From the Book Elf

  Confessions of a Crime Writer  by Louise Mangos Confessions Of A Crime Writer by Louise Mangos  was published on 6th July. My thanks to Louise for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour. Synopsis Handsome, debonair Nigel Inchcock is a talented crime writer working on the next global bestselling thriller. Or so he believes. In his early thirties and still living with his ageing mother, his writing career is taking time to kick-start, hampered by his warped sense of self-belief. From attempting to woo literary agents and library assistants, to becoming a victim of his own research, we follow Nigel on his turbulent journey through the bewildering world of publication. While attending a series crime writing festivals, Nigel befriends octogenarian author Edith Sparrow, after which his writing career takes an unusual turn. An accidental murder, the unintentional theft of a manuscript and the devious misuse of intellectu...

Postcards from Sicily  by Nancy Barone Postcards of Sicily by Nancy Barone is published by Head of Zeus.  My thanks to both of the above for sending me a copy to review and to  Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to take part on the book tour. About Postcards From Sicily A cosy story about mother-daughter relationships and starting over in life, set in a luxurious Italian spa resort Olivia swore she would never grow up to be like her mother, who fled to Sicily to be with her lover when Olivia was a teenager. But now in her thirties, the spark in Olivia’s marriage has been extinguished for years, she’s hopelessly pining over her attractive business partner, Markus, and her own teenage daughter barely speaks to her. So when her estranged mother offers to pay for an eight-week trip to a luxurious wellness centre in Italy, Olivia reluctantly accepts. A break will be good for her. For everyone. There’s just one catch... Susan is staying in the adjoining room. My...

House of Twisted Shadows by J.H.Mann House of Twisted Shadows by J. H. Mann  is published by Dark Spider Books. My thanks to J.H. Mann for sending me an arc copy to review and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the book tour. About the story A HOUSE ON THE EDGE A DAUGHTER DRIVEN TO OBSESSION A FORBIDDEN LOVE Winter 1962 . Amelia Tremayne has spent the past ten years in London trying to forget the lonely clifftop house where her father was killed. Tyler House was built shortly before the Second World War on Cornwall’s stormy coast by a wealthy German outsider. Its most unsettling feature is a vast glass dome that bends the light, casting twisted, elongated shadows across the walls. Amelia’s father, Douglas Tremayne, a noted historian, was researching a controversial book about Tyler House’s Nazi origins - and its links to powerful figures in the local community. As Amelia begins to uncover the truth about her father’s death, she is pulled into a web of buried secrets ...

Consider The Ravens  by Cressida Downing Consider The Ravens by Cressida Downing  was published on 16th July by No Exit Press. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Resources for inviting me onto the book tour. About The Book Lindisfarne in 1494 is a holy island of secrets. The scribe Linnet is running from her criminal past and seeking sanctuary in the island of her childhood. She’s friendless in the monastery, the monks resentful of a woman scribe, and her only company is Tom the fisherman and a child, Isabelle – watchful, clever and unlikeable – with her partly tamed raven Pol. The monastery bursar Oswyn threatens to expose Linnet’s past but she isn’t the only one with secrets to hide. Intent upon uncovering the monks’ misdeeds is the fanatic inspector, sent by the new Bishop of Durham to write a report on the monastery. When Oswyn is found drowned, Linnet suspects the death is not accidental. After another death, L...