#FridayReads If You Like #Mystery #Thriller Books You Might Like These…

If You Like #Mystery #Thriller Books then I can recommend these books…

22072877Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.
On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s prepared to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

22051845New York, present day, alternate reality. Karen Brown, angry and frightened after a kidnap attempt, has a choice – being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother’s homeland in Europe.

Founded sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and ruled by women, Roma Nova gives Karen safety, at a price, and a ready-made family. Just as she’s finding her feet, a shocking discovery about her new lover, special forces officer Conrad Tellus, isolates her.

But the enforcer has crossed to Europe to pursue her. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it…Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

28931623For fans of Child 44 and The Lives of Others, this gripping novel pits an unforgettable heroine against an unforgivable past.

Signs of an agonisingly slow death, pools of blood, hands desperately searching for a hold. Judith Kepler has seen it all.

She is a crime scene specialist. She turns crime scenes back into habitable spaces. She is a cleaner.

It is at the home of a woman who has been brutally murdered that she is suddenly confronted with her own past. The murder victim knew Judith’s secret: as a child she was sent to an orphanage under mysterious circumstances – parentage unknown. And the East German secret police were always there, in the background.

When Judith begins to ask questions, she becomes the target of some powerful enemies. And nothing will ever be the same again. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

20739469Soccer mom Yvette Palmer lives an ordinary life in San Antonio, Texas when a box is delivered to her by mistake, and in taking it to its rightful owner—a crotchety neighbor named Mona who shares her back fence—is drawn into a strange and haunting tale.

Mona’s ratty robe, mood swings, and secretive behavior all raise red flags, and Yvette is sure someone else is living there despit Mona’s claim to live alone, but Yvette is unable to break away as she listens to how Mona transformed from a young college woman about to be married to the odd, reclusive, ghost of a woman she is now.

As Yvette listens to her neighbor’s tale, she discovers a shocking connection, but doesn’t know whether Mona’s come to help or to harm her and her family. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

22130087Ekaterina Romanova, the estranged wife of Russia’s wealthiest oligarch Konstantin Gravchenko, asks Scott Mitchell, an idealistic young English human rights lawyer who is being intimidated by the authorities, to find the father she’s never met. She believes he’s been languishing for decades without trial in the Gulag system. Meanwhile, General Pravda of military intelligence, though an advocate of transparency, is determined to protect a covert operation that he’s been running for years. General Pravda hinders Ekaterina and Scott at every turn and lawyer and client are forced to go on the run for a murder they didn’t commit. As they descend into the Hades that is the world of international realpolitik Scott is compelled to reconsider his own values, and Pravda’s life’s work disintegrates, when Scott uncovers a 50 year-old Cold War secret, which both the Russian and US governments are still trying to hide from the public domain. ‘Moscow Bound’ is the first book in The Puppet Meisters trilogy, dealing with state abuse of power. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

27275817Who would believe the words of a bird brain, anyway? When Camille inherits Simon, an African grey parrot from her deceased neighbor, she sees the challenge of owning such a noisy, spoiled pet. But when the music plays, and Simon starts to replay a violent scene in the voice of his former owner, Camille begins to realize that she has inherited more than she bargained for. Could a bird really recall the last moments of his owner’s life? And stranger yet, could he really be repeating a death scene that he witnessed? Camille’s best friend, Leo, has his doubts, and after the disappearance of Camille’s sister, he wonders if her tragic past is coming back to haunt her and she is finally breaking down. But she has no one else to go to, no one besides the questionable other neighbor who might well have been involved with the murder victim. It’s a question of a bird’s word against the truth and a race to find out what it all means.   Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Introducing the most lovable, pratfall-prone female sleuth in recent memory, this first novel in the Garnet Sullivan Live from Florida series will leave the reader in stitches and begging for more. Marlin, Darlin’ debuts the engaging, redoubtable and often annoying (to her colleagues and friends) small town journalist, the foxy Garnet Sullivan. A murky murder during a marlin fishing tournament forms the basis for this sizzling, uproarious mystery set in contemporary, steamy east coast Florida, featuring the unsinkable freelance reporter, snoop and trouble-maker, Garnet Sullivan, and a host of her bizarre, colorful friends.

A Gordian knot of a plot fairly gallops along from page one to the final page and will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat until the novel’s last words. Saturated with today’s most authentic Florida ambience and whackos, Marlin, Darlin’ is sure to delight the most cerebral mystery buffs as well as fans of romantic comedy–and dog lovers too! The novel is propelled by laugh out loud characters, scenes and situations reminiscent of Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry, but with more lipstick and purses. Fully imagined and drawn from life characters hook the reader from the book’s first sentences and the story seems to vault inevitably from who these characters are–nutty and flamboyantly so, but completely convincing, and whose native habitat could only be Florida. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

23396437After being made redundant from a seemingly secure job Jolene Carr takes a two week break in the sun. On the first day she meets Raquel, another hotel guest. Little does she realise how this apparently innocent acquaintance will lead to terrible and lasting consequences. After a frightening incident she hits a conspiracy of silence from the locals and over the rest of the holiday she feels herself slipping into a vortex of fear. Back home, the nightmare continues and she realises that Raquel is stalking her. Her hippie mother and her partner Mark tell her she is imagining it all. All certainties, even about relationships, become fluid and treacherous as her past begins to unravel. If it wasn’t for Rob, her ex-lover who Jolene thinks has his own agenda, she would be left to cope on her own.
How much fear and betrayal can one person take? Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Lori Powers loved being a flight attendant because life at home was a constant nightmare of physical and mental abuse. But her own trauma paled in comparison to her husband’s sexual abuse of their only child. Emily’s suicide note blamed Lori for failing to protect her. Overwhelmed by guilt, Lori sought justice for her Emily. When she heard the voices, she murdered domineering, abusive men whose misfortune brought them across her path.
The murder of Dr. Thaddeus Abrams, the precinct’s psychiatrist brought FBI profiler Mika Scott back to the precinct she began as a homicide detective and also face to face with her past partner and lover Detective Jake Roberts. Together they search for the killer. Michael Gates, Abrams’ lover, wanted to punish Lori. It cost Chief of Detectives Ed Fairchild his life. Airline captain Nick Parker had an insatiable, deviant sexual appetite. Things went desperately wrong when young flight attendant Megan joined him on a layover. Lori was part of the crew. When she met Parker, she heard Emily cry out from the grave. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s Good Read Collections; Mystery/ Adventure and a touch of Horror

Welcome to “Rosie’s Good read Collections”, I’ve put together the books I’ve read into subject headings that I think the books belong to, for you to browse.

17328184New York, present day, alternate reality. Karen Brown, angry and frightened after a kidnap attempt, has a choice – being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother’s homeland in Europe. Founded sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and ruled by women, Roma Nova gives Karen safety, at a price, and a ready-made family. Just as she’s finding her feet, a shocking discovery about her new lover, special forces officer Conrad Tellus, isolates her. But the enforcer has crossed to Europe to pursue her. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it..Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2FU

17289617Set in the south of England at the beginning of the 1980’s, White Goods is a novel about loss and the search for the truth, told through the eyes of a deceptive twelve-year-old boy. Scot Buckley is a complex young man, living under the shadow of absence: his mother encounters a horrific death at the start of the book. Further, he is haunted by the elusive existence of a relative simply known as ‘Jackie’ – whose very being the rest of his family are determined to keep secret. White Goods opens very dramatically: a child is pushed into the icy, open mouth of a chest freezer and the lid is slammed shut. His identity and fate are central to the story, but remain a mystery until the end. Aside from the imprisoning chest freezer, other domestic goods participate in the drama. Scot recalls that his mother’s death is the result of a gory accident with a dishwasher. However, all is not as it initially seems and, each time Scot recalls her death, the scene and the actual cause are different…Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2WX

18360200Unsatisfied with the ancient grimoires, the Magus made his own. Unsatisfied with the ancient demons, the Magus made Beatrysel. She was a creature of love, but there is no love without hate, no light without darkness, no loyalty without betrayal. And demons covet flesh. Johnny Worthen’s novel BEATRYSEL is a modern Faust tale set in the American Northwest where the cold winter rain melts the barriers between what is real and what is more real. BEATRYSEL is a terrifying journey through modern metaphysics, High Magic and ancient religions where secret dreams turn to nightmares when Will becomes Form. Power-hungry magicians, serial killers and scorned lovers must contend with the power of the most beautiful and dangerous Magick in creation– for Beatrysel is a creature of love. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2HO

578528In 1970, The Ford County Times, one of Mississipi’s more colourful weekly newspapers, went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by 23-year-old college drop-out, Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper. The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courtroom in Clanton, Mississippi. The trial came to a startling, dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison. But in Mississippi in 1970 ‘life’ didn’t necessarily mean ‘life’, and nine years later Danny Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-23w

14742424When Diana Lescure moves with her young family to the tiny village of Saint Gabriel in the depths of France, it is clear that not all is well amongst its inhabitants. As she settles into her country idyll she uncovers a menace that has shrouded the villagers for generations. Through a 12th century monk and a British agent in WW2 the story of a secret society unfolds. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-n6

13586445From the beloved gardener and romantic novelist comes a tale that moves between the present day and the 19th century with a story of love, betrayal, intrigue, and murder
“History is boring; and what does it have to do with us?” Much as Harry Flint tries to fight against the beliefs of his pupils, there are times when he wonders if they are right. With a failed marriage behind him, he sets about changing his own life and researching that of his ancestors. How can the mysterious disappearance of Anne Flint in 1816 and the drowning of a young girl in the chalk stream when the Prince Regent occupied the throne possibly affect him? But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes that the past is closer than he had ever imagined. Set in the Hampshire countryside, this is a story where people are not what they seem, and the past is no more predictable than the future. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-15B

16179838Jameson Quinn is sick of trying to find herself in the big city. After a gallery opening ends in a trip to the ER and an argument with her self-involved boyfriend, she decides to take off for the peace and quiet of a small town — Ruth Valley. The small town has everything Brooklyn lacked: simple people, peaceful surroundings, and a feeling of safety. Jameson even finds the perfect house to rent from the town’s most eligible bachelor, Sheriff Jack. Life is finally headed in a promising direction. But something isn’t right. A young man is mysteriously injured, then disappears — and Jameson finds he isn’t the only person to suddenly vanish. The suspicious behavior of an abrasive nun and a creepy priest set her off on an investigation of what’s really happening. Will she figure out the secrets of Ruth Valley before she’s the next to go missing? Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2c0

13492185Avid mushroom hunters and volunteers with the local Search and Rescue Department, Laura and Julie, who are in their sixties, remember that first encounter in the woods years ago. Four young men who are fun by nature, travel to the woods with high hopes of a hunt they won’t forget. A call to the Search and Rescue Department will bring them shockingly together in the….Black Woods. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-if

10854974TRUST NO ONE. SUSPECT EVERYONE.
Someone’s coming for Chelsea – a killer who will stop at nothing until she’s dead. WARN THE PREY…Instead of enjoying her best friend’s hen evening, receptionist Chelsea Denham is wondering why Lee, a handsome stranger in the bar, is questioning people about phrases she received by email that morning: ‘Tick Tock. Your number’s up. People have to pay for what they’ve done.’ The email contains a ticking countdown timer. A TENSE GAME OF REVENGE. While police investigate, Chelsea teams up with Lee. She is about to encounter the worst week of her life, face guilt head-on and have her loyalty tested while frightened out of her home, menaced and used as bait. COUNTDOWN TO DEATH…Her troubled best friend is forced to reveal a dark secret and her deepest fears. It puts a new slant on the problem but, according to Lee, the stakes haven’t altered; when the countdown timer in the email reaches zero… you die. Suspense murder mystery with some romance. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-e2

13613689Detective Constable Scott Cullen of Lothian and Borders has only been three months in CID as a full DC. He is assigned a Missing Persons case which has stretched his uniform colleagues. Caroline Adamson – a young, recently divorced mother from Edinburgh – has disappeared whilst on a date. The more Cullen digs into her disappearance, the more he unravels her private life. Who was she on a date with? What happened during her divorce from Rob Thomson? As Cullen’s own private life gets messier and the relationship with his DI deteriorates, Caroline’s body turns up and he finds himself hunting for a ghost in the machine. Book one of the Scott Cullen series. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-3cA (free on Kindle at the time of going to post)

Good Deeds week October 27th – November 2nd

This is my weekly diary of a year long challenge that I set myself back in April. I am attempting to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year. Along the way I’ve met some lovely people who have joined or supported me in the challenge and I hope to be able to get us an interview with the lady who inspired it all Judith O’Reilly.

Good deedsOctober 27th – Today I shall write a letter to an Aunt and arrange a visit for December. We’ve been helping to some house clearing and have unearthed some of her old school books and pictures/ photographs which we will take to her. Good Deeds received; Given from garden fresh tomatoes and apples.

October 28th – It’s the school half term holidays so I can’t rely on my morning of volunteering at school today as my Good Deed. After a night of horrific storms across Britain, I’m e-mailing friends today to make sure they are all ok.

October 29th – Did some litter picking after the storm and tidied up some shared pathways which had tree debris strewn all over them. Good Deeds received; Thank you to fellow authors who have been spreading word across cyber space about my own book.

October 30th – My youngest child went to play at a friends house so I sent along some biscuits for them all to share. Good deeds received; Having my child to play then dropping him home afterwards.

October 31st – Dropped some items over to my Mum and spent a bit of time visiting. Good Deeds received; Came home with some lovely pears from the garden.

November 1st – Fleet Life’s November issue went online today www.fleetlife.org.uk where my book review page can be found on Page 56 this month. Featured books and the 5 lucky authors are; “The Singing Dagger” by Kylie Sabra, “Good Husband Material” by Trisha Ashley, “Inceptio” by Alison Morton, “Becoming Anorak Nid” by local author Alix B Macey and “Steps into Darkness” by Ben Woodard.

November 2nd – Am just sorting out the books for the December issue of Fleet Life because the copy deadline is quite early. Mum has a working computer again after a lightening strike frazzled her last one, then a power failure delayed all the delivery and sorting. Have been helping with advice to get her e-mails back up and running. Ended up going over to my Mum’s and spending 3 hours tweaking her new computer. Good Deeds received: Came home with two jars of bottles pears which the kids love.

November issue of Fleet Life

This month’s issue of Fleet Life is now available online go to www.fleetlife.org.uk click on the online Directory and Rosie’s Good Reads are on page 56 this month.

This month’s featured books and authors are;

“The Singing Dagger” by Kylie Sabra

“Good Husband Material” by Trisha Ashley

“Inceptio” by Alison Morton

“Becoming Anorak Nid” by Alix B Macey

“Steps into Darkness” by Ben Woodard

November Fleet Life

Inceptio by @alison_morton Is An Alternative History #Thriller

43841896. sy475 by Alison Morton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just imagine if ancient Rome still existed day! I was looking forward to reading this book because I enjoy Roman history and I was excited to see how the author would bring it in to the modern day. I wasn’t disappointed! It was a great read; suspense, mystery, romance, it was thrilling, well paced and a great read. Like many readers before me I was enticed to believe that Roma Nova could exist today and would be a European holiday destination. The heroine was someone to love and support and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

 

Book description

New Yorker Karen Brown is caught in a tangle of hot foreign agents, vicious maniacs and tough families. Running for her life, she flees into the alien culture of Roma Nova, the mysterious last outpost of the Roman Empire in Europe. Apart from kidnapping, heartache and a close encounter with Latin grammar, she must contend with a fascinating but arrogant Praetorian special forces captain.

Plus a crazy killer wants to terminate her for a very personal reason.

Roma Nova is Karen’s dead mother’s homeland. Founded sixteen hundred years ago by Roman exiles and now ruled by women, it gives her safety, a lover and a ready-made family – but at a price. And the enforcer is still pursing hers her. Desperate to find out why he is hunting her so viciously and unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, the enforcer sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it.

Part action adventure, part military thriller, laced with romance and coming of age, this is Roman fiction brought into the 21st century through the lens of alternative history and driven by a female protagonist with heart and courage. If you enjoy thrillers and mystery books for women with twists, this is for you!

Alison was recently a guest on the Romancing September tour, if you are interested in finding out more about Alison and her writing click here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2u4

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Romancing September author Alison Morton (Day 28)

We are nearly at the end of our Romancing September Across the World Tour. It is now day 28 and today we can meet author Alison Morton. She will be talking about writing romance in today’s society over with Stephanie in a few hours time.

Alison Morton authorLet’s find out more about Alison and her book;

First of all thank you so much, Rosie and Stephanie, for asking me to join you on your Romancing September Across The World blog tour.

1) Where is your home town?

Royal Tunbridge Wells, a former spa town in West Kent between London and the Channel coast. It was a gentle, very green and kind place for a child to grow up in.

2) You’ve been writing since the age of 7, is this your first piece with romance?

I scribbled a series of romantic short stories when I was about sixteen or seventeen. When I found them years later I was so appalled that I shredded them. I was really too young to understand the deep emotion and world-changing effect of romance.

3) The title of your book is “INCEPTIO”. Does it have an English translation?

Yes, it means “the beginning” and is the first story in the Roma Nova series as well as the start of Karen’s adventures.

4) This is a fast paced romantic thriller, making use of a historical era which you love, tell us more about that history.

This goes back into my own near-historical past!
I was eleven and fascinated by the mosaics in Ampurias (huge Roman site in Spain).  I asked my father, “What would it be like if Roman women were in charge, instead of the men?” Maybe it was the fierce sun boiling my brain, maybe it was just a precocious kid asking a smartarse question. But clever man and senior ‘Roman nut’, my father replied, “What do you think it would be like?”

Stories with Romans are usually about famous emperors, epic battles, depravity, intrigue, wicked empresses and a lot of sandals, tunics and swords. But imagine the Roman theme projected sixteen hundred years further forward into the 21st century. How different would that world be?

In INCEPTIO, the country of Roma Nova battled its way from a small colony somewhere north of Italy in the late fourth century into a high tech, financial mini-state which has retained and developed Roman Republican values, but with a twist – it’s governed by women. The thriller story then takes place against this background.  Ultimately, alternate history allows your imagination to explore outside the confines of the set timeline and to introduce conflict and challenges to history in your own terms. And that’s a lot of fun!

5) Can you drop a few hints about the love story within the book?

One or two! Karen’s had a lot of upheaval in her life, so has learned to be reserved and self-sufficient. When she meets Conrad, she’s attracted to him, but is wary as he seems a bit too smart, even arrogant. He seems to want to protect her as well as being a messenger from her Roma Novan family, but she feels there’s something secretive about him. She tries to keep an emotional distance, but realises it’s becoming harder. But when he deceives her (because he thinks she wouldn’t understand the reason), she is devastated and cuts the relationship. But after the hurt subsides and she is absorbed in her new mission in Roma Nova she suspects she may have made the biggest mistake of her life…

6) This book successfully makes people believe in an alternative to history that may still exist today. Is there a place in the world that inspired the setting of Roma Nova?

Writing in the real world means getting inside the heads of the characters, imagining what they see in their everyday world, what they smell, eat and touch. If you set your story in a different country, you can visit the places the characters would live in, smell the sea, touch the plants, walk under the hot blue sky, or freeze in a biting wind. But if you invent that country, then your task is doubled.

You have to get the geography and history of your imagined country right as well as the social, economic and political development; that sounds dry, but every living person is a product of their local conditions.

I drew inspiration from several central European countries, picking bits from here and there, but one of the chief places was Slovenia.

7) Karen is running from an assassin, why does she choose Roma Nova?

Karen’s mother was from an old Roma Novan family and her grandmother, Aurelia, has always wanted Karen to visit. Roma Nova offers Karen safety, a ready-made family and, of course, the fascinating Conrad.

8) I believe that Karen finds that love and her new family cannot protect her, how did you use your own life skills to help her?

I served in the military for six years and use some of those experiences to describe how she transforms herself and how she finds purpose in her life.

9) I like the idea of a female character who trains herself. Could she be described as a modern day Amazonian woman?

Ha-ha! Karen is already an outdoorsy type from the start; she revels working as a park volunteer every weekend, she misses her rural New Hampshire childhood, she jogs and goes to the gym in New York. Later, she knows she has to become fit to face her nemesis, and readily adapts to the hard training. Her mother came from a tough family, so maybe it’s in Karen’s genes…

10) I can’t wait to read this book, for those fans who are clamouring for more, do you have a new book for them coming out soon?

Thank you, Rosie. I hope you enjoy INCEPTIO. And yes, number two is on its way. PERFIDITAS (betrayal) is at the final proof stage and is due out mid-October. And I’ve just seen the draft cover…

INCEPTIO_front cover_300dpi_med_smFind “Inceptio” on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Thank you Alison, I shall be reviewing “Inceptio” here on the blog on October 8th. Good Luck with the new book launch. Now pop over to Stephanie for the second half of the interview http://stephanie-hurt.com/