Q&A with Betsy Reavley author of Frailty @Bloodhoundbook

As I’m a huge fan of Frailty by Betsy Reavley it’s my great pleasure today to have a fabulous Q&A with the lady herself! This is the second part of a Q&A and you can find the first part over with Alexina Golding Here

 

 

Welcome Betsy and congratulations on the success of Frailty. Thank you for stopping by My Chestnut Reading Tree to answer a few questions.

What advice would you give someone who was just starting their writing career?

Read lots and keep writing. You can always be better. Never get complacent.

Can you tell us about your work in progress/next book idea?

I’m not thinking about my next book until January 2017. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

How important is social media to you?

Vital. Writing can be very lonely and having a family of fellow writers, bloggers and readers to interact with is critical.

What is the best and hardest thing about being an author?

The best thing is that I get to pretend to be other people sometimes. I get to live the lives of so many different characters and I get to decided what happens to them. That power is a great thing.

Do you read your own book reviews – what has been your favourite and the worst?

I always read my reviews. I have some real shockers but I’m not sure the language they used to describe my work is appropriate here! When I heard that Frailty had brought tears to people’s eyes I was thrilled. The book was meant to touch people and I was proud to have achieved that.

Which of your books have you enjoyed writing to date and why?

The Optician’s Wife was the most natural book I’ve ever writing. It just flowed and wrote itself. I didn’t have to think. Frailty was impossible to write but it was one that I needed to get out.

 If you could have interviewed the people that The Optician’s Wife was based on, would have you? And if so, what question would you most liked to have asked?

I can’t think of anything more scary than being in a room with Rose West, but my morbid curiosity would over rule I think. To meet a woman who had been involved in such heinous crimes would be fascinating. I don’t think I would have asked her anything, because we all know that psychopaths lie. I think I would just sit and listen and let her do the talking.

Thank you so much Betsy! This book is now in my top 10 books of 2016 and you can read my review of Frailty by Betsy Reavley #BlogTour  here.

Frailty by Betsy Reavley #BlogTour @Bloodhoundbook

Today I am delighted to be on the blog tour for Frailty and it’s a double celebration as today is also publication day! 

About this book…

How far would you go to protect your family?

Danny and Libby are about to face every parent’s worst nightmare.

When eight-year-old Hope Bird disappears without a trace, from the idyllic village where she lives, life for her family will never be the same again. Her parents know she would never have gone off alone and the police have no idea where she is. Then a child’s shoe is discovered and the case takes anunexpected turn. Soon a suspect is identified but this is only the beginning.

Will they ever find Hope? 

Frailty is a haunting, gritty, psychological page-turner about the choices we make.

My review…

I loved Betsy Reavleys last book The Opticians Wife which totally blew me away with its plot twists and shocking ending. So I was understandably curious about this new novel which seemed to follow a slightly different approach to the psychological thrillers that she had previously published. But I needn’t have worried as Frailty is now my most favourite of her books! I just loved it! It’s a brilliant emotionally charged look at one of the hardest things a parent would ever have to face-the abduction of their child. How do parents come back from something like that?  Yes, it’s tough to read at times and yes, you will probably end up sobbing  but it’s a must read that will stay with you long after you’ve put it down.

Libby is just a normal mum living in an ordinary village with her husband Danny and her girls, 8 year old Hope and 3 year old Gracie. She could be any one of us. Until one day her whole world collapses when Hope goes missing after a trip to the local shop. Everything then falls apart for both Libby and Danny and the book takes us through the different ways they cope with what  has happened to them. A missing child resonates not only through their family but also through the whole community where suspicion is rife. Interspersed with their story is a truly heart wrenching account from Hope, as she struggles to come to terms with her captivity and the terrible things that have happened to her. I did find this part especially difficult to read at times as it felt like I was living through my worst nightmare as a parent and I just wanted to grab Hope from the pages of the story and keep her safe with me! But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages as the courage of that little girl started to shine through. It was just so beautifully written.

From beginning to end this storyline gripped me, shocked me, filled me with terror and pushed me over the edge until I was an emotional wreck. It reminded me of real abduction cases and how you search out every news story desperately hoping that the next one you read will bring the closure and happy ending that you have been praying for. You feel involved and connected just through that shared bond of parenthood. This book is full of that raw emotion and I am so very thankful that I have read it. It’s now one of my tops reads for 2016.

Thanks to the publisher Bloodhound Books for my review copy of Frailty.

Frailty: a haunting psychological page-turner is published by Bloodhound on November 15th and is available here to buy at Amazon UK

About the author…

Betsy Freeman Reavley is the author of the novels Beneath the Watery Moon and Carrion and the poetry collection The Worm in the Bottle. Her latest psychological thriller is The Quiet Ones, published by Bloodhound Books.
She was born in Hammersmith, London. As a child she moved around frequently with her family, spending time in London, Provence, Tuscany, Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire.
She showed a flair for literature and writing from a young age and had a particular interest in poetry, of which she was a prolific consumer and producer.
In her early twenties she moved to Oxford, where she would eventually meet her husband. During her time in Oxford her interests turned from poetry to novels and she began to develop her own unique style of psychological thriller.
Beneath the Watery Moon is Betsy Reavley’s beautifully written first release and tells the macabre story of a young woman battling against mental illness.
Beneath the Watery Moon is published by Not So Noble Books and Joffe Books. It is available as an eBook from Amazon.
Betsy Reavley’s second novel Carrion is a psychological chiller that address the link between grief and fear. Carrion was published in 2014 by Bloodhound Books.
The Quiet Ones, published in February 2016 and is a kindle top 100 bestseller, carries on Reavley’s tradition of writing psychological thrillers in her own unique way.
The Optician’s Wife, was released in June 2016 to critical acclaim.
Frailty is Reavley’s newest release and is available on amazon now.
Reavley says “I think people are at their most fascinating when they are faced with life’s real horrors. This is what I love to write about.”
Betsy Reavley currently lives in Cambridge, with her husband, 2 children, dog and quail. She is working on her fifth novel.
You can follow her on Twitter @BetsyReavley

Dark Fragments by Rob Sinclair #BlogTour @Bloodhoundbook

I am thrilled today to be part of the blog tour for Rob Sinclair’s first book for Bloodhound Books called Dark Fragments. I have a review of the book today but don’t forget to check out the other blogs on the tour this week.

About this book…

Murder. Money. Revenge.

Outwardly, Ben Stephens appears to be a normal, hard-working family man. In reality, his life has been in turmoil since the murder of his wife, Alice, seven years ago. The killer was never caught.

Now re-married – to the woman he was having an affair with while still married to Alice – Ben’s life is once again spiralling out of control, and he’s become heavily indebted to an unscrupulous criminal who is baying for Ben’s blood.

When Ben’s estranged twin sister, a police detective, unexpectedly returns to his life, asking too many questions for comfort, it becomes clear that without action, Ben’s life will soon reach a crisis point from which there will be no return.

In order to avoid falling further into the mire, Ben must examine the past if he is to survive the present – but just how much pressure can one man take before he breaks?

My review…

This is the first Rob Sinclair book I have read but my husband has read and enjoyed the Enemy series so that’s a good enough recommendation for me! Although this is promoted as a stand alone psychological thriller, it would be great if this was the start of a new series as there were certain characters here that I’d like to see again in the future especially if they were fleshed out a little bit next time.

Ben Stephens isn’t an ideal husband but he has had a pretty tough time of things recently. Following the unsolved murder of his wife Alice who was the love of his life, Ben married Gemma and they now live with their daughter Chloe and Ben and Alice’s son, Harry. But Ben has got in over his head with some dodgy criminal types and its affecting his family life. His twin sister turns up with some devastating news that leads Ben into making decisions he may live to regret. And he does make some really REALLY stupid decisions here! Which is why I have to say that I thought Ben a rather self obsessed character who seemed to have problems thinking before acting! And his attitude to women really didn’t do him any favours either as we come to find out!

This is a fast paced thriller that will appeal to crime fans and thriller fans alike. Not as fast paced as a Simon Kernick novel perhaps but it will certainly be of interest if you’re a fan of that author. The police action takes second place to Ben and his path of self destruction but his twin sister Dani shines in every scene she’s in and not used enough in my opinion. Most of their exchanges are not police related but show an insight into their estranged twin relationship. I can’t say I liked Ben very much but then again I don’t think I was supposed to! So I was glad that I did find myself slowly becoming involved in his dodgy dealings and managed to read this in one sleepless night! An enjoyable and well executed thriller.

Thank you to Bloodhound books for my review copy of Dark Fragments.
Dark Fragments: a fast paced psychological thriller is published by Bloodhound books on 8th November 2016 and available here at Amazon UK

Meet the author…

Rob began writing in 2009 following a promise to his wife, an avid reader, that he could pen a ‘can’t put down’ thriller.

Rob’s first novel, Dance with the Enemy, was published in June 2014 and is the first in the Enemy Series following embattled intelligence agent Carl Logan. Rise of the Enemy, the second book in the series, was released in April 2015, with the third book, Hunt for the Enemy, being released in February 2016. The Enemy series has received widespread critical acclaim with many reviewers and readers having likened Rob’s work to authors at the very top of the genre, including Lee Child and Vince Flynn.

Rob’s latest novel, the pulsating psychological thriller Dark Fragments, released by Bloodhound Books in November 2016, has been described as ‘clever’ and ‘chilling’ and an ‘expertly crafted’ story.

Rob worked for nearly 13 years for a global accounting firm after graduating from The University of Nottingham in 2002, specialising in forensic fraud investigations at both national and international levels. He now writes full time.

Originally from the North East of England, Rob has lived and worked in a number of fast paced cities, including New York, and is now settled in the West Midlands with his wife and young sons.

Rob’s website is http://www.robsinclairauthor.com and he can be followed on twitter at @rsinclairauthor

34 Days by Anita Waller #BlogTour #BookReview @Bloodhoundbook @anitamayw @baattyabtbooks

It’s a pleasure to be a stop on the blog tour for 34 Days by Anita Waller today organised by Helen at Bloodhound Books

About this book…

How much can your life change in just 34 days?

Anna and Ray have been married for thirty-five years. They are parents and grandparents and appear to be a normal couple. But behind closed doors something isn’t right.

On the day of their wedding anniversary Anna makes a decision that changes everything and throws her family into turmoil. Anna will discover that she is not the only one who has suffered and by leaving Ray she sparks a series of events so awful that it might just end in murder…

My review…

This is the first book of Anita Waller’s that I’ve read and what a great one to start with. The book takes a normal family celebration (a 35th Wedding Anniversary) as a catalyst for a womans life changing decision. And it’s that everyday moment in time that scared me more than anything else in this book, it has normal people at its core but somehow murder still finds a way to affect them all.

Anna takes the decision, on what should be a day of love and joyous celebration, to leave her husband. We don’t really get much of an insight into Ray apart from a few minutes on that morning and some rather nasty phone calls to his wife when he realises she has left. But Anna seems a sweet but downtrodden spouse who has just had enough and she thankfully has the added bonus of being financially independent which greatly aids her flight to freedom. And from there the least you you about the plot the better! Apart from to say that you need to expect the unexpected and watch out for the twisty turns that arrive fast and furious with a fair few shocks!

I liked the premise of this and the way that the first part of the book was written also reinforced those 34 days that change Anna’s life forever. Anita has a very gentle writing style so that the shocks, when they appear, have much more of an impact. And I do like the way she has brought in her passions for quilting and Sheffield Wednesday into her book as well!

This is a dark domestic chiller that gradually creeps under your skin until the very shocking and unexpected climax. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down and read it in a day but have to say that the aftershocks have lasted slightly longer!

I received a copy of this book from Helen at Bloodhound Books and this is my unbiased review in return.

34 Days: A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist is published on 3rd October by Bloodhound Books and is available to buy here at Amazon UK.

About the author…

Anita Waller was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1946. She married Dave in 1967 and they have three adult children, Matthew, Siân and Kirsty along with seven grandchildren ranging in age from Brad at 22 down to baby Isaac at 18 months.
She began writing when she was around 8 years of age, writing ‘compositions’ at junior school that became books with chapters.
In 1995 she sent Beautiful to a publisher and as they reached the contract stage the publisher went into liquidation. It was all to do with Eric Cantona and leaping over the barrier – don’t ask!
As a result, the book was consigned to the attic in dejected disgust but in 2013 it was dragged out again for an enforced complete re-type. The original was written on an Amstrad 8256 and the only thing that remained was one hard copy.
Anita is not a typist and it was painfully reworked over two years, submitted to Bloodhound Books who, within three days of reading it, offered her a contract. 1 September 2015 it was released as an ebook, to be followed a couple of days later by the paperback version.
Following the outstanding success of Beautiful, she began a sequel on 27 December 2015, finishing it on 19 March 2016. The new novel, Angel, was launched on 7 May 2016.
She is currently working on a third novel, 34 Days, while desperately trying to find another Amstrad marvel written many years ago called Essence of Lavender. This is now in the stage of being re-worked. She is confident the old draft will surface when the new draft is finished!
In addition to writing, she also teaches patchwork and quilting – a little reference to this is likely to surface in every book!
She is a Sheffield Wednesday supporter with blue blood in her veins!Her genre is murder – necessary murder.

Time to Play by K A Richardson #BlogTour #BookReview @Bloodhoundbook @KerryAnn77

Today I am delighted delighted be the closing stop on the Time To Play blog tour organised by Helen at Bloodhound Books.

About this book…

DI Alistair McKay is still reeling from the ‘one that got away’ but when he is called to deal with a potential murder at the water side, he must put his personal worries aside.

As police diver, Marlo Buchanan, starts pulling bodies out of the water, it becomes clear that something isn’t right.

Someone is torturing young girls and dumping them in the local reservoir.

Then the body of a man is discovered and Mackay and Buchanan are pulled into the seedy underworld of human trafficking.

As the team race against the clock tensions start to run high.

Can they overcome their personal demons to work together?

And will they find the killer before he strikes again?

My review…

I love it when I discover a new writer especially when it’s at the start of a new series and it’s been such a joy to read this third instalment of the North East police series as I’ve followed and loved it since the first! If you’re new to K A Richardson you can read this as a standalone but once read you’ll want to discover her other books anyway. One of the things I’m loving is that she brings characters from previous books back in so their stories are all interconnected, very similar to how Karen Rose writes which I have always liked. For example here DCI Alex McKay and Cass make cameos as does Jacob Tully. But the action focuses mainly on Marlo (I love her name!) and Alex’s brother’s Ali who is a DI with some serious issues to overcome.

It’s great to be back in the North East and fabulous that Sunderland and Durham have the starring roles in the settings here. And it has a slightly different focus on a police procedural as Marlo is a member of the police dive team. She’s such a likeable character but as her back story gradually comes out we realise that her past has had a big impact on the way she reacts to people and situations. The relationships she builds with Elvie, Ali and her colleagues are beautifully layered and very poignant when you realise what’s behind her standoffish nature. Be warned that there are some scenes of violence here and also some distressing themes such as human trafficking but they are all supporting the bigger picture of a serial killer who is out of control. This book grabbed my interest from the very first few pages mainly because of the fascinating work done by the dive team. It had obviously been well researched but wasn’t too technical in its descriptions  (There is glossary at the back in case you need it.)

I honestly could read this author all day, everyday! She has such a stylish way with words that you are hanging off every single one of them! A natural storyteller who makes you care about her characters, she brings them all to life with just a few sentences. It’s amazing how quickly I became attached to the whole crew and I can’t wait to read more!

Thanks to Helen at Bloodhound Books for me ARC copy of Time to Play and this is my unbiased review in return.

Time to Play (North East Police) is available to buy here at Amazon UK

About the author by the author…

My name is KA Richardson, and I am a crime writer based in the North East of England. I write around my other work commitments so am constantly on the go. I love reading many genres, love speaking to people and spend a lot of time people watching in coffee shops, though if I’m honest this is more for the purposes of character building and plotting. I enjoy watching ‘cop’ shows from both the UK and the USA, and am a fan of sci-fi. I began thinking about writing as a career in 2010 and completed my Ma Creative Writing in 2011. I love to be inspired, and enjoy spending time with friends and family, as well as other like minded folk. My website has some more info on me, if you’re interested pop on over to http://www.kerryannrichardson.com, or I can be found on facebook as KA Richardson.

 

 

The Girl with the White Flag by Ed Penney

About this book…

Eddy Boyle is a retired soldier who has set up a private detective agency that survives on cases involving unfaithful spouses.

But when Fletcher, a retired army Colonel, contacts Eddy to help find his missing daughter, a chain of events is set in motion that will test Eddy’s resolve to the limit.

Has the girl been abducted or has she simply run away? Is Fletcher the real deal or does he have ulterior motives? Can Eddy pick his way through the double-dealing in time to rescue the kidnapped girl? And when the body count starts to rise and Eddy is framed for murder, can he avoid the police, conquer his own mental demons and find the girl before time runs out?

This is the first book in the explosive new Eddy Boyle series.

Move over Jack Reacher – there’s a new anti-hero in town!

My review…

I will just start by saying that I read this book with the voice of Humphrey Bogart in my head! Now I know that sounds weird but this book is told in the first person by Eddy Boyle Private Investigator and it had such a feel of those old black and white movies that I automatically generated that voice to read this! If you enjoyed those Sam Spade crime noir thrillers then this will be an absolute treat for you.

When Eddy is contacted in a very discreet and convoluted way by Fletcher to find his missing daughter, he is drawn into a dark and devious world that could cost him everything. In fact I loved the underbelly of the criminal surroundings he found himself in as it gave the book a more up-to-date feel than it had up until then. Even Edie, the love interest here, came across as a kind of “gangsters” moll-a good girl gone bad who becomes involved with Eddy after a convenient meeting at a club. I found myself rooting for her and didn’t want her to be involved in anyway as I liked her flawed but charismatic personality.

As a crime thriller this did have a very old fashioned feel to it at times but it had a compelling plotline and brought something a little bit different to the missing child story that we see so much nowadays. It will definitely be interesting to see what the author does next with being the start of a new series.

Thank you to Bloodhound books for my advanced copy in return for an unbiased review.

The Girl With The White Flag: an Eddy Boyle thriller is available to buy at Amazon UK