignorance, scandal and deceit, and the lengths a mother will go in order to hide her shame.

Book Description

Graham has written an engrossing and deeply thought provoking southern gothic tale about the good and bad in human nature and of the demons which haunt and torment the particular characters in her novel, and of how they cope (or not) and justify their, at times misguided, actions.

Beneath Still Waters is a murder investigative tale with a troubled love story running parallel and historically through it. Although not as dark or violent as some crime novels I've read it does have disturbing themes such as infanticide and its relative autopsy details which in my view was done sympathetically and very realistically without being too gross or in anyway excessive.  However, because some readers may find such issues disturbing, I wouldn't recommend it to those sensitive to such topics.

One quibble I did have was that the last 10% or so was used to tie-up, 'all of', the loose ends, including ribbons and bows. This resulted in the previous easy pacing becoming rushed, and for me had a 'Miss Marple' convenient ending. Some of the less fleshed out characters from this point onwards became fuller bodied and it is with respect to these characters that I think it would have been best left for the follow-up book.

Even with my one 'teeny tiny' quibble, I enjoyed Beneath Still Waters very much and am looking forward to reading Graham's follow-up novel, Behind Every Door, which takes place a few years later, (publish date, 22 March 2016).

Disclaimer: A complimentary digital copy of Beneath Still Waters was provided by the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

About Cynthia A. Graham:
Cynthia A. Graham has a B.A. in English from the Pierre Laclede Honors College at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. She was the winner of several writing awards during her academic career and her short stories have appeared in both university and national literary publications. Cynthia is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, the Missouri Writer’s Guild, and Sisters In Crime. Beneath Still Waters is her first novel.

Cynthia A. Graham's TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Thursday, February 11th: Buried Under Books

Wednesday, February 17th: Bewitched Bookworms

Thursday, February 25th: Bibliotica

Monday, February 29th: Stranded in Chaos

Wednesday, March 2nd: Life is Story

Friday, March 4th: From the TBR Pile

Monday, March 7th: Kahakai Kitchen

Tuesday, March 8th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Wednesday, March 9th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Thursday, March 10th: FictionZeal

Friday, March 11th: Luxury Reading

Monday, March 14th: SJ2B House of Books

Tuesday, March 15th: Mockingbird Hill Cottage

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman

Robin Gregory

Genre: Teenage/Young Adult, Magical Realism & Coming of age

Publisher: Mad Mystical Journey Press

Source: Digital ARC via instaFreebiedotcom

Pages: 310 (Paperback)

Unfinished - DNF at 38%

Synopsis:
Moojie Littleman has never been much good at controlling his spiritual healing powers. Abandoned at birth to a convent in 1892, he amuses himself by magically snuffing out candles with the blink of an eye, or by sending objects into flight with the power of his mind. When he doesn't get his way, he causes the wind to rip off the nuns' veils and flash their knickers. He is not much good at being part of a family either.

Adopted before his first birthday, his parents soon realize that he cannot walk or talk or learn like most children, and he has a whopping temper. When Moojie is eight years old, he performs a healing miracle, and also loses his mother to a freak accident. His disapproving father sends him to live at St. Isidore's Fainting Goat Dairy with his grandfather, and then disappears.

Moojie's outcome lies in the balance as he strikes up a forbidden friendship with an otherworldly clan of outcasts who call themselves the Light-Eaters. When a natural disaster strikes, Moojie must decide whether to escape through a portal into another universe with the clan and the girl he loves or save the only family he has, therefore fulfilling a surprising destiny.

What I thought:
I loved the eye catching beautiful cover for this one and thoroughly enjoyed the first few chapters. The characters were well penned and an intreaguing plot-line looked promising. I prepared myself for full immersion into Moojie's magical realm.

Moojie's character developed from being a disabled and weak child into a more mature, much stronger individual drawing strength from his weaknesses. At about the 100 page mark the narrative seemed to lose its way becoming disjointed and began to drag. Conversations between the Light-Eaters and Moojie I found perplexing and rather irritating. I didn't 'get' the Light-Eaters...either what they were or what their purpose was, and quite frankly I felt alienated to such an extent that I lost interest in reading any further.

It maybe that had I persevered with the story I would have been rewarded with a truly magical fantastical adventure just as the majority of readers say they had. However due to my lack of involvement with certain characters and the puzzling elements of the storyline I aborted my reading of it around 38%.

Disclaimer: I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a complementary digital copy for my honest thoughts on this book. Although not entirely to my liking I believe it will be a real treat for other readers.

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is Robin Gregory's debut offering and although I didn't finish reading it, I did think it shows huge potential and would certainly like to see what she writes next.

FORTHCOMING REVIEWS:

My absolute favourites with ratings of 5/5 are, In The Land of Armadillos and Man Falls in Wilmslow with The Crow Girl, The Last Policeman and The Bottoms with ratings of 4/5.

That leaves Fellside with a rating of 3.5/5 and I have to say that after the phenomenal success of The Girl with all the Gifts I was a little disappointed with this one.

The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock

The Devil All The Time

Donald Ray Pollock

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Source: Purchased (Waterstones)

*Content: Scenes of violence, mental and physical abuse, & truck loads of swearing*

Rating:

So glad that I've read a run of really good books lately. I get a little disheartened when I try not to but have to abandon more than two books in a row. The latest few have been seriously good in my opinion and I will endeavour not to gush overly, which will, believe me, be hard not to do.

First up is, Donald Ray Pollock's debut novel, 'The Devil All The Time':

..."Unless he had whiskey running through his veins, Willard came to the clearing every morning and evening to talk to God. Arvin didn't know which was worse, the drinking or the praying. As far back as he could remember, it seemed that his father had fought the Devil all the time.”...

The Devil All The Time is unbelievably, the debut novel from Donald Ray Pollock. I couldn't fault it in any area. This gritty, perverse tale of interlinked short stories flows seamlessly from one narrative into another, then back again.  Written in the 3rd person narrative it is a deliriously twisted intensely gratuitously violent tale with deeply religious and Gothic under­tones.

It is an insightful character driven story about several complex tragic, manipulative and predatory personalities who live in and around rural southern Ohio and West Virginia during the late 1950's and 1960's.

One of the narrative perspectives is of Willard Russell, a traumatised WWII veteran returning from the bloody battle front at the end of the war.  On his journey home he sees a beautiful waitress at The Wooden Spoon Restaurant. He is instantly smitten, pursues and ultimately asks her to marry him.  It is during Charlotte's agonising terminal illness that he becomes increasingly unbalanced and resorts to disturbing prayer rituals and sacrifices in order to bring her back to her former health.

Caught in the middle of all this is Arvin, Willard and Charlotte's son who is forced to participate in the rituals. Despite an increasing intensity of praying and sacrificial offerings Charlotte dies and after further tragic events the traumatized Arvin is sent to live with his grandmother.

The imagery is strong and highly emotive with descriptions of Willard's traumatic experiences during the war witnessing at one juncture a crucified soldier, and later of the sacrificing of a dog. Pollock teases us with plots and sub plots. Gives faint glimmers of people about to do right and then dashes your hopes when they do not follow through with their good intentions.

Nothing good ever seems to happen to anyone and I was constantly waiting to find out about the next piece of bad luck or misfortune to befall the next victim.  Its like road crash tv, you want to, OK...feel as if you should, turn away but are just too compelled to witness what these sad, miserable and often violent individuals will do next.

Amongst the multitude of compelling characters are:

Carl and Sandy Henderson, husband and wife who like to pick-up hitchhikers during their road trip vacations. Torture and then kill their prey whilst taking photographs for keepsakes;
The town's corrupt sheriff Lee Bodecker;
& travelling theatrical preachers Roy, and his crippled sidekick guitarist Theodore;

I don't want to detail too many of the townsfolk as I don't want to spoil the thrill of finding out about them as their woeful tales unravel.  However all the narratives are entwined and story lines converge in the novel's grand finale, which at long last may give a tiny glimmer of hope, for one individual at least.

The Devil All The Time is an uncomfortable tale about the darkness of human nature and the lengths people are prepared, willingly or reluctantly to go to when there is poverty, lack of education, loss of faith and little hope of ever escaping from such a miserable existence.

The Devil All The Time will not sit comfortably with everyone especially if you do not like violence, or a serious amount of swearing but if you enjoy extremely well written, clever plot lines about skank hillbilly townsfolk, serial killers, and a plethora of other perverted undesirables, I highly recommend it for those who can stomach it.

Favourite quote: "Some people were born just so they could be buried",

Lee Bodecker, Sheriff

Character most liked: A difficult one. I guess Arvin as he had an unimaginably miserable childhood and I desperately wanted his life to turn out better for him.

Character most disliked: Too many to choose from but I'll say it has to be Carl Henderson a psychotic, manipulative personality. Such an unsavoury slob of a character. Pollock's superb depiction of grotesque behaviour and mannerism of this character evoked such vivid imagery and that the smell of his bad breath and foul unwashed body odour almost had me gagging as it seeped from the pages.

'Knockemstiff' Pollock's collection of short stories published before The Devil All The Time is, in my opinion even more stomach churning. At least some redeeming features can be gleaned from the resident folk in The Devil All The Time.

Looking forward to reading Pollock's second novel,  'The Heavenly Table' published by Harvill Secker (14th July 2016).

Latest Proof's & Purchases

Not sure how long it's going to take me to get through these but, oh I suppose I'll have to try.  It's a hard life being a book addict !

Proof's kindly sent (& gratefully received) from the publishers:

1. City On Fire, Garth Risk Hallberg

2. The Lightless Sky, Gulwali Passarlay

3. Carrying Albert Home, Homer Hickam

4. Not That Easy, Radhika Sanghani

5. Hour of the Bees, Lindsay Eagar

Purchases:

1. Lennox, Craig Russell

2. The Penguin Lessons, Tom Mitchell

3. Khirbet Khizeh, S Yizhar

4. Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan

5. The Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp