BOOK REVIEW: Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie

When friends tell lies, who can you trust?
Julia has always been the friend that Livy turns to when life is difficult. United eighteen years ago by grief at the brutal murder of Livy's sister, Kara, they've always told each other everything  or so Livy thought.
When a fresh tragedy strikes, Livy cannot accept what Julia is supposed to have done. But little does she realise that digging into her best friend's private life will tear the very fabric of her own existence apart. 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 440 

This book was so good! I read it in just two days, the story was so compelling that I didn't want to put it down. Trust In Me is the first book I have read by Sophie McKenzie but I have already ordered her first as I think she is a very talented thriller writer.
McKenzie does not waste any time in ra
mping up the tension. Within the first few chapters Livy has discovered her friend Julia's body. It very much looks as though she committed suicide but Livy will not accept this. Brought together by Livy's sister's murder, they have been incredibly close over the years, sharing everything, or so Livy thought. As Livy begins looking for answers about Julia's death, she discovers that her friend had many secrets. These secrets are related to Livy's past and her sister's murderer but they have dire consequences in the present, especially for herself and her beloved family.
Trust In Me had me guessing throughout. Sophie McKenzie is simply brilliant at throwing in red herrings, there were so many times when just one word would convince me that I had worked it all out, only to discover that I was nowhere near.
The ending of this book was terrifying and so well written , the last few chapters kept me up very late as I just wasn't prepared to go to sleep without knowing the conclusion.
Trust In Me is thriller writing at its best, sharp, clever and gripping, you need to read this book.

Many thanks to Jamie at Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy, Trust In Me is out now. 

Fabulous Fridays

I have decided to do a new feature on a Friday called Fabulous Fridays! I used to love the lists on Amazon that people had compiled of books that they had enjoyed and I would often add to my TBR pile after looking through them. Sadly they don't have them anymore so I have decided to start compiling my own on here on a Friday, just in time for you to have a little browse for the weekend! Each week will have a different theme and I shall give you the blurb of the book and then if you are interested you can click on the book title which will take you to my review. Some of them will be recent releases and some will be a lot older. 
This week on Fabulous Friday I have gone with the idea of drama; so these books are not particularly light hearted but they all have a gripping story line and most are packed with emotion and a few twists and turns!

Have a lovely weekend

Dot

xxx

Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid, Penguin, May 2012, 288 pages

"They tried to make me go to my sister's funeral today. In the end I had to give in... I'd been walking in her shadow for sixteen years and I liked its cool darkness. It was a good place to hide."
Rebecca's twin sister Hephzibah was beautiful and daring. She was the one who always wanted more. The one who wouldn't listen. Now she's gone. Rebecca is alone.
While there were two of them, they stayed silent about their home life. But Rebecca, who knows the truth about how her twin died, suddenly finds herself keeping too many secrets. Hephzibah dreamt of escape, but failed. Could Rebecca be the one to find freedom?
Original and unforgettable, Black Heart Blue is not just Rebecca and Hephzibah's story. It is a story about all of us: a story about the lies we want to believe, the truth we sometimes can't accept, and having the courage to discover the difference.

The Lies You Told Me by Jessica Ruston, Headline Review, June 2013, 368 pages

When Klara was a child, her mother vanished from her life. All she has left is a handful of stories, passed down from the father who raised her. Klara believes she has long ago come to terms with her mother's disappearance, but then she receives a note and key from someone who calls themselves 'N.R'. These lead her to a storeroom, full of the remnants of her mother's past, and to the diary she kept all those years ago. Within its pages, Klara discovers a woman who doesn't quite match the portrait her father has painstakingly painted for her, and a story that leads her to question everything- and everyone- she thought she knew...

Dear Thing by Julie Cohen, Black Swan, May 2014, 400 pages

Claire and Ben are the perfect couple. But behind the glossy facade, they've been desperately trying- and failing- to have a baby for years. Now, the stress and feelings of loss are taking their toll on their marriage. Claire's ready to give up hope and get on with her life, but Ben is not. And then Ben's best friend, Romily, offers to conceive via artificial insemination and carry the baby for them.
Romily acts in good faith, believing it will be easy to be a surrogate. She's already a single mother, and has no desire for any more children. Except that being pregnant with Ben's child stirs up all sorts of emotions in her, including one she's kept hidden for a very long time: Ben's the only man she's ever loved.
Two mothers and one baby who belongs to both of them, which only one of them can keep. 

Some Day I'll Find You by Richard Madeley, Simon & Schuster, July 2013, 416 pages

James Blackwell is handsome, sexy, with an element of mystery about him. He's a fighter pilot- every girl's dream. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother John first introduces them. They marry in haste, one summer morning in 1940, and Diana is still wearing her wedding dress when her new husband and John are summoned back to base to fly their next, terrifying mission.
Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists; James, that very day is show down over Northern France. Diana is left a widow- and pregnant with their child.
Ten years later, living in the South of France with her new husband and a daughter who will never know her real father. Diana is content and flourishing in the Provençal sunshine. Until one morning, sipping her coffee in the town square, she hears something that makes her blood run cold: the voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her, and from whom there can only be one means of escape...

The Son-in-law by Charity Norman, Allen & Unwin, March 2014, 400 pages

On a sharp winter's morning, a man turns his back on prison. Joseph Scott has served his term. He's almost lost everything: his career as a teacher, his wife, the future he'd envisaged. All he has left are his three children but he is not allowed anywhere near them.
This is the story of Joseph, who killed his wife, Zoe. Of their three children who witnessed the event. Of Zoe's parents, Hannah and Frederick, who are bringing up the children and can't forgive or understand Joseph.
They slowly adjust to life without Zoe, until the day Joseph is released from prison...

Tempting Fate by Jane Green, Penguin, September 2013, 416 pages

When Gabby first met Elliot she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years  of marriage she has never doubted her love for him- even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away.  For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt...
Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.
Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?

The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh, Tinder Press, June 2014, 288 pages

He is wearing a pair of plain blue swimming shorts, otherwise he is naked before her. He is muscular, but graceful with it, balletic. He is shockingly pretty...
Each summer, Jenn and her husband Greg return to Deia, on Mallorca's dramatic west coastThis year, the arrival of Emma, Jenn's step-daughter and her new boyfriend Nathan threatens to upset their equilibrium. Beautiful and reckless, Nathan stirs something unexpected in Jenn. As she is increasingly seduced by Nathan's youth and the promise of passion, the line between desire and obsession begins to blur.

Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Penguin, July 2014, 464 pages

It was all just a terrible misunderstanding.
Feelings got hurt.
Then everything just spiralled out of control.
Jane hasn't lived anywhere for longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic coastal town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane feels as if she finally belongs. She finds friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste, two women with seemingly perfect lives and their own secrets.
But at the start of a new term, an incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground, causing a rift between them and other parents. Minor at first, but escalating fast, until whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful, and truths blur into lies. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder...

Remember, just click on the book title to read my review, I hope some of these take your fancy. 

Book Review: The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

For two centuries Jacob Marlowe has wondered the world, enslaved by his lunatic appetites and tormented by the memory of his first and most monstrous crime. Now, the last of his kind, he knows he can't go on. But  as Jake counts down to suicide, a violent murder and an extraordinary meeting plunge him straight back into the desperate pursuit of life. 

This book is seriously good! Jacob Marlowe is over 200 years old and the last living werewolf. Knowing that his time is coming to an end he has to decide whether he will give into his fate or will be put up a fight? An unplanned and unexpected meeting leads him to want to live but how will he do that when he is literally being hunted down?
This book is completely fantastical, there are werewolves, vampires, demons, secret government agencies and so on. However, Glen Duncan makes it entirely believable by bringing in references to gritty, everyday life in the present and also looking back at the previous years of Jake's long life.
The pace of this book just doesn't stop, Jake's life span is literally getting shorter with each page and you can feel his desperation to live but also the weariness of constantly having to fight and look over his shoulder.
Glen Duncan uses language wonderfully in this book. He chooses his words carefully which makes reading the story even more enjoyable.
I would highly recommend The Last Werewolf as it was so interesting on many different levels. I particularly enjoyed the author's writing style and I will certainly be reading his other books.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4.5/5

Book Review: The First Wife by Emily Barr

After the death of her grandparents, Lily Button is left without a home or family in the quiet corner of Cornwall where she grew up. When she's offered some cleaning work for local celebrity couple the Summers she is thrilled when the glamorous pair take her under their wing.
With her stunning house and dazzling husband Harry, Sarah Summers appears to have the perfect life. So why, on holiday in Barcelona, does she slip away from her husband and throw herself into the sea?
After Sarah's death, Lily finds herself inextricably drawn to the grieving Harry. But as she falls deeper under his spell, she realises that nothing is really as it seems...

I have looked at Emily Barr's books in the past but for some reason I have always put them back. However, after reading The First Wife, it is clear to see that I have been missing out.
The cover for The First Wife is very striking and I think that is how I would describe the book as a whole. I felt as though Emily Barr lures you into the book with the character of Lily Button and once you have got to know her then the author introduces a really gripping plot that holds your attention to the very last page.
Lily is such an innocent character, you can see why she is lured in by the Summers but I was not prepared for the devastating consequences that she has to face.
The First Wife has drawn comparisons with Daphne Du Maurier and I think it is deserved. The writing is very subtle and you find yourselves in the thick of a psychological thriller that perhaps you didn't expect.
I haven't discussed the plot too much  as it would be too easy to spoil it but I'm very excited about how much I enjoyed this book. In the future I won't think twice about buying an Emily Barr novel and I am looking forward to catching up with her first two.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out on September 15th!

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Best Intentions by Emily Listfield

The lovely people at Simon & Schuster sent me a copy of Emily Listfield's new book last week; I read it over the bank holiday weekend and I loved it! Best Intentions is the story of four college friends whose reunion in New York has fatal results. Listfield uses the story to explore the question of: How well can you ever really know another person? Lisa Barkley is the central character and in 24 hours her whole life is turned upside down; her husband, her job and her best friend are all called into question.
Lisa is married to Sam and they have settled in New York with their two young daughters; Deirdre is an old college friend of both of them, also living in the city. Deirdre and Lisa are best friends and meet weekly for breakfast to confide in each other about their worries and anxieties. In their last few meeting Deirdre opens up about her complicated love life and Lisa expresses her worry over the financial strains that she and Sam are facing. Jack is the fourth person from their college days; he visits New York for a job interview and the reunion takes place. They catch up on each others lives and the old flame of attraction between Jack and Deirdre is re-ignited again. A series of events contrive against the four of them; Lisa is handed photographs of her husband alone with her best friend, Jack accuses Sam and Deirdre of having an affair in their college days and inevitably suspicions are raised and emotions even more so. This is the build up to Deirdre being found dead in her apartment. Reeling from shock, Lisa has to admit that she has no alibi, nor does Sam; Deirdre's ex was out of the country and Jack's wife has said that he was with her at the time of the murder. There is no sign of forced entry, leading the police to believe that Deirdre knew her murderer and willingly invited them into her apartment on that fateful night.
Lisa already has her suspicions of those closest to her and Deirdre's murder leaves her in the vulnerable position of having to question those that she loves the most. Who would want to murder Deirdre and why?
Emily Listfield's book had me gripped from the very beginning and I loved the use of first person narrative. I felt as though I was standing just behind Lisa, watching all the events unfold and hearing her thoughts and feelings as they happened. It really does make you wonder if you ever do truly know another person or if you just have to take a leap of faith and trust them. What happens to our relationships when they are tested?
I felt that communication was a real key theme in this book too, especially how we communicate with each other and how much information we decide to keep to ourselves. Lisa and Sam both have jobs which involve communicating to the public about people and events. Sam is a journalist so he is always trying to make sure that the truth is exposed and Lisa is in public relations so she is making sure that the public get the positive version of events and people. They are both very much aware of how the system works and this seeps into their relationship and they way they communicate or not with each other.
I would highly recommend this book, it held my attention to the very end and gave me a lot to think about afterwards. If you want to find out more about Emily Listfield then check out her website, Best Intentions also has an individual website that is worth taking a look at. Emily Listfield has written six novels so I am very excited to have discovered an author who has other books that I can explore.