Caroline

What the...? 😲 Oh my giddy aunt, what did I just read? 😲

If you're looking for a book that seriously messes with your head, look no further peeps, because The Exes is that book. Never, in my reading history, has a book kept me guessing the way this one has. Or had me hanging on the edge of my seat. And don't get me started on the state of my nails. 🗡️

With more twists than all the rollercoasters at Alton Towers (okay, slight exaggeration) The Exes is compulsive reading. It's pacy, it's thrilling, and it's gripping. Just when you think you have it all worked out, bam! it's plot twist time again. So engrossing does it become, you find it hard to tear yourself away from it. It's equally hard to believe this is a debut. 🗡️

Lest there be any doubt, I'd like to add that I loved this book.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I wish I could give this book 10 stars, that's how much I enjoyed it. 🔨

Lalla Rook is the sociopath in question, and she made me laugh and tear my hair out in frustration, in equal measure. She's definitely not someone you want to mess with, and she'll do anything to save her marriage, including trying to kill her mother-in-law. 🔨

There are some truly memorable characters, other than Lalla. Nelly and Nathan are her adorable children, but there is something a little disturbing about Nelly's propensity for violence. Her skill at hiding from her parents is nothing short of genius. 🔨

Lalla's mother-in-law, however, is a cold hearted snob who cares only about protecting her wealth. 🤑

A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage is compulsive reading as you just have to know what Lalla will do next to dig herself out of the particular hole she has found herself in. 🔨

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This is it peeps. This is quite possibly the most unsettling book I have read this year. The fact that this is a debut novel is impressive. It is a well written, tension filled, haunting tale.

The setting for The Hill in the Dark Grove is North Wales, an area of natural beauty that is steeped in folklore, and many of those stories, such as the tale of Gelert, form part of the narrative of the novel. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The main protagonists are Carwyn and Rhian, who breed sheep on their isolated farm, which has been in Carwyn's family for generations. There is one area of the farm that Carwyn has never set foot on, until now. Suddenly, strange things start to happen, and people begin to disappear 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The pace of the story is slow, but as the unease builds, the pages almost thrum with tension. The changes in Carwyn are unsettling, and Rhian's dread is almost contagious. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

This won't be for everyone, but if you love folk horror and/or Welsh myths and legends, as I do, you will definitely want to read this gem. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

On reading the blurb for this book, one can be forgiven for expecting to find a monster, not unlike Victor Frankenstein's creation, or a vampire 🦇 at the very least.

On reading the book, you realise that the monster in question is in human form, and that it is possible for anyone to carry a monster within.

I liked this book. I liked it a lot. With it's gothic feel and its folk horror themes of superstition and witchcraft, it was dark and sometimes disturbing. 🦇

This is very much a character driven book. The Captain, who is the father figure, is a particularly creepy character and one you just can't help hoping will come to a sticky end. Nope, not telling you. 🦇

The setting is a small village somewhere in Bulgaria, where superstition is widespread, and it is not uncommon for women to be accused of witchcraft. 🦇

So there you have it folks. Atmospheric historical fiction, folk horror with a gothic feel. 🦇

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This is indeed etymological entertainment for every day of the year. I read it like a diary, and found it both enjoyable and interesting.

If you love words, you'll love this gem. 💎

Ooh, well now, this was good. Very good indeed. With more twists and turns than a corkscrew, I almost had myself tied up in knots trying to work out who did what. And that peeps, is what made it so enjoyable. 🗡️

This is quite a complex book, a story of secrets, lies and cover ups. The characters are many, and it's trying to figure out who's lying, and to whom, that makes it so complex, and so gripping. It's that ending that really stands out though. Did not see that coming!! 👀

The story is told across two timelines, the present, and ten years ago. To add to the fun, the story is told from the POV of several characters. 🗡️

All in all, Anatomy of an Alibi is a gripping read that gets the reader thinking. 🗡️

Thanks to Headline Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

It's only in recent years that I have become interested in historical fiction, particularly novels set in the first half of the twentieth century. Novels that are a blend of fact and fiction are especially appealing. Novels like The Winter Warriors. ❄️

This is quite a hard hitting, emotive story about the Winter War in which Finnish soldiers bravely faced Stalin's Red Army. It is also the story of Simo Häyhä, the Finnish sniper known as The White Death. ❄️

Norek pulls no punches when he writes about the battles fought. His descriptions are graphic, yet make compelling reading. Many times, the story moved me to tears. ❄️

One can't help but find echoes of the past in the events of the present. The Soviet Union's war with Finland in 1939, and modern day Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine. Stalin's arrogance then, and Putin's arrogance today. ❄️

Norek is best known as a writer of crime fiction in his native France. The Winter Warriors is his first work of historical fiction, and he has done a sterling job, in my humble opinion. ❄️

If you're looking for an emotive, immersive read, I recommend The Winter Warriors. ❄️

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Yikes!! 😬 That was intense. I feel like I need to lie down and rest my brain for a while. There was so much going on, and so many characters wandering about, I'm exhausted from it all.

It's been worth the rollercoaster ride that is Locked In, though. What a fitting ending to what has been a sensational series. I feel sad that I will no longer get to read about Department Q's investigations. I shall miss Carl, Assad, Rose and Gordon, and the camaraderie that they shared. And let's not forget Assad's camel parables. 🐪

It's good to finally know who was behind the ambush that saw Carl, Hardy and Anker shot, fatally in Anker's case. When the identity of the person responsible for that fatal day, and the events which occur in Locked In, is finally revealed, I was very surprised. Nope, did not see that one coming.😯

Locked In is an action packed, gritty, explosive thriller, the perfect swan song for the Department Q series. 💣

I love wandering around old cemeteries and churchyards, looking at the weather worn headstones, the tombs and vaults, and wondering about the souls who occupy them, the lives they led, and what brought about their demise. 🪦

That's morbid, I hear you cry. Perhaps, but we all have our foibles. 🪦

As soon as I saw the premise for this book I knew I had to read it, and I was not disappointed. Someone is Walking on Your Grave is basically a tour guide of cemeteries that Mariana Enriquez has visited over the years, from Europe to Australia to South America and North America. She's been to Greyfriars in Edinburgh, and Highgate in London. She's been in the catacombs in Paris. She's been in cemeteries in New Orleans and Savannah. 🪦

This isn't just a list of cemeteries and their famous occupants, though. Mariana shares lots of interesting historical background. Stories of love, of war, of body snatching, of repatriation. 🪦

I loved this book. I love that Greyfriars Bobby, the Highgate vampire, the vampire Léstat, and the Sedlec Ossuary were mentioned. And I loved learning that a small area of Patagonia was colonised by..... the Welsh. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🖤🪦

Thanks to Granta Publications and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This was quite an interesting collection of short stories by Agatha Christie. It could be argued that the tales within this volume are not quite supernatural, but they are extremely sinister and atmospheric. 🗡️

Christie's most famous protagonists, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, feature in a couple of the stories:

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb (Poirot)

The Idol House of Astarte (Miss Marple)

The Blue Geranium (Miss Marple)

The Flock of Geryon (Poirot)

These four are crime shorts, but with a sinister slant. 🗡️

Of the remaining stories, my favourite has to be The Dressmaker's Doll. There is nothing creepier than a doll, in my opinion. 🗡️

If you love short stories with a sting in the tail, or haven't yet ventured into the world of Agatha Christie, I highly recommend this collection. 🗡️

I read The Monkey's Paw many years ago when it was featured in a horror omnibus. I didn't know then that its author, W.W. Jacobs, had written a lot of short stories of the horror and mystery sort. I stumbled across this anthology by accident, and decided to buy it. I'm glad I did, because this gave me many hours of reading pleasure. 🕸️

As the title suggests, this anthology contains tales of mystery and the macabre, the first of which, The Monkey's Paw, needs no introduction to horror aficionados. 🕸️

My particular favourites, alongside the above, are The Well, In the Library, The Vigil, and The Castaway. 🕸️

Tales of mystery and the macabre they may be, but there is some humour running through them too. Indeed, the events in The Vigil are somewhat farcical. 🕸️

All in all, this was a fun, enjoyable read and I highly recommend it. 🕸️