From the Book Elf

The Shrine by Lesley Thomson The Shrine by Lesley Thomson was published by Head of Zeus. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis Stella Darnell knows her partner Jack is hiding something. After following him one evening, she discovers he's been consulting a psychic in a desperate attempt to reach his dead mother. A sceptic by nature, and feeling betrayed by his lies, Stella fears what this means for their relationship. Seeking distraction, she accepts DI Toni Kemp's invitation to join her for a holiday in a small village in Gloucestershire. But the visit is derailed when a body is discovered at a shrine where a woman died decades earlier. Drawn into the investigation, Stella must confront the legacy of a once-famous psychic whose shadow still hangs over Prestbury – while in the darkness, someone bent on revenge waits patiently for the perfect moment to strike... My Thoug...

The Hiroshima Boy by Akiko Mikamo The Hiroshima Boy by Akiko Mikamo was published by Monoray. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis As the soldiers lifted me from the floor, my father's eyes locked with my own.  For just a moment, I thought I saw a shadow of sadness across his face. But it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, replaced with my father's look of perpetual determination. "You'll find me at the hospital," I said to him. He made no response to this. "Be well, Shinji," he replied to me. Shinji Mikamo, a teenager, is on the roof of his house, working with his father, when there is a blinding flash. When he regains consciousness, he is severely injured, burned all over his body, and buried in the rubble of a building. Somehow, his father manages to pull him out, and together they begin to search for help. They were - it turned out - only 1200 ...

Book of Forbidden Words  by Louise Fein Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein  was published on  26th February 2026 by William Morrow.  My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis "What power lay there in words on a page. And with that thought, Charlotte knew she would not rest until she had seen what was in the manuscript that Lysbette so desperately wanted to preserve in print.”1552, Paris: Against a backdrop of turmoil, suspicion, and paranoia, the printing press is quickly spreading new ideas across Europe, threatening the power of church and state and unleashing a wave of book burning and heretic hunting. When frightened ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives one day at Charlotte Guillard’s famous printing shop with her manuscript, neither woman knows just how far the powerful elite will go to prevent the spread of Lysbette’s audacious ideas.1952, New York: Milly Bennett...

  The Carousel of Time by Bernard O’Keefe The Carousel of Time by Bernard O'Keeffe was published on 16th February 2026 by Muswell 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 tour. Synopsis What goes around comes around on the carousel of time. Every summer four friends gather at Barnes Fair to ride the carousel in memory of Esther, the school friend they lost in a car crash they were all involved in as teenagers. This year, the morning after the fair, one of those friends, Shelley Gregory, is found murdered on that very carousel. DI Garibaldi has questions to ask. Who killed Shelley, and why there? Is her death linked to the tragedy the friends commemorate each year, or do the answers lie closer to home in the quiet Thameside village of Barnes, where Shelley was well known but not always well liked? As Garibaldi pieces together the events of that summer night, he uncovers dark undercurrents ben...

The General’s Wife  by Suzanne Dana The General's Wife by Suzanne Dana was published on 30th October 2025.  My thanks to Suzanne for sending me a copy to review and to  Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis Some secrets don't stay buried, even beneath military honors Margaret Stone appears to be the perfect military spouse—supportive, resilient, and respected as the wife of Brigadier General George "Rocky" Stone. But beneath her carefully composed exterior lies a past shadowed by tragedy and one fateful night that could destroy everything she's built. When a blackmail letter signed "Swimbuddy1980" arrives, Margaret is forced to confront the truth about what really happened during a late-night swim at Coronado Beach nearly thirty years ago. As the threats escalate and her husband faces a career-defining deployment to Afghanistan, Margaret must navigate the complex loyalties of military life while fighting to protect th...