The Secret Inheritance by Rachel Lynch

                                  

Ebook:   357 pages Kindle edition

Genre:  Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, 

Publisher: October 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source: My Kindle Library via NetGalley

First Sentences: 'It won't be long now,' the doctor whispered. Clara dipped a mouth-swab into a bowl of cold water and was reminded of giving out lollipops to the children when they were small.

Review Quote: ‘So many family, secrets, so many twists, and turns, I absolutely loved this book!’ Reader Review, 

My Opinion: 

To be completely honest, this is the first book I have read by this author, because until now the titles/genre haven't appealed to me. 'The Secret Inheritance' stood out as a departure from her Crime Series, as it is a stand alone psychological thriller. Having read the blurb I liked the sound of this novel and must say I was not disappointed.

The protagonists Hettie, Jamie and Rosie are estranged siblings, forced to spend time together at the family home, after the death of their father. After a miserable and traumatic childhood it soon appears that they are all seeking revenge on each other in dark and devious ways.

A country house setting in the English countryside with betrayal and tragedy, for the family has made for a very readable psychological thriller. Can certainly recommend this page turner to fans of the genre.

With thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

The day her brother Christian died, Rosie Fitzherbert left her family home and never came back. Until now.

When her father dies, Rosie returns to Warbury House after decades away. To secure her share of the fortune, she must endure seven days with her estranged siblings, Hettie and James. But the sprawling estate holds more than money – it guards the truth about her brother’s tragic death.

As old wounds reopen, Rosie realises silence won't protect her anymore. With millions at stake and family secrets threatening to surface, can Rosie confront her past before it consumes her future? Rosie hasn't spoken in years. Will returning to Warbury House finally give her a voice?

Author Profile:         

                                                     

                                                    

                                                  Courtesy of Amazon Profile

Rachel Lynch grew up in Cumbria and regularly hiked the fells from a young age.

After studying history at the University of Lancaster, Rachel trained to become a teacher in London.

She began writing full time in 2016 and is represented by Peter Buckman of the Ampersand Agency.

Canelo signed the first three novels in the Kelly Porter series in 2018 and number 12 was published in 2024. 

Rachel lives near London with her husband and two children, and Poppy the terrier.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile.    Twitter Profile.   Goodreads Profile

Your Little Lies by Sue Fortin

                                          

Ebook: 338 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Psychological Thriller                                    

Publisher:  September 6, 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: They say you should never meet your hero in real life, that you'll be disappointed should everything you thought about them turn out to be an illusion.

Review Quote:  ‘Wow!!! This book was so good! Right from the start I was drawn in and stayed that way until the end. THIS is what domestic suspense is about!!’ Reader Review,

My Opinion:  

So glad I decided to add this title to my NetGalley Bookshelf. It is always a risk to select an unknown to me author, when I have so many books I want to read from authors I know.  Now I have another author to follow.

A dual time line thriller 'Your Little Lies' is centred around the female protagonist Hannah. She has just moved with her family to their dream home. It is a shock when she recognises a neighbour as someone from a past life she has kept secret from her partner.  The storyline jumps between what is happening in the present and events of ten years ago. So many twists and turns, although I did work out some of what was happening correctly, but there were still many surprises!

An addictive read that I raced through and would definitely recommend to fans of domestic thrillers. 

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review 'Your Little Lies'

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Jasper puts his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. ‘Happy new home, darling.’ A shiver runs through me. Will I be happy here? Will I finally be safe?

When Hannah and Jasper move to Silverbanks, a luxury gated neighbourhood, it’s a dream come true. This house, with its floor-to-ceiling glass doors, direct access to the sandy beach, and close-knit, caring community, will be the perfect place to raise their precious daughter, Pia.

And then Hannah meets her next-door neighbour. The flicker of recognition in his eyes only lasts for a second, but it’s enough. Suddenly, her safe haven has become the most dangerous place she could be. Unless she does something about it…

Author Profile:                

                                                        

                                       Photo Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Bio from Author Website:

Suzanne writes historical fiction, predominantly dual timeline and set in France. Her books feature courageous women in extraordinary circumstances with love and family at the heart of all the stories.

​Suzanne was a bookworm as a child and this naturally progressed to wanting to write her own stories. It wasn’t until she was on maternity leave with her fourth child, that she thought it was now or never and finally managed to write a complete novel. Having joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association under their New Writers’ Scheme, writing then as Sue Fortin, she sent her manuscript off for a critique.

After another year of working on the novel, Suzanne self-published United States of Love – a contemporary romance. This was then picked up by a traditional publisher, HarperCollins and under their imprint HarperImpulse (now One More Chapter) this book was republished. Writing as Sue Fortin, another seven books in the romantic suspense genre were published with HarperCollins.

More recently, Sue has moved to writing historical fiction and publishes under the name of Suzanne Fortin, with her debut in this genre, The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger released in early 2021 with Head of Zeus imprint, Aria Fiction.

​A self-confessed Francophile, Suzanne has a home in the Morbihan region of France and visits as often as she can with her husband and family. The region has been a huge inspiration for Suzanne’s books and is often the backdrop to her writing.

​Suzanne was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex.

​Married with four children and two grandchildren – when not behind the keyboard, Suzanne likes to spend her time with them, enjoying both the coast and the South Downs, between which they are nestled.

​A keen amateur photographer, Suzanne’s favourite place to hang out on social media is Instagram.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Sue Fortin - Official Website.     Goodreads Profile.      Amazon Profile

Facebook Profile.     Instagram Profile.    Twitter Profile

Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena

 

                                                   

Paperback:  452 pages

Genre: Crime Thriller, Murder Mystery

Publisher: Penguin Paperback 2022

Source: My own bookshelf

First Sentences: There are many expensive houses, here in Bracken Hill, an enclave of Aylesford, in the Hudson Valley.

Setting: North of New York, USA

Favourite Quote: “But all fairytales are tinged with darkness.” 

Review Quote: Dramatic, tense and satisfying murder mystery ― My Weekly

Literary Award: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller (2021)

My Opinion:  I read this as it was a recommended Richard and Judy Bookclub choice. As I have not read anything else by this author I was not sure what to expect, so a little disappointed as expecting a psychological thriller, incorrectly, as it is a ‘whodunit’.

The very unhappy, mainly unpleasant and dysfunctional Merton family, three adult children and their partners get together for their annual Easter Sunday dinner with their parents at the family home, which does not go well. The next day the housekeeper finds the elderly parents brutally murdered and the children are all prime suspects. The protagonists, though all are unlikeable, are well portrayed and the various scenarios, motives and alibis will certainly keep you guessing.

A quick read and worth while picking up if you are a fan of the genre. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

In this family, everyone is keeping secrets - even the dead.

In the quiet, wealthy enclave of Brecken Hill, an older couple is brutally murdered hours after a tense Easter dinner with their three adult children. Who, of course, are devastated.

Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you'd know.

Wouldn't you?

Author Profile:         

                                                               

                              Photo Courtesy of Goodreads Profile                                                                        

Shari Lapena is a Canadian novelist born in 1960, she was formerly a lawyer and a teacher before becoming an author.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile   Amazon Author Page  Shari Lapena - Facebook Page

Shari Lapena - Official Website   Instagram Profile    Twitter Profile

Haven't They Grown by Sophie Hannah

 

Hardback: 328 pages

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: January 23, 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Here we are in the wrong place: Wyddial Lane. It's a private road, as the sign unsubtly proclaims in letters larger than those spelling out it's name, in a village called Hemingford Abbots.

Favourite Quote: “If we never make any changes that scare us at first, we end up missing out.”

Review Quote: 'Complex and sinister' Observer

My Opinion: It has been quite a few years since I last read any of Sophie Hannah’s novels. Actually, it was this author that led me to first read the genre, psychological thrillers, one I had previously tended to avoid. Glad I picked this one up at the library recently, drawn in by the original sounding storyline, it came home with me plus her latest novel to read in a few weeks time.

The protagonist Beth has discovered that something very strange is going on in the life of an ex friend of hers. As she still cares about this person, she decides to investigate and is drawn into a web of deception.  Beth becomes obsessed and although at times it all feels a little too crazy the story is well developed and the characters all well portrayed.

A disturbing story of emotional manipulation and one to recommend to readers of thrillers.  Remember though it is fiction that you are reading for pleasure and if it seems implausible to you good, as this is not a sequence of events you would ever want to come across in real life.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.

Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn't want to see her today, or ever again.

But she can't resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House, watches from across the road as Flora and her children Thomas and Emily step out of the car. Except... There's something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. As Beth would have expected. It's the children. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then.

They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Hilary hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at all.

They are no taller, no older... Why haven't they grown?

Author Profile:         

Courtesy of Amazon Profile 

Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling crime fiction writer whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Her crime novels have been translated into 49 languages and published in 51 countries. Her psychological thriller The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the 2013 UK National Book Awards. In 2014 and 2016, Sophie published The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, the first new Hercule Poirot mysteries since Agatha Christie's death, both of which were national and international bestsellers. She went on to publish a third, The Mystery of Three Quarters in 2018 which was an instant bestseller, and her fourth Poirot novel, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill will be published in August 2020. Sophie helped to create a Master’s Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge, for which she is the main teacher and Course Director. She is also the founder of the Dream Author Coaching Programme for writers which launched in September 2019.

Sophie is also an award-winning, bestselling poet, and her poetry is studied at GCSE level across the UK. She has co-written two murder mystery musicals with composer Annette Armitage: The Mystery of Mr. E and Work Experience. She has written a self-help book called How To Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment - The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life, and hosts the How to Hold a Grudge podcast.

Sophie lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page   Sophie Hannah Author Facebook Page  Instagram Profile

Twitter Profile   Sophie Hannah Official Author Website

Casanova and the Faceless Woman by Olivier Barde-Cabucon

Paperback: 380 pages.                                                                                                 
Genre: Historical Thriller
Publisher: Pushkin Press March 2019 ( First published as 'Casanova et la femme sans visage' in 2012
Source: The publishers in return for an unbiased and honest review.
First Sentence: Night swarmed through the streets of Paris, casting its black veil over the carriage standing motionless in the middle of the deserted thoroughfare.
Favourite Quote: 'Truly, there is entertainment in everything!'
Review Quote: 'A splendid mystery with an appealingly enigmatic protagonist, plenty of melodrama and intrigue, and a vivid, pungent evocation of a turbulent time' -- Guardian
Main Characters: Volnay, (The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths) and Giacomo Casanova.
Setting: Paris, France.
Literary Awards: Prix Sang d'Encre for Crime Fiction in 2012
My Opinion: Not a novel I would have chosen to read had I not been given the opportunity to read and review by Pushkin Press. However I have very eclectic tastes and like to be pushed outside of my comfort zone, in this case I found it worthwhile. Set in and around Paris in 1759, there is lots of excitement to keep the reader interested with conspiracy and spies around every corner as Volnay does his utmost to solve this case in his position as The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths. A position that is not popular with the Paris police chief as he reports directly to the King, despite once being a rebel himself.  A quality read, the author and translator have produced a very descriptive period thriller.
This is the first in a series to be translated from the French by Louise Lalaurie Rogers for Olivier Barde-Cabouchon. I believe more of his novels will be translated if his writing proves to be popular with English readers of this genre.
Certainly to be recommended for fans of historical thrillers looking for new authors to read.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

A chilling mystery set amidst the glamour and squalor of pre-Revolutionary Paris

THE OLD WORLD IS CRUMBLING
1759: Outside the gates of the magnificent Versailles palace, the city of Paris sits mired in squalor and crime. One night a young woman's body is found with ghastly mutilations that shock onlookers to the core.

SPIES ARE ALL AROUND
The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths begins investigating this macabre outrage, but the clues he uncovers draw him into a deadly web of intrigue, and bring him face-to-face with notorious adventurer and seducer, Giacomo Casanova.

A SECRET STRUGGLE RAGES
As a second butchered corpse is discovered, the Inspector finds his life in grave danger and his revolutionary past exposed. Can he navigate between the factions secretly warring for power and find a way to the truth?



Author Profile: 

Olivier Barde-Cabuçon is a French author and the creator of The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths, who has featured in seven bestselling historical mysteries so far. Casanova and the Faceless Woman won the Prix Sang d'Encre for crime fiction in 2012 and is the first of the series to be translated into English.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Goodreads - Author Page     Translator - Louise Lalaurie Rogers   Amazon Author Page

Olivier Barde-Cabucon - Facebook Page

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

                                     

Paperback: 415 pages                                                                                             

Genre: Crime, Mystery Thriller

Publisher: Faber and Faber 2015

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: "Hello, there," she said.

Review Quote: The Kind Worth Killing is a tightly plotted novel of betrayal set in London and Boston. (Irish Times)

Main Characters: Ted Severson, Lily Kintner, Miranda Severson, Brad Daggett, Eric Washburn, Detective Kimball

Setting: Maine, USA

Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller (2015), Gullkulen/The Golden Bullet Nominee (2016) 

My Opinion: An evil and coldblooded story that was not at all to my taste and had it not been a book club choice I would not have read. I did not like any of the characters, Lily in particular was a nasty piece of work in my opinion. Just hope I never meet any one like her in the real world! Although thrillers are not my favourite genre I have read many more relatable and enjoyable ones than this title. A somewhat tedious read where the four protagonists seem to spend  the entire story trying to kill each other. I cannot really recommend it unless of course this sort of ridiculous story appeals, then go ahead as it appears I might be in the minority. In fact one of my book club friends says it is the  best thriller she has read in a long time.

Precis Courtesy of Goodreads:

'Hello there.'
I looked at the pale, freckled hand on the back of the empty bar seat next to me in the business class lounge of Heathrow airport, then up into the stranger's face.
'Do I know you?'

Delayed in London, Ted Severson meets a woman at the airport bar. Over cocktails they tell each other rather more than they should, and a dark plan is hatched - but are either of them being serious, could they actually go through with it and, if they did, what would be their chances of getting away with it?

Back in Boston, Ted's wife Miranda is busy site managing the construction of their dream home, a beautiful house out on the Maine coastline. But what secrets is she carrying and to what lengths might she go to protect the vision she has of her deserved future?

A sublimely plotted novel of trust and betrayal, The Kind Worth Killing will keep you gripped and guessing late into the night.


Video Trailer for 'The Kind Worth Killing' Courtesy of YouTube

Author Profile:

Peter Swanson is the author of four novels: The Girl With a Clock For a Heart, an LA Times Book Award finalist; The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and his most recent, All the Beautiful Lies. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.



Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

YouTube Video   Amazon Author Page   Author - Official Website      

Peter Swanson - Facebook Profile     Instagram - Peter Swanson    Twitter Profile

Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Kindle Edition: 1663KB
Hardback: 415 pages
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Flatiron Books 2016
Source: Amazon
First Sentence: 'This is a story that begins with a barbecue,' said Clementine 
Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction (2016), Holden-Crowther Book Award Nominee (2016)
Review Quote: "Truly Madly Guilty" will be widely read It has all the requisite trademarks of one of her hits It probes some of the things she writes about best: fraught friendships, covert backbiting, stale marriages. "New York Times"
My Opinion: When I knew that this title was going to be a choice for Book Club, based on my previous enjoyment of this author's novels, I purchased a copy for my Kindle. What a disappointment, very much in the minority as regards to opinion, I found Truly, Madly Guilty, boring to the extreme. 

Links to my Previous Reviews: 

The Husband's Secret       Little Lies/Big Little Lies


Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

The electrifying new novel from the international bestselling author, Liane Moriarty

Despite their differences, Erika and Clementine have been best friends since they were children. So when Erika needs help, Clementine should be the obvious person to turn to. Or so you'd think.

For Clementine, as a mother of a two desperately trying to practise for the audition of a lifetime, the last thing she needs is Erika asking for something, again.

But the barbecue should be the perfect way to forget their problems for a while. Especially when their hosts, Vid and Tiffany, are only too happy to distract them.

Which is how it all spirals out of control...





Video Trailer for 'Truly, Madly, Guilty' Courtesy of YouTube

Author Profile

Liane Moriarty is an Australian author born in Sydney on the 15 November 1966.

Her best known novel The Husband's Secret sold over three million copies worldwide, was a number 1 UK bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of 2013 and has been translated into over 40 languages. It spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. CBS Films has acquired the film rights. 

With the launch of Big Little Lies, Liane became the first Australian author to have a novel debut at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. An HBO series based on Big Little Lies is currently in production, starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. 

Writing as L.M. Moriarty, Liane has also written a children's book series, The Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella, The Shocking Trouble on the Planet of Shobble and The Wicked War on the Planet of Whimsy. 

Liane lives in Sydney with her husband, son and daughter. 

For further biographical info visit her official website - about Liane



Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Goodreads Author Profile      Liane Moriarty - Amazon Page         Author's Official Website     

 Facebook Profile - Liane Moriarty        Wikepedia - Liane Moriarty

YouTube Interview    

The Insect Farm by Stuart Prebble

Paperback: 376 pages.                                                                                                
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Alma Books Ltd 2015
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentence: Prologue: There was no particular sense of urgency about the first call that had come in.
Favourite Quote: “It's funny how, when you look back on the big things that have happened in your life, you realize that there were small things you might have done which would completely have changed the course of events.” 
Review Quote: Chilling and suspenseful, rich and human. --Lee Child
My Opinion: All is far from what it seems in this macabre thriller. The story is based on family relationships and the tricks that memory can play on the human mind. At times it felt a little repetitive but overall I liked this, although certainly I would not have chosen to read The Insect Farm had it not been a book club choice. Recommended to readers that enjoy a psychological thriller, as this was certainly an intriguing read.  




Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

An eerie debut suspense novel that explores how little one man may know his own brother--and his own mind.

The Maguire brothers each have their own driving, single-minded obsession. For Jonathan, it is his magnificent, talented, and desirable wife, Harriet. For Roger, it is the elaborate universe he has constructed in a shed in their parents' garden, populated by millions of tiny insects. While Jonathan's pursuit of Harriet leads him to feelings of jealousy and anguish, Roger's immersion in the world he has created reveals a capability and talent which are absent from his everyday life. 

Roger is known to all as a loving, protective, yet simple man, but the ever-growing complexity of the insect farm suggests that he is capable of far more than anyone believes. Following a series of strange and disturbing incidents, Jonathan begins to question every story he has ever been told about his brother--and if he has so completely misjudged Roger's mind, what else might he have overlooked about his family, and himself? 

The Insect Farm is a dramatic psychological thriller about the secrets we keep from those we love most, and the extent to which the people closest to us are also the most unknowable. In his astounding debut, Stuart Prebble guides us through haunting twists and jolting discoveries as a startling picture emerges: One of the Maguire brothers is a killer, and the other has no idea.



                            Video Trailer for 'The Insect Farm' Courtesy of YouTube

Audio Book Trailer for 'The Insect Farm' Courtesy of YouTube

Author Profile

Stuart Prebble, Author and TV Producer was born on April 15th 1951.  He has worked in television since he left Newcastle University. You can read more about him on his website



Photographs, Trailers and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

YouTube Video Trailer      YouTube Audio Trailer     Stuart Prebble - Wikipedia

Author's Official Website      Stuart Prebble - Twitter      Amazon Author Page

A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

Hardback: 366 pages                                                                                                  
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Doubleday March 2017
Source: Lovereading Reader Review Panel Member
First Sentence: Sandwiched between two policeman, the woman descends the gangplank of the ship.
Review Quote: "A sumptuous and thrilling read which reminded me of Daphne du Maurier. It captivates you in its spell right until the end. I loved it." (KATE HAMER, author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT)
My Opinion: Rachel Rhys is the pen name of the already successful Tammy Cohen, author of psychological suspense novels.  There is no doubt in my mind that her debut novel as a mystery writer will also be successful. The idea for the story comes from a memoir that she found whilst browsing her mother's bookcases, written by a late friend during a voyage from Tilbury to Sydney. The memoir chronicles in meticulous detail everything about this voyage, so all the ingredients that make a novel a pleasure to read are present, including a different from the norm location as most of the story is set onboard an ocean liner, just prior to the start of WWII. The reader gets to emerge themselves in ship board life, along  with protagonists, Lily Shepherd and the other passengers leaving the UK in hope of  a better life in Australia. Life aboard ship turns out to be an eye opener as Lily and the other steerage passengers get to socialise with first class passengers, that in real life they would probably have worked for! The unworldly atmosphere and somewhat claustrophobic life on the long journey is a perfect setting for this murder mystery though personally that was almost less important than the wonderful journey travelled in this engaging read.  

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

1939, Europe on the brink of war. Lily Shepherd leaves England on an ocean liner for Australia, escaping her life of drudgery for new horizons. She is instantly seduced by the world onboard: cocktails, black-tie balls and beautiful sunsets. Suddenly, Lily finds herself mingling with people who would otherwise never give her the time of day.

But soon she realizes her glamorous new friends are not what they seem. The rich and hedonistic Max and Eliza Campbell, mysterious and flirtatious Edward, and fascist George are all running away from tragedy and scandal even greater than her own.


By the time the ship docks, two passengers are dead, war has been declared, and life will never be the same again.


Author Profile

RACHEL RHYS is the pen-name Tammy Cohen a successful psychological suspense author. A Dangerous Crossing is her debut under this name and is inspired by a real life account of a 1930s ocean voyage. A Dangerous Crossing is due to be published around the world. Rachel Rhys lives in North London with her family.

Autobiographical paragraphs below in the author's own words are courtesy of  the  Official Author Website.

I was born in Ibadan, Nigeria where my anthropologist father happened to be doing fieldwork at the time. Sabbatical years in far-flung places were a feature of my childhood and I attended school in both Sierra Leone and California. Otherwise, I mostly grew up in the suburbs of London where my adolescence was spent either in the local library or waiting for the last tube home.
After taking an American Studies degree at Manchester University I taught English in Madrid. While working as a secretary back in London, I started writing features and hand-delivering them to the magazine publishing house around the corner. The day the first one got accepted, I packed in my job and declared myself a freelance journalist, which is basically what I remained for the next twenty years, writing features for national magazines and newspapers, such as Marie Claire, The Times and The Telegraph, and then moving on to non fiction books. My dream was always to write fiction but it wasn’t until I was forty-seven that I finally conquered the self doubt and my first novel, The Mistress’s Revenge was published.
These days I live in North London with my partner and three (nearly) grown children and one very badly behaved dog. Together with my family I spent four happy years living in Spain from 2004 to 2008 and I live in fear of people finding this out and asking me something in Spanish at which I remain shamefully inept.
My first novel, The Mistress’s Revenge, was followed by three more contemporary fiction titles under the name Tamar Cohen – The War of the Wives, Someone Else’s Wedding and The Broken. In November 2014, my first crime novel, Dying For Christmas was published under the name Tammy Cohen, followed by First One Missing a year later. My third crime novel, When She Was Bad, is due for publication in April 2016. I am a member of the Killer Women collective of London-based female UK crime writers.


 Information courtesy of the following sites.

Rachel Rhys - Amazon Author Page   Tammy Cohen - Amazon Author Page  

Facebook Profile    Twitter - Tammy Cohen    Tammy Cohen - Official Website

In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward

Hardback: 354 pages                                                                                              
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Faber and Faber 2015
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: Prologue - Blade clanked on flint. Again. Causing the man to recoil.
Review Quote: 'The title suggests that this debut novel ought to be yet another example of Nordic Noir and, although it is set in rural Derbyshire, it does have a Scandinavian sensibility exerting its grip through strength of characterisation.' (Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express magazine)
My Opinion: This is a book I would never have read had it not been a book club choice. However I am glad I did as this novel is a well written and intriguing story with family history secrets as the theme.
Although not my favourite genre, the excellent character profiles and the twists and turns throughout the novel as the investigation unfolds kept me interested. The truth prevails in the end.


Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

In 1978, a small town in Derbyshire, England is traumatised by the kidnapping of two young schoolgirls. One girl, Rachel, is later found unharmed but unable to remember anything except that her abductor was a woman.

Over thirty years later the mother of the still missing Sophie commits suicide. Superintendent Llewellyn, who was a young constable on the 1978 case, asks DI Francis Sadler and DC Connie Childs to look again at the kidnapping to see if modern police methods can discover something that the original team missed. However, Sadler is convinced that a more recent event triggered Yvonne Jenkins’s suicide.

Rachel, with the help of her formidable mother and grandmother, recovered from the kidnapping and has become a family genealogist. She remembers nothing of the abduction and is concerned that, after Yvonne Jenkins’s suicide, the national media will be pursuing her for a story once more. Days later, the discovery of one of her former teachers’ strangled body suggested a chain of events is being unleashed.


Rachel and the police must unpick the clues to discover what really happened all those years ago. But in doing so, they discover that the darkest secrets can be the ones closest to you.



Author Profile:

I have been unable to find much biographical information online about Sarah Ward. If you are interested in learning more about her all I can suggest is that you visit her Author's Official Website

Sarah Ward is the author of In Bitter Chill, which was published in 2015 to critical acclaim and her second novel A Deadly Thaw which was published just a couple of months ago. On her blog, Crimepieces she reviews current crime fiction published around the world. She has written reviews for Euro Crime and CrimeSquad. She is also  a judge for the Petrona Award for Scandinavian translated crime novels. She lives in Derbyshire.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Sarah Ward - Amazon Page     Author's Official Website      Goodreads Profile

Twitter - Sarah Ward      Sarah Ward Crime - Facebook