The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry

 

"This is revenge for the broken promise, one that was written in blood, our blood. A promise made in blood".

The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry is a fast-paced noir thriller. It is the first book in the brand new The Solanki and McQueen crime series, set around West Lothian.

It's a combination of a twisty psychological thriller and police procedural.

Blurb:

A deadly gift

Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer.

A twist of fate

Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.

A race to catch a killer.

When Jazzy discovers the connection between the killer and the stalker who has been following her for years, she is forced to confront the dark past she was desperate to keep hidden. She must stop at nothing to solve the case before she becomes the next victim...

On the morning of her 16th birthday Imogen Clark is in her bedroom, waiting for the summons from her parents and anticipating a lovely surpise. When she finally goes down to the kitchen, she is shocked to discover the bodies of her parents, brutally killed, and staged in a gruesome scene of "celebration".

Who would leave such a carefully set out scene for a young girl to discover? 

"At sixteen, Imogen Clark would carry that with her forever. In a little corner of Imogen's heart, a frisson of fear would always remain. She'd find it hard to trust and to feel safe ever again and the life she imagined for herself when she went to bed last night would be irrevocably altered".

Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen, both recently demoted, attend the scene and begin the investigation.

Both detectives suffer from the previous traumas that shape their set of mind and actions. Neither of the two seem to have any diplomatic skills. Jazzy realises that "it was this stubborn, quick-to-anger attitude that had landed her partnered with Queenie. Now the pair of them would be traipsing the streets of Livingston like some bloody Little and Large throwback act".

Jazzy is having flashbacks from her own past and disturbing childhood. Reading the clues she comes to a conclusion that the killer is sending her a macabre message.

Annie appears as an unpleasant, foul-mouthed police officer at first, but she has a quirky gift of her own. She is able to retain "photographic impressions of a scene after viewing it for mere seconds". While useful during the investigation, it makes her life more challenging, with the vivid memories haunting her, as she has to" live with this every day".

While Jazzy is trying to keep her traumatic past from her colleagues, she knows she has to reveal it in order to understand the escalation of the recent brutality. The killer is exceptionally cruel and taunts them without mercy. The detectives have to solve the murders before more victims are claimed.

The Blood Promise is a creepy, unsettling and twisty read.

I read a Netgalley copy of the book, and hope that the E-book availble to buy is better edited. I found it hard to understand when two different narratives were not distinguished by different fonts or spacing. A few times I had to re-read the page to see when the voice changes to a different narrator.

Another little qualm: the nasty boss is known as Dick. It's obvious that he is a bully and totally unreasonable, but the amount of Dick references was grating.

Liz Mistry's thrillers (the Nikki Parekh series and  DI Gus McGuire series) are typically dark and bleak, as the themes she explores in her fiction show the brutal side of the humankind, so I'm not sure what about the latest book that made me wince more than usual.

I'm not the biggest fan of staged murder scenes in fiction (like The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, Angel Maker by Morgan Greene and others). The detailed descriptions of mutilated bodies leave me rather nauseated. And there is a lot of stomach-churning detail in The Blood Promise too.

Get ready for a terrifying thrill ride that will leave you breathless. And if you're squeamish, don't read this book while eating, just don't.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Liz Mistry for my e-copy of the book!

Fear in the Blood: Tales from the Dark Lineages of the Weird (ed. by Mike Ashley)

"As I stooped to reach it I felt someone pull my dress from behind. I fancied I had caught the train in something, and I turned to disengage it. But the folds were perfectly free, and I returned to my original design of ringing the bell... My first impusle was to examine my dress. Yes! There on the new velvet was the distinct impress of a little hand where the material had been grasped abd pulled, just about on a level with my knees" (The Haunted Nursery, by Florence Marryat)

I've been collecting books from the British Library - Crime Classics for a few years, as I love their book designs. Every time I check out online what the latest additions are, I come upon suggestions for British Library Tales of the Weird. I enjoy reading paranormal/ghost stories, and have added a few to my wish list. It was one of the Insta reels though that made me search for the books properly. 

Unsure whether I want to start another shopping spree of the series I might or might not like, I decided to borrow a couple of books in the library before making up my mind.

My first foray in the series is Fear in the Blood: Tales from the Dark Lineages of the Weird (edited by Mike Ashley).

The concept of the book is the literary bloodlines, the writer's skills and talents passed down through the generations in families.

As it happens, quite a few families have passed their writing genes to descendants. Charles Dickens and his family are probably one of the better known ones. Among his descendants you can find such writers as Mary Angela Dickens, Monica Dickens and Mary Danby. All of them happened to turn their hand to tales of the supernatural.

Mike Ashley explains, "Which is the theme of this volume. I have selected six literary families and chosen stories from different generations to show how an interest in dark tales has passed down the bloodline".

The table of contents lists six literary families:

The Marryat Family (Frederick and Florence Marryat),

The Sheridan and Le Fanu Families (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Rhoda Broughton and Sarah Lefanu),

The Hawthorne Family (Nathaniel Hawthorne, Julian Hawthorne and Hildegarde Hawthorne),

The Dickens Family (Charles Dickens, Mary Angela Dickens, Monica Dickens, Mary Danby)'

The Pangborn Family (Georgia Wood Pangborn, Edgar Pangborn and Mary C. Pangborn),

The Aiken Family (Conrad Aieken, Martin Armstrong and Joan Aiken)

The stories vary in style and literary skill, some appear very old-fashioned and quaint, bordering on overly sentimental, some are quite brutal and harsh, and all of them explore the world of the eerie and strange.

I had to search and read the synopsis of a couple of stories to help me understand the plot, as I found them rather confusing and convoluted. One of them is the classic story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Browne, published in 1835.This atmospheric story is set in the Puritan New England, and deals with the themes of depravity and self-scrutiny. 

Most of the classic stories in the volume left me indifferent, and hard to relate to. It's the stories by modern writers that I found more intriguing and spellbinding. 

The three stories worth highlighting are:

Fran Nan's Story by Sarah Lefanu is set during the foot-and-mouth outbreak in the early 2000s.

Fran the junior haidresser at the salon tells her tale, while doing the customer's hair.

Her Nan shared the tale about the old man and his three-legged border collie Jess who disappeared in the moors. 

The old farmer is desperate to save the remaining healthy sheep and move them away from being destroyed. He takes his loyal companion collie Jess on a perilous night trip through the moors.

During the trek, the dog goes missing, and the old man pines for her, waiting for her to reappear at the farm. 

"No, he said. "I seen her. I seen a dog with three legs. She were standing there on the old drovers' track. I knows it were my Jess. She were a-calling me. But when I got to where she were, she warn't there no more".

It's not a horror story, but a tale of the deep bond between a man and his best friend.

The Secret Ones by Mary Danby is a thought-provoking tale of the outcasts of the society.

It deliberately doesn't specify who the family members are, they are nameless. They could be unfortunates fleeing the wars, asylum seekers in search of a peaceful life.

"The husband, the wife and the wife's sister arrived by boat one fear-grey dawn". They are starving, and to survive, search for scraps of food among the heaps of rubbish. They hide from the hostile people.

"They were the last members of a vast family to make the journey and were disheartened to find the land of their dreams to be one of hate, not plenty".

The story takes a sinister turn and has a shocking ending. And while there are hints through the narrative at who the family members are, the revelation at the end will make you wince.

Woggelbeast by Edgar Pangborn explores the themes of unfulfilled dreams, hope and loss.

Molly lives with her husband Danny. She is a traditional housewife, whose life is centred around the needs of her husband. Molly is 41 and childless. She believes that to have a child at this date would need a miracle.

Lonely Molly finds the most unusual companion in Wogglebeast. To this magic creature she pours her heart and tells of her heart's desire.

"There had always been something about Molly to make you think of a little girl playing with dolls".

This is a poignant moving story of a woman who dreams of having a child.

The sad tale resonated deeply, as it addresses the loneliness of a gentle soul who yearns for a child, and tries to find imaginative in the mundane. 

It was a promising introduction to the series, and I've alredy started reading another book from Tales of the Weird called Polar Horrors.

Are you familiar with British Classic Tales of the Weird series? Is there a book that you would recommend?

The Heartpine Recipes: A Coming Home Novel by L.C. Fields

 

"It was a high honor to be sitting there listening, getting a glimpse into the mind of the alchemist. I folded the paper carefully, like the important document it was. I reached down for my purse, and then I stopped.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You really want to give up your recipe?"

The Heartpine Recipes: A Coming Home Novel by L.C. Fields is a heartwarming tale set in the small Tennessee town of Heartpine.

Blurb:

The Heartpine Recipes

It's more than southern storytelling. It's southern storytelling with a side of biscuits.

When Grace Collier comes back to Heartpine, Tennessee, she's thinking about endings. The end of her job. The end of her engagement. Instead, she finds a new beginning. A journey of discovery that will reconnect her to her home place... as well as her own past.

Like so many southern tales, this one starts out in the kitchen. Grace's Aunt Jess - the wise, loving woman who raised her after her parents passed - is collecting recipes for a new community cookbook. It's not long before Grace finds herself an honorary member of the cookbook committee; and next thing she knows, she's busy gathering up all the rich stories that come with those recipes. All the surprises, all the mysteries, all the memories. Along the way, she gets to know a townful of unforgettable characters. Stirs up a few old secrets. And comes to terms, finally, with her own legacy of loss.

It's about the recipes, yes. But more than that, it's about the relationships. It's a journey that links families and generations. A journey of homecoming and redemption.

And just for fun, every chapter includes an iconic southern recipe - so you can cook them up yourself and see what all the fuss is about. From cornbread to collards, from pulled pork to pineapple casserole, you'll find them here. There's even a never-fail recipe for the best sweet tea you've ever tasted (not that a true southern cook would need a recipe for that, heaven knows!)

Touching, positive and uplifting, The Heartpine Recipes is a generous serving of warmth, humor and heart.

Grace Collier is unsure about her future. Having lost her job and fiance, she moves back to her childhood town of Heartpine, to stay with her Aunt Jess and figure out what to do next. Her parents died when she was a young child, and it was Aunt Jess who brought her up.

Grace dreams of being a writer, she has always been writing stories and diaries, since she was a child. Her job as a copywriter wasn't exactly the most creative, as she had to endorse cookware. 

When Grace arrives to Aunt Jess, she discovers a group of ladies from the Heartpine Ladies' League who set up their mind on putting together a cookbook of the local recipes, as a charity fundraiser. 

"The Heartpine Ladies' League is one of those institutions that exists partly to do charitable work around the town, and partly to give the members an opportunity to socialize, start rumors and commiserate over the doings of various friends and relations".

Soon Grace finds herself co-opted into the editing of the book.

"And finally, somewhere along the way, I agreed to help out with the cookbook. It felt like the right thing. It wasn't like I had anything better to do."

The recipes begin to pour in, all tested by generations of family cooks. Some of these recipes are guarded as a secret, some are considered to be a historical legacy. There is even a controversial dispute on the submitted apple cobbler recipe (this was one of my favourite chapters).

Each recipe comes with a family story. As Grace and her aunt meet the recipe entrants, they listen to the stories. All these tales create a striking visual image of the town characters and history.

And while digging into the history of her childhood town and its inhabitants, Grace realises that the cook book "had come along at just the right time, giving me something to throw myself into - something to keep me from having to confront all the big, uncomfortable questions." Will the homecoming turn to be the step in the right direction?

The narrative is sparkling with gentle humour. Descirbing the meeting of the cookbook committee, Grace mentions, "The panel convened at the dining room table, taking their places silently, with a due regard for the significance of the occasion".

This book reminded me of The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini. It has a similar vibe of camaraderie and shared interests, and is a record of beloved recipes. And the format is much alike, as you have a mix of recipes and personal stories. 

The Heartpine Recipes is a enjoyable book of stories and recipes, seasoned with love and history. 

This post is part of the blog tour for The Heartpine Recipes.

Many thanks to L.C. Fields and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D57K46J1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D57K46J1

Author Bio:

You’ve probably read some of L.C. Fields’s writing, somewhere along the line. That’s because L.C. has spent a couple of decades at ad agencies, writing for a few of the great icon brands. Some of that experience is baked into L.C.’s fiction.

 

L.C. lives in rural Southwest Virginia – about an hour’s drive from the imagined town of Heartpine – off a winding gravel road. It’s a grand place to listen to the wind, watch the animals (including one ridiculously cute Kerry Blue Terrier) and soak up inspiration.

 

The Heartpine Recipes is L.C.’s first (published) novel.

 

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556838435615

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcfieldswriter/

Website: https://lcfields.com

Amazon author page: https://amazon.com/author/lcfields_writer

2

Louise's War by Rosie Clarke

 

"She was going to do all she could to help him. It was one small act of defiance against the brutes that had invaded her country".

Louise's War by Rosie Clarke is a moving historical novel set in England and France during the WWII. This is the second book in the series, which reads as a standalone.

Blurb:

Louise's War

Caught between enemy lines - can they survive?

1914, Hampshire

Jack Barlow has a dream. For generations his family have been in service at Trenwith Estate. If he can survive the ravages of war, he'll return home to build his own mechanic business and become master of his own destiny.

Louise Saint-Claire, is battling against the odds to run her family farmhouse in German occupied France after her abusive husband is taken prisoner by the Germans. She is determined to survive this brutal and bloody war.

But fate throws Jack and Louise together when she finds the wounded British soldier and she decides to risk eveything to keep him safe.

What chance can one woman and one man have when caught between the Frencg Rsistance and the German army?

Previously published as Love and War by Linda Sole.

Though the book is titled Louise's War, it's much more than just Louise's story. In fact, we follow lives of four young people as their storylines are intertwined.

Jack Barlow comes from a family who's been in service at Trenwith Estate. Both his parents and younger sister Rose worked for the Trenwiths. While his parents still adhere to the old-fashioned views on their social standing, Jack hopes to establish his own business one day, as a mechanic. If he manages to survive the war, he won't be returning back to work for the Trenwiths.

"He was going to improve his education all round, because when the war was over he wanted to be his own man... He would serve his time in the army, keep his head down like Rose said, and then, when it was all over, he might be able to set up his own business."

Rose Barlow, his younger sister, has similar dreams of her own. Not satisfied to work any longer for the manor house, she wants to expand her horizons and train as a nurse. 

"Rose had no intention of returning to service after the war. She was hoping the voluntary services would let her join the nursing section, and in time she might even apply to be a nurse".

Luke Trenwith joins the army as he knows he has no choice. His father says he won't prevent him doing his duty, as long as he remembers that his true duty is with the estate. 

"All his life he had been reminded of his duty to the estate, his own desire to be an artist dismissed as mere fancy or a waste of time". Luke would never be free to follow the life he preferred, he is expected to run the estate and marry a suitable young lady to raise the next heir. 

Yet his heart is yearning for beautiful Rose. "Rose wasn't for him. The divide was too great; the prejudices on both sides too entrenched to overcome..."

Louise Saint-Claire is living on the farm with her violent husband Jacque. Her life is full of misery. Whene her nasty husband is taken prisoner by the Germans, she is left to manage the big farm on her own. The work is hard and relentless, and nearly impossible for one person to manage. 

Louise dreams of moving to Paris to open her own cafe, but her dreams have to be put on hold. The German occupation makes everything more complicated, and who will look after the animals on the farm if she leaves?

One night a wounded British soldier stumbles upon her farm. This puts both of them in a perilous situation, and Louise understands the risks.

"Louise knew it was dangerous. If the Germas discovered that she was harbouring the enemy she would be shown no mercy, but at this moment she didn't care."

Amidst tragedy and devastation, love begins to blossom. Will Louise and Jack be able to stay together, when the German army and French Resistance are making the chances of their survival nearly impossible?

Louise's War is a compelling, captivating novel. The author vividly imagines how the war has touched the daily life at the front in France and back in England. It is an enduring tale of love and loyalty, loss and challenges, fulfilment and courage. History, and its characters, come alive .

This post is part of the blog tour for Louise's War.

Many thanks to Rosie Clarke and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/Louiseswarsocial

Author Bio –

Rosie Clarke is a #1 bestselling saga writer whose most recent books include The Mulberry Lane series. She has written over 100 novels under different pseudonyms and is a RNA Award winner. She lives in Cambridgeshire.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081537219193

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneHerries

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/RosieClarkeNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rosie-clarke

Degustabox May Box

 Degustabox is a monthly food and drink subscription box. It's an excellent way of discovering new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I otherwise wouldn't have tried.

Each time a monthly box arrives, its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a £3off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use code DKRLN when placing an order. 

What did we get in May Box Degustabox?

Product of the Month: Kellogg's Rice Krispies 350g (£3.30) is a popular cereal. This breakfast meal contains no artificial colours or flavours.

And if you are not a morning cereal person, how about making some lovely treats, like rice krispie cakes with golden syrup, and chocolate?

Currently Kellogg's is partnering with professional football clubs up and down the country to offer 7 to 14-year-olds the chance to play in the footsteps of their heroes. With access to professional coaches, they will learn from the best. Purchase a promotional pack and claim your free day at an available football camp. What a super idea!

Available in the major supermarket chains.

PhD Smart Bar Milk Choc Hazelnut Flavour (£2.50) is a high protein low sugar bar. It has a soft centre, with a caramel layer and crispy soya pieces.

My older son loves protein bars, and enjoyed the PhD bar. 

Nutritional values: 22g of protein, 1.9g sugar, palm oil free, 245kcal per 60g bar.

Available at PhD.com and Amazon.uk.

Swizzels Strawberry & Cream Squashies (£1.15) - your favourite sweets come in a summer-inspired flavour now. Delicious strawberry and cream make you think of English summers, Wimbledon and picnics in the garden.

My younger son put dibs on the pack, as he's doing his DofE event this week, and wants a sweet treat during the trip.

Available in major supermarket chains.

Mr Porky Crispy Strips (£1.25) has been the nation's favourite snack since 1960. This is a unique snack, and a winner in the Great Taste awards in 2019. 

They taste like pork scratchings, but with a bite to them, like crispy bacon rinds.

Nutritional values: 198kcal and 2.25g of salt per 35g serving.

Available in major supermarket chains.

Kettle Sweet Chilli & Sour Cream (£2.50) - if you like your chips spicy, these delicious crunchy snacks are perfectly seasoned with a blend of chilli and paprika and a cooler taste of sour cream.

At Kettle HQ in Norfolk, they cook their chips from British potatoes in small batches, so that a great crunch is guaranteed every time. Gluten free, vegetarian, hand cooked.

Typical values: 509kcal and 4.5g of sugar per 100g. 

Available in Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, ASDA.

Maldon Kalahari Desert Salt (£2.50) is a naturally coarse salt, harvested from the vast desert plains of the Kalahari.

You will always find a pack or two of Maldon salt in our kitchen. I use it for cooking, and also for creating intricate patterns while painting with inks and watercolour.

Kalahari salt is another exceptional salt selected by Maldon specialists.

Available on Amazon UK.

Sacla' UK Char-Grilled Aubergine & Roasted Garlic Pesto (£3.35) is inspired by an Italian dish Pasta alla Norma. This tasty pesto is made in Italy and reflects rich flavours of the Neapolitan cuisine.

Ingredients include char-grilled aubergines, sunflower seed oil, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, basil, cashew nuts, pine nuts and more.

Nutritional values: 339kcal and 1.2g of salt per 100g.

Available in Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose and online from Ocado and sacla.co.uk.

Very Lazy Jerk Paste (£1.99, see above) is another excellent product from the Very Lazy range, which provides maximum flavour and minimum fuss.

It's a Caribbean cuisine inspired cooking paste made with onion, Scotch Bonnet chilli puree and Allspice among other ingredients. Great with chicken wings or roast vegetables with rice.

Available in Morrisons.

Batchelors Cook with Noodles Chicken Flavour (£2.25) is a handy pantry product for quick and easy meals. Cook a bowl of noodles in just 3 minutes. Add a selection of your favourite vegetables and perhaps a tablespoon of miso paste for a satisfying quick meal.

Nutritional values: 466kcal and 1.2g of salt per 300g portion as prepared; no artificial colours, low sugar.

Available in major supermarket chains.

Nescafe Azera Americano (£6.25) is a super premium barista-inspired instant coffee. 

Rich and smooth, this is a blend of instant coffee and finely ground roasted beans. If you enjoy coffee-based desserts, try Azera Americano as an ingredient in a luxurious Tiramisu.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

Frobishers Sicilian Lemonade Presse (£1.79) is a light and zesty soft drink, made with Sicilian lemon juice, lemon oil and juniper extract. It tastes like a summer in a glass, refreshing, tangy and tart, with delicate bubbles of fizz.

Nutritionals: 20.8kcal and 4.9g of sugar per 100ml.

Available in WHSmith and selected gastronomy.

What a great selection of foods and drinks! What product is your favourite in the latest boox?