Latest read...

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the advance copy.

I was looking forward to this after reading The Bone Field a while ago, which was the first in the series. I love a good detective thriller, especially when it's on home soil, and some of the action in the first book took place in my beloved home of Wales.

I was excited to discover it would be a series, and waited eagerly for the next instalment. I am pleased to say that it didn't disappoint and only served to remind me how much I thoroughly enjoyed the first book.

The Hanged Man by Simon Kernick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the first instalment, The Bone Field and The Hanged Man has followed up brilliantly. Ray Mason has a character not unlike that of Mark Billingham's Thorne; a hard-nosed, experienced London cop who isn't afraid to bend the rules a little and it makes for exciting reading. The Hanged Man has a fantastic plot, expertly executed by Kernick and I am looking forward to more adventures with Mr Mason.

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And so she returned...

Hello fellow readers. It's been a while. Over two months now, in fact. I have dearly missed blogging and reading some of the lovely feedback I get from my readers. Fear not, I am still lurking in the community and I am still reading, perhaps less ferociously than before, but reading nonetheless. A family of 5, life sometimes gets in the way!

I would like to share with you some of what I have read over the last few months, which, as you will notice, is mostly non-fiction, a genre I haven't really blogged about much before. Sometimes I think non-fiction requires a certain frame of mind, or headspace. I have read lots of non-fiction over the years, particularly in the self-help and business sections and I very rarely encounter a book that I don't like.

I cannot tell you how I came to read this first novel. I am a massive fan of Queen and grew up in the late eighties and early nineties so Freddie Mercury & Co. featured heavily in my childhood. I read a news piece a while back about the upcoming biopic of Freddie's life and came across Somebody To Love by Mark Langthorne and Matt Richards. I jumped in, expecting a standard look at the life of a famous rock star in the 70s and 80s but instead, what I found was a pretty in-depth history lesson on the AIDS epidemic, and it's devastating effect on one of the World's biggest stars.

It truly fascinated me and led me into many, many documentaries, books and articles on HIV and AIDS. It was bordering on obsession at times, this thirst for knowledge and understanding of something that has always been present for me but never really comprehended. If you have any understanding of the Myers-Briggs personality types you probably wouldn't have a hard time figuring out that I am an INTJ and when we stumble upon a topic, we have to pursue it to it's end. It's a dogged and unrelenting trait that I often loathe because, in the moment, all else is forsaken and forgotten. When you are a parent of three children, their needs have to come first and so it is often frustrating for an INTJ to have to put certain pursuits on the back-burner whilst tending to responsibilities.

It is this dogged research that has kept me busy the past few weeks, and only now that I feel I have exhausted the topic can I move on with my newly acquired knowledge and opinions. So, I am back to the real world, back to some of my favourite fictional genres and back to writing some views and reviews on what Rachael is reading next.

Until next time...

Rachael xo

Some of what I've been reading and watching...

What a week!

Hello readers!

It's been a busy week here! Not managed to read as much as I would like, and been a little pre-occupied with a possible new venture! I will keep you posted on that.

I have almost finished my current read, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. This is another that has been on my to-read list for ages. I still don't know how it ends, but I have really enjoyed it so far. The reviews I have read have been a bit like Marmite. People seem to either love it or hate it. But one thing almost everyone agrees on is how beautifully it is written.

Hoping to finish it tonight, so keep your eyes peeled for my rating and short review.

Rachael xo

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible...

So, you may have noticed already, but I've been a little quieter than normal on the blog! Fear not fellow literature lovers, I am still here! I have been inundated with book review requests, end of term madness, (normality with 3 children!) and taken some time out to actually read the books I need to review! (It does help if you actually read them first, trust me!)

This is just a little update for you. My current read is The Roanoake Girls by Amy Engel. It's been on my 'to-read' pile for quite a few months now and I am enjoying it immensely. My last read was the amazing Lie to Me by J T Ellison. I was fortunate to receive an advance copy and gave it the 5 stars it fully deserved. A brilliant psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Gone Girl, kept me guessing until the end.

My next post will be a short review of The Roanoake Girls once I have finished it. I will then be moving on to a few independent authors of differing genres, so watch this space for details.

Rachael xo

Latest read: Trust Me by Angela Clarke

Today's short review is my latest read 'Trust Me' by the amazing Angela Clarke. Book 3 in the 'Social Media Murders' Series featuring DS Nasreen Cudmore and her long-time friend and ex-journalist turned Police analyst Freddie Venton.

From the book...

YOU SAW IT HAPPEN. DIDN’T YOU?

What do you do if you witness a crime…but no-one believes you?

When Kate sees a horrific attack streamed live on her laptop, she calls the police in a state of shock. But when they arrive, the video has disappeared – and she can’t prove anything. Desperate to be believed, Kate tries to find out who the girl in the video could be – and who attacked her.

Freddie and Nas are working on a missing persons case, but the trail has gone cold. When Kate contacts them, they are the only ones to listen and they start to wonder – are the two cases connected?

Dark, gripping, and flawlessly paced, Trust Me is the brilliant third novel in the hugely popular social media murderer series.

Angela Clarke

About the Author...

Angela is an author, playwright, columnist and professional speaker.

Her debut crime thriller Follow Me (Avon, HarperCollins) was named Amazon’s Rising Star Debut of the Month January 2016, long listed for the Crime Writer’s Association Dagger in the Library 2016, and short listed for the Good Reader Page Turner Award 2016. Follow Me has now been optioned by a TV production company.

The second instalment in the Social Media Murder Series Watch Me (Avon, HarperCollins) is out January 2017. And the third Trust Me (Avon, HarperCollins) is out June 2017.

Angela’s humorous memoir Confessions of a Fashionista (Ebury, Penguin Random House) is an Amazon Fashion Chart bestseller.

Her play, The Legacy, enjoyed its first run at The Hope Theatre in June 2015.

An experienced and entertaining speaker, Angela has given talks, hosted events, and masterclasses for many, including Norwich Crime Writing Festival, Camp Bestival, Panic! (in partnership with Create, the Barbican, Goldsmiths University and The Guardian), Meet a Mentor (in partnership with the Royal Society of Arts), Northwich Lit Fest, St Albans Lit Fest, BeaconLit, and the London College of Fashion. She also hosted the current affairs radio show Outspoken on Radio Verulam in 2015, and has appeared regularly as a panel guest on BBC 3 Counties, BBC Radio 4, and the BBC World Service, among others.

In 2015 Angela was awarded the Young Stationers' Prize for achievement and promise in writing and publishing. She also works for The Literary Consultancy critiquing manuscripts and mentoring. Angela, a sufferer of the debilitating chronic condition Ehlers Danlos III, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, volunteers with Womentoring, Meet a Mentor and at HM Prisons. She is passionate about bringing marginalised voices into the industry. You can find out more about her at www.AngelaClarke.co.uk

My thoughts...

Like many others, I first discovered Angela when 'Follow Me' was released back in early 2016. I raced through it, hoping there would be a sequel. Delight at the news that there was to be another in the series quickly turned to despair knowing I would have to wait months and months for it to be released! 

As expected, when 'Watch Me' was released I grabbed my copy on publication day and devoured it! I was extremely fortunate to be allowed access to an advance reader copy of 'Trust Me' and again, I could not wait to read it. It delivered, just as much as the previous two, perhaps even more so as we witness the friendships and relationships evolve further, bringing a new depth to the characters.

This series is one of my favourites. It is super fresh, relevant and current. The social media aspect brings in everything we rely on day-to-day in our 21st Century lives in order to present fast-paced, gripping thrillers with characters you are destined to fall for. Freddie Venton has been my favourite since day one. She is wild, brutally honest and totally unpredictable and compliments Nas' more conservative nature perfectly. 

'Trust Me' go and read it!

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