Book Review: The Secret, by Katerina Diamond #KeepTheSecret

Publisher:  Avon Books UK (Harper Collins)

Publication date:  20th October 2016

Are you familiar with Katerina Diamond’s debut, The Teacher? No? Well, you ought to know that she’s not shy where plot grimness is concerned, pushing her characters beyond the reasonable limits of day-to-day normality. The Secret is no exception, only this time she gives ’em a damn good shove until they’re teetering on the edge.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the return of the emotionally isolated Miles and Grey, and here they are – the detective duo with more issues than Reader’s Digest. They wear their poker faces 24/7 to ensure their vulnerable sides are never exposed and any relationship they engage in is frenetic, brooding or fractured. They have an endless supply of sarcastic retorts to suit every occasion, and both halves of this exclusive team spot the early warning signs when they have breached each other’s personal space.

Yes indeedy, Miles and Grey are back and I love them to bits for their spectacular faults, wisecracks, and the bad luck fired at them by the bucket load.

The Secret is a tricky bread crumb trail of lies, and it was fab to delve deeper into the dynamics of the latest criminal fraternity VS law ensemble to decide where to place my trust, which wasn’t easy as there’s some serious deviousness going on! The main focus leans toward the enigma that is DI Imogen Grey. During the current investigation to find a missing woman who has links to her old partner, Grey’s past trickles to the surface including the quirks of her mother’s hoarding, the life challenges that made her as hard as nails, and the near fatal hideousness of a previous case forcing a move from Plymouth Constabulary to Exeter touched on in book one. A LOT of stagnant water rushes under the bridge for Grey in this one, dragging the truth with it to rage like a torrent throughout the pages.

This case leads us into the realms of some truly abhorrent crimes. Not only do we hear accounts of the missing woman’s imprisonment in a place where the concept of time and reality has left the building, there’s one hell of a HUMONGOUS revelation for Grey and potential trouble brewing for Miles’s ex-wife too. And I mustn’t forget the intermittent monologues of a depraved and insecure individual. These moments shine a light into their mind as they develop their private recreational activities in the name of twisted gratification. But life just wouldn’t be the same without a creepy oddball living out their dream while discreetly losing their mind, would it?

The Secret rarely strays out of the dark. Pretty much anything goes, and what does go is often explored in lurid detail. It’s extreme, wicked and disturbing – and I’m THOROUGHLY looking forward to the next one…

Rating:  4/5

(I received an advanced digital copy of this title from the publishers via NetGalley with my thanks, and this is my unbiased review.)

(Courtesy of Amazon UK)

‘Diamond is the master of gripping literature.’ EVENING STANDARD

The Queen of Grip-lit is back… All hail the new Queen of Crime!’ HEAT

‘A web of a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This formidable debut is a page-turner, but don’t read it before bed if you’re easily spooked!’ SUN

Can you keep a secret? Your life depends on it…

Bridget Reid has a secret, one that could get her killed… If she can escape the man who is keeping her locked in a basement bedroom.

DS Imogen Grey is good at keeping secrets – truths she’d never reveal to her colleagues at Exeter Police. She worked hard to get where she is – she nearly died for it. Now her past is catching up with her…

As DS Grey and her partner DS Adrian Miles search for Bridget, they uncover a terrifying web of abuse, betrayal and murder. And they realise that some secrets are better left buried…

BUY THE BOOK

(Courtesy of Amazon UK)

Katerina Diamond was born in Weston in the seventies. She moved to Thessaloniki in Greece and attended Greek school where she learnt Greek in just 6 months. After her parents’ divorce, they relocated to Devon. After school, and working in her uncle’s fish and chip shop, she went (briefly) to university at Derby, where she met her husband and had two children. Katerina now lives in the East Kent Coast with her husband and children.

Her debut novel, The Teacher, was a No.1 bestseller in ebook, and a Sunday Times bestseller in paperback.

TWITTER   |   WEBSITE / BLOG

ALSO AVAILABLE…

Advertisement

Book Review: The Ice Beneath Her, by Camilla Grebe

Publisher:  Bonnier Zaffre

Publication Date:  8th September 2016

A monster is a person who lies and deceives. Someone who wrecks and destroys things for their own amusement. Who leaves another person’s life in ruins like a bombed-out city or a burnt-down forest.

Such a powerful quote, and a theme that echoes throughout The Ice Beneath Her. This book is crawling with psychological monsters feeding off the characters in so many ways. Their empty shells are rattling with disappointment, regret, and fading motivation. As their deluded existence is laid bare they will have courageous choices to make: face the monsters and set themselves free, or do nothing and be devoured by them.

On the surface the plot appears straightforward enough: A decapitated young woman is discovered at a property and the police are not only struggling to discover her identity but also the whereabouts of the house owner and chief suspect, a high-flying executive who’s used to getting what he wants. But don’t be fooled by its simplicity as it’s very, very sneaky!

Something about the crime scene strikes a chord with a police profiler hiding a secret – Hanne has early onset Dementia and she’s afraid she’ll trip herself up and forget basic facts, so she jots prompts on her trusty notepad to help her recall. Her condition isn’t helped by her other half’s patronising attitude, which threatens to erase her personality before its time. And then there’s Peter Lindgren, one of the investigators, and his awkward, heartbroken history. Or should I say emotionally isolated Peter, with his lanky legs a step away from commitment throughout his entire life.

The narrative switches between profiler, investigator, suspect, and victim to build a complete picture of their obsessions, passions, and the traumatic events leading up to the crime scene. As chapter numbers are replaced by a character’s name to let you know whose stream of thought continues, I felt an intensely personal connection to each of them during their moments of clarity and despair, particularly Hanne’s:

Hope is an overrated life raft that sick people are expected to cling to with a brave and grateful smile. Letting go is apparently not only foolhardy, but disloyal.

But I’m just so tired of being loyal.

The prose is startlingly calm as it steers the characters through their personal torment until their transformations are as unpredictable as the final outcome. That ending pulled the rug from under my feet, and I never suspected a thing.

Rating:  4/5

(I received a copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review, with my thanks.)

(Courtesy of Amazon UK)

For fans of Jo Nesbo and The Bridge, The Ice Beneath Her is a gripping and deeply disturbing story about love, betrayal and obsession that is impossible to put down. Fast-paced and peopled with compelling characters, it surprises at every turn as it hurtles towards an unforgettable ending with a twist you really won’t see coming . . .

A young woman is found beheaded in an infamous business tycoon’s marble-lined hallway.

The businessman, scandal-ridden CEO of the retail chain Clothes & More, is missing without a trace.

But who is the dead woman? And who is the brutal killer who wielded the machete?

Rewind two months earlier to meet Emma Bohman, a sales assistant for Clothes & More, whose life is turned upside down by a chance encounter with Jesper Orre. Insisting that their love affair is kept secret, he shakes Emma’s world a second time when he suddenly leaves her with no explanation.

As frightening things begin to happen to Emma, she suspects Jesper is responsible. But why does he want to hurt her? And how far would he go to silence his secret lover?

BUY THE BOOK

(Courtesy of Publisher’s Press Release)

Camilla Grebe was born near Stockholm. She co-founded audiobook publisher Storyside. She has written four celebrated crime novels with her sister, Åsa Träff, about psychologist Siri Bergman, the first two of which were nominated for Swedish Crime Novel of the Year by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy. Camilla has also written the popular Moscow Noir trilogy with Paul Leander-Engström. The Ice Beneath Her is her debut novel as a solo author and announces hers as a fresh new voice in suspense writing.

TWITTER

Audio Book Review: White is the Coldest Colour (Dr David Galbraith Book 1), by John Nicholl (narrated by Jake Urry)

Release date:  26th May 2016

Listening length:  9 hours and 10 minutes

I previously reviewed the Ebook version of this story and the Author has kindly provided an Audio copy in exchange for an unbiased review. You might think that a little pointless considering I already know how things go. Oh yes, I know just how nauseatingly vile this abuser character is. Yet this audio book added a whole new level of creep to his ‘affairs’ and found I was listening more intently to the story than the first time I’d encountered it.

The repugnant nature of this book is difficult to accept at first. It doesn’t skirt around upsetting scenes and your immediate reaction might be to avoid them. But this warts and all account of the lowest form of predator is 100% gripping, even if it does make your blood boil.

The author’s portrayal of a child abuser’s identity and his close circle is meticulously laid before you with a steady building block approach until the suspense is incredible. Despite his disturbing fixation on his innocent targets and maintaining undeniable contempt for everyone around him, he successfully convinces everyone of his child psychology professionalism using his perfectly timed compliments and charismatic determination.

But I also heard the cutting viciousness of his private insults and the sickening plots he hatched, and knew I was powerless to intervene. Who else could challenge him? His wife? His colleagues? His victims? You cannot help but tackle each new chapter with fresh hope that someone, anyone, will confront the evil beast.

This was my first audio book experience and if I’m completely honest I was overwhelmed by it. I adore ‘real’ books and have never considered listening to one before now. I couldn’t believe how the atmosphere and the character’s nuances could be portrayed with such precision, but they absolutely were. Without a doubt the narrator of this audio book, the talented Jake Urry, has captured the dark essence and stomach churning mood of the plot (virtual round of applause for a cracking performance).

Irrespe­­­­ctive of the book format, and while it’s a bleak rather than an ‘entertaining’ read, you’ll hang on every compelling word. Previously rated as 4.5/5 for the Ebook, but for the audio I simply must award 5/5 for the outstanding combined performance from Mr Urry and of course the author, John Nicholl.

Rating: 5/5

And should you wish, you can read my review for the ebook here.

(I received a copy of this audio book courtesy of the author in exchange for an unbiased review, with my thanks.)

(Courtesy of Amazon UK)

The Mailer family are oblivious to the terrible danger that enters their lives when seven-year-old Anthony is referred to the child guidance service by the family GP following the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. Fifty-eight year old Dr David Galbraith, a sadistic predatory paedophile employed as a consultant child psychiatrist, has already murdered one child in the soundproofed cellar below the South Wales Georgian town-house he shares with his wife and two young daughters. Anthony becomes Galbraith’s latest obsession, and he will stop at nothing to make his grotesque fantasies reality.

The novel is entirely fictional, but draws on my experiences as a police officer, child protection social worker, manager and trainer. During my career I was faced with case after case that left me incredulous as to the harm sexual predators chose to inflict on their victims. The book reflects that reality. The story is set in 1992, a more naïve time when many found it extremely difficult to believe that a significant number of adults posed a serious risk to children. The book contains content that some readers may find disturbing from the start. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.

BUY THE AUDIO BOOK

BUY THE EBOOK

White is the coldest colour is a chilling dark psychological suspense thriller which draws on John Nicholl’s experiences as a police officer and child protection social worker.

The novel entered the Amazon top 100 bestsellers chart after just 15 days, and reached # 1 in British Detectives and Vigilante Justice. The author wrote articles relating to child protection for newspapers and a national social work magazine during his career, but this is his first novel. He lives in rural West Wales, has been happily married for many years, and has three adult children and one grandchild.

TWITTER   |   WEBSITE   |   FACEBOOK

ALSO AVAILABLE

Dr David Galbraith (Book 2) – Audio Book

Although I’ve reviewed the Ebook version of this title, sadly I’ve not had time to listen to the audio book (yet!). Although I have no doubt it too will deliver yet another sinister and twisted ‘reading’ experience…

 

Book Review: White is the Coldest Colour, by John Nicholl

Publisher:  Freedaread.com  |  Publication date: 7th April 2015  |  Edition: Kindle (Review copy)

In White is the Coldest Colour trust isn’t simply broken, it’s smashed to smithereens and the resulting fear can stop life in its tracks – forever.

Despicably vile. That’s Dr Galbraith for you. A child psychologist is sworn to protect and help innocents through troubled times, and yet this loathsome individual does his utmost to ruin lives to satisfy his own sick fantasies.

In public he is a beacon to represent everything wonderful about his profession. He is so admired he practically glows. In private, his depravity sinks to an all-time desperate low.

Children are referred to him with their problems and he has complete access on all levels. Why wouldn’t they? Everyone is oblivious to the other world he dwells in; a respected doctor and all round great guy, who would believe it?

I must congratulate the author for his ingenious method of introducing the Doctor.  Throughout the story a series of monologues and snippets of domestic life quickly builds a picture of the real man operating behind the scenes. We see his wife treated appallingly, until she has little or no existence, and what he really thinks about his patients and their pathetic, whining families. There’s an art to creating a character SO low that one would need to be physically restrained if they were standing in front of you. The utter conceit makes your skin crawl, it’s quite a feat.

Needless to say, the Dr Galbraith selects his victims carefully. He chooses a poor lad who is suffering as a result of his parents recent separation and NOTHING will stop him. The entire family is blissfully unaware of the Psychiatrist’s intentions, and he knows it. Yet his determination to get his own way could be his downfall. At the height of his frenzies he becomes almost Jekyll and Hyde-like until he regains composure. The Doctor’s mask is slipping, he’s on the verge of risking everything – and it’s brilliantly done.

This is a genuine ‘shout from the side-lines’ story and will have you relentlessly willing the good guys to put a end to the nightmare. The authorities don’t have an easy task and you sense the anguish in every chapter.

So, there is no doubt in my mind that White is the Coldest Colour will grip you entirely. Although be warned, it’s not an easy read. The overall theme surrounds child abuse and it can be fairly grim in places. But it’s also suspenseful and highly emotive, if your nerves and anger levels can take it, that is.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating: 4.5/5

(Huge thanks to the author for contacting me via Goodreads and providing a digital copy of his book for review.)

 

(Courtesy of Amazon UK)

The Mailer family are oblivious to the terrible danger that enters their lives when seven-year-old Anthony is referred to the child guidance service by the family GP following the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. Fifty-eight year old Dr David Galbraith, a sadistic predatory paedophile employed as a consultant child psychiatrist, has already murdered one child in the soundproofed cellar below the South Wales Georgian town-house he shares with his wife and two young daughters. Anthony becomes Galbraith’s latest obsession, and he will stop at nothing to make his grotesque fantasies reality.

The novel is entirely fictional, but draws on my experiences as a police officer, child protection social worker, manager and trainer. During my career I was faced with case after case that left me incredulous as to the harm sexual predators chose to inflict on their victims. The book reflects that reality. The story is set in 1992, a more naive time when many found it extremely difficult to believe that a significant number of adults posed a serious risk to children. The book contains content that some readers may find disturbing from the start. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.

(Courtesy of Amazon UK)

White is the coldest colour is a chilling dark psychological suspense thriller which draws on John Nicholl’s experiences as a police officer and child protection social worker.

The novel entered the Amazon top 100 bestsellers chart after just 15 days, and reached # 1 in British Detectives and Vigilante Justice. The author wrote articles relating to child protection for newspapers and a national social work magazine during his career, but this is his first novel. He lives in rural West Wales, has been happily married for many years, and has three adult children and one grandchild.

Connect with the Author

TWITTER   |   WEBSITE   |   FACEBOOK

BOOK TOUR + REVIEW: Follow You Home, By Mark Edwards

Publisher: Thomas Mercer  |  Publication date: 30th June 2015  |  Edition: Kindle (review copy)

Follow You Home is an intense mind-messing thriller with attitude – one so compelling and oh, so dark.

What goes on in the woods, stays in the woods. Not if it ‘Follows You Home’, by Mark Edwards.

It lulls you into a false sense of security before launching unexpected twists at you; first you’re paddling on the edge, then you’re wading, and the farther in you go you realise just how incredibly well plotted (and sub plotted) it is.

So, if you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise – and there’s an understatement, if ever there was one.

Daniel Sullivan and Laura Mackenzie. A fairly unremarkable couple, making plans to get married, start a family. They decided to throw caution to the wind and embark on a ‘Grand Tour’ before they settle down. And it’s all mapped out. Travelling through Europe, France, Spain, Italy, Greece…finally to Russia, and then, aaah, home-sweet-home.

They’ve been skipping about like little lambs until they reach Romania by train, when their journey is terrifyingly interrupted. After their hideous experience they travel home to London as quickly as the authorities will let them. But the trauma of the trip proves too great a strain to simply allow them settle back into their routine lives. Normality is now something that other people encounter.

As the book blurb states, they vow never to talk about ‘the woods’ with anyone, and this is where Mark Edwards succeeds in giving new definition to the phrase ‘lingering suspense’. He cruelly taunts you with little snippets of the couple’s time abroad, carefully teasing out the truth until the finale. My instinct had been clinging to the wrong scent due to the sheer number of vultures circling the scene.

I hesitate to use the term ‘psychological thriller’, as it just won’t cut it on this occasion. That would be categorising this book in the same league as many, many others. No, I couldn’t do that. This is ‘look-over-your-shoulder-whilst-reading’ worthy.

Twisted? Certainly.  Disturbing? Absolutely.  Why, you ask?  Well, what goes on in the woods, stays in the woods…or does it?  Sometimes, it just might Follow You Home.

~ WICKEDLY RECOMMENDED ~

Rating: 5/5

(My sincere thanks to both the author, Mark Edwards, and our tour organiser, Liz Barnsley, for THE most excellent review copy and allowing me to be part of this tour x)

---

Twitter: You can follow the author on Twitter (not home): @mredwards

Website: Want to know more about Mark Edwards?  Visit his website

Where to buy: Would you like to purchase Follow You Home?  Buy, my pretties, buy:  Amazon UK

---

 

(Extract taken from Amazon UK)

The page-turning psychological thriller from the author of #1 bestsellers The Magpies and Because She Loves Me.

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, a final adventure before settling down. But after a perfect start, an encounter with a young couple on a night train forces Daniel and Laura to cut their dream trip short and flee home.

Back in London, Daniel and Laura vow never to talk about what happened that night. But as they try to fit into their old lives again, they realise they are in terrible danger—and that their nightmare is just beginning…

The Lie, by C L Taylor

Publisher: Harper Collins UK / Avon  |  Published 23rd April 2015  |  Edition: Kindle via NetGalley

WARNING: A packed lunch is advisable, as you’re not going to want to put this one down!

It’s addictive and impossibly twisty – I just couldn’t stop reading it – when I’d finished, I looked up and saw that it was dark outside. Now THAT’s the sign of a great plot.

How well do you really know anyone? Gripping stuff.

At first our narrator, Jane Hughes, tells us the pretty ordinary story of her life. Presently, she works at Green Fields Animal Sanctuary. She has a new fella in her life, a respectable primary school teacher no less. His young daughter seems to love both her and the animals she looks after. Jane doesn’t have any cause for complaint, until she receives a letter addressed to her at the sanctuary.

It simply reads:

I know your name’s not Jane Hughes.

Really? I’m already intrigued, and it’s only chapter one.

But the writer’s statement is accurate. Jane Hughes is not her name. It’s an identity Emma Woolfe adopted to free herself from events that she and three friends endured 5 years ago…

Aaaand cue flashback:

She and her ‘friends since university days’ plan a trip to help one of the group take their mind off a recent, obsessive breakup. They could have gone to Ibiza, or another similar place for fun. But no, at the suggestion of one of the friends they settle for trekking up Kathmandu to spend time at a retreat, which is designed for chilling-out and generally taking a step back from life.

We can all appreciate, there’s nothing quite like a remote location for a bit of psychological terror…

Over the period of their travels, some traumatising events take place and instead of drawing them closer, the friendship within the group starts to crack. Soon they begin to realise the bond that tied them together all these years may not be as strong as they might have believed, and you’re left wondering if the group will ever recover.

Five years after her return from the holiday from hell, despite making a new life for herself, a different nightmare is about to begin for the animal sanctuary attendant. During the course of the story, Jane, aka Emma, receives further unnerving contact from the anonymous source, intent on dropping sinister hints about their ‘knowledge’. The wait to discover ‘the truth’ is indeed a suspenseful one.

Oh, I do like a plot where you don’t know who to trust – although I could have struck a few of them for being perfect candidates in ‘the exceptionally annoying friend category’. At the end I can’t say my heart truly warmed to any of them, except for the rescued Staffordshire Bull-Terrier, called Jack!

The Lie is a well-constructed, psychological crime thriller that is guaranteed to get under your skin. It dares to ask the question: just how well do you really know anyone?

Good stuff.

Rating: 5/5

(My thanks to the publisher, via Netgalley, for the advanced Kindle copy.)

---

You can follow the author on Twitter:  @CallyTaylor