They get 5 stars from me!   Apparently I have reviewed around 78 books this year! I'll have read slightly more than that and endeavour to review as many as possible but some do slip through the net. I have loved reading my whole life, it is certainly a form of escapism for me and I thank every single author out there for the time, creativity, lonely hours, self-doubt and perseverance that it takes to not only write a book but then run the gauntlet of getting it published.

5 Stars from me Goodness me I loved this unusual thriller! Sarah Hilary has absolutely nailed this, which given the storyline is no mean feat. DS Joseph Ashe conveys heavy sadness, and reading scenes with him I felt accompanied by a coldness and could almost hearing the dripping. Superb. Joe is a deeply troubled young man who does all he can to appear 'normal' to his bosses, and in particular new boss DI Laurie Bower who seemingly has zero tolerance for pretty much everything and especially him.

4 Stars from me This is such a hard book to review - it held me captive right up until the end. I guess the end is going to be a bit marmite... If it had ended just before the end, that would have worked better for me. So, I've dropped a star for that but honestly feel a bit mean as the book really did hold me in the palm of its hand.

4.5 Stars from me Jason Thorne is a dangerous man, a serial killer who truly believes that he is doing good things, sometimes for love, sometimes for protection. The author presents a side to the killer that I found absolutely fascinating, his depth of belief in his love for whoever he is fixated on at the time. Unfortunately for Esmeralda, it's her.

5 Stars from me I mean, it's a Will Dean book so it's going to be good right? Right. And awful. But awful as in it is brilliant and it will grip you with an iron fist and it will squeeze your sense of fairness, right and wrong. Much like other Will Dean books, this one has it's fair share of climatic building, sprinkled with sudden jolts that deliver a cold drop to the pit of your stomach.

The Daughter by Alesha Dykema Blurb: I won’t let my four-year-old daughter Skylar go through what I had to. I won’t let my father do to her what he did to me and my sister.I know how to play the good daughter. The perfect mother. The wife who smiles on cue.But you don’t grow up in a house like mine without learning how to survive—how to keep secrets buried so deep they almost stop hurting.

4.5 Stars from me There were four Blue sisters, but now there are three. This loss, the guilt, the grief, and everything that remains unspoken fills every corner of the lives of the three remaining sisters. Drives them to seek oblivion, each in different yet equally as self destructive ways. There are many plaudits for this book and it has been likened to a modern day 'Little Women'.

4 Stars from me This is one of those psychological thrillers where the blows just keep coming. Just when you think it's hit the peak - another twist circles your ankles and drags you back under! I 'read' this one on audio book and must confess that, now I've got my head around listening to books, it definitely enhances the story.

4 Stars from me Despite knowing from the beginning that Maddie ends up being interviewed in jail, I read this hoping all the while that she would get away with her crimes 🤦‍♀️ Maddie Reid has had one hell of a childhood - now finding herself completely unaware of the every day things that most people take for granted. The book flits between her being out and tracking down 'fleas' to eradicate, and the interviews in prison with a visitor aiming to publish a book about her.

4 Stars from me This was my first foray into the books of Ian McFadyen and I can see he has quite the back catalogue as The Corpse Bell is the 11th book in the DCI Carmichael series (which began with Little White Lies back in 2008)! The initial story set up gave me Midsummer Murders vibes with the wife of the DCI just happening to begin a new hobby that sat squarely in the middle of the murder and mayhem.

4.5 Stars from me Having read and loved First Lie Wins, I was quick to sign up to read and review Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston, and I was not disappointed. This tight and clever thriller had me hooked and, much like its predecessor, delivered page after page of taught, creative, fiction at its finest. It took me a while to get my head around what was going on, and then to understand it, and then to stand back in awe of the planning and imagination required to deliver such a story!

4 Stars from me I always find there is something so beautiful about this story, steeped in Icelandic folklore along the black sand beaches. Having recently visited Reykjavik and walked along the black sand beach, I can testify that they have an otherworldly feel to them. Freyja, lurks hidden the mind of Unnur who was her childhood friend for the briefest of times but it was a friendship that burned fast and bright; before it was replaced with dark memories.

4 Stars from me There is little better than reading the first book in a new series - and Broken Bones by John Carson did not disappoint. This is my first time reading one of his books and I am thrilled to find there is quite the back collection for me to catch up on. In Broken Bones we meet DCI Liam Brodie who has been assigned to the MIT in Fife following the disappearance of his predecessor.

4.5 Stars from me Always an honour to kick off a blog tour and especially so for a Miranda Rijks one! Her books are the height of psychological thriller core and this one is no exception! Kate's 'one little mistake' which, by the way, is not little! It was a completely unhinged thing to do, lands her in hot water and rocks the foundations of her life long friendships.

4 Stars from me Set along the Cornish coast, with a deep draw to the unpredictable and unforgiving depths of the sea, The Lines is about a ruthless county lines gang. The author captures the insidious and cruel act of cuckooing, taking place in plain sight, with the gang seemingly holding no regarding for the vulnerable people they ensnare. Their targets serve a purpose and, despite initially feeling as though they are friends, a means to an end is all they ultimately end up being.

4 Stars from me I love discovering a debut and this one from Nina Craig is a fabulous introduction to the PI Alison Greene series. The private investigator element brings a different dynamic to the standard police/crime thriller and I enjoyed following her attempts to solve a missing persons case. Her dogged determination to uncover the truth was exactly what I'd want to see from someone finding a lost loved one of mine.

5 Stars from me There are some deeply unlikable characters in this book - enter Bram from stage right. He's a bully, a coward, a weak, self-centered ego driven man, and unfortunately for 12 year old Zach he is also a father. What possessed the man to host a father-son business trip on a snow covered mountain is beyond me but I am glad he did as it made for an incredible, heart in mouth story.