The Fatal Oath by Michael L. Lewis

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The Fatal Oath

1957. Blackleigh is an elite public school for boys in Yorkshire where prejudice and seething hatreds are never far below the surface. Violence erupts against any Junior who the Seniors deem unfit.

 

Jonathan Simon is 16, in his third year, and is self-conscious about being Jewish and having a birthmark on his cheek. He knows that: 1) The school code of conduct mandates no snitching, 2) The student Prefects, not the faculty, have absolute power to discipline and 3) Mr. Paul Wood, the temporary Headmaster, is weak and ineffectual.

 

Jonathan meets Bobby Stuart, an American transfer student, who is also worried about being accepted. Their friendship binds them together as they soon run afoul three ruthless and ambitious Seniors in the House; Gabriel, Murray and Hausman – also known by their fanatic followers as ‘The Black Armbands’.

 

As the pressure mounts, ambitions grow, friendships become closer and scheming increases. As for Jonathan, the year is only beginning…

Purchase Links

Book Gook Guild – https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/book/343/The%20Fatal%20Oath/

Bookshop.org – https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-fatal-oath/9781914471278

Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fatal-Oath-Michael-L-Lewis/dp/191447127X

Waterstones – https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-fatal-oath/michael-l-lewis/9781914471278

Foyles – https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childrens/the-fatal-oath,michael-l-lewis-9781914471278?term=9781914471278

WHSmith – https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-fatal-oath/michael-l-lewis/paperback/9781914471278.html

Author Bio –

Michael L. Lewis was born and raised in England. After preparatory school in London, he was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham. This is the third novel in the Oath series, taking readers on a journey through the lives of three dynamic schoolboys between the ages of 13 and 15, and the extraordinary triumphs and tragedies that they experience. Michael now lives in Los Angeles, California, has a law degree, and writes full-time. He was on the Board of Trustees for several schools and has been a member of the same book club for twenty-five years.

 

Michael says, “The books in the ‘Oath’ series are all inspired by my incredible experiences at a Boarding School in the North of England and on School Boards in Los Angeles. Each book in the series stands alone with totally separate main themes united by the exploration of prejudice, the unequal playing field in education, and the abuse of human rights. They will appeal to adults as well as young adults and are entirely set in an elite public school in Yorkshire.”

Social Media Links –

https://twitter.com/BookGuild

https://www.facebook.com/thebookguild

https://www.instagram.com/Troubador_Publishing/

"Hello, Spring" Degustabox

 Hello Spring is the theme of the latest Degustabox.

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 Hello, Spring Degustabox box? 

Exante Snack Bites (£1.49) are the Product of the Month. These are high protein balls in two tasty flavours: Carrot Cake and Lemon & Coconut. These lovely little snacks are high in fibre and come under 100kcal per bag.

Packed with real plant-based ingredients, they are great as on-the-go snacks for when you're feeling peckish.

We received a bag of Lemon & Coconut snack bites. Ingredients include date paste, rice protein, date syrup, dessicated coconut, cashew butter, tapioca fibre, sunflower oil, citrus fibre etc.

Use code DEGUSTA for 35% off almost everything at exantediet.com (expires 31/12/22).

You should recieve one of two flavours in the box.

Available at exantediet.com

Nature Valley Full Mix Cranberry (£1 for the single unit ot £2.90 for the multipack) are crunchy and chewy bars, made with carefully selected and quality ingredients: cranberries, peanuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, oats and peanut butter. 

They have a lovely combination of flavours and textures - chewy and crunchy. Cranberries add a tart note to the sweetness of sunflower seeds.

The multipack is available in all major supermarkets.

Shreddies The Honey One (£2.50) is the latest addition to the Shreddies' range. They are made with whole grain and real honey. You get the classic whole grain squares, only gently covered with sweet honey.

Each 460g pack includes 11 servings.

Nutritional information: 148kcal and 9g of sugar per 40g serving.

Available in ASDA, Morrisons, Waitrose, on Ocado, and coming to other retailers soon.

Nutriburst gummy vits: Health and Vitality - Mulitivitamin and Hair, Skin & Nails Advanced Nutrition (£22.99 for the Advanced Nutrition Vitamins for Hair, Skin & Nails full sized bottle, £19.99 for the Health and Vitality Multivitamin full sized bottle, or £1 for both the sachets).

Nutriburst is a range of sugar free vegan gummies, enriched with vitamins, botanical extracts and minerals. Using high quality ingredients, they give the mind and body a nutrititous boost.

They have a sweet fruity taste, very pleasant.

These gummies are gluten free, cruelty free, and are non-GMO. #BurstThroughLife

Use code DEGUSTA25 to get 25% off.

Available at Amazon UK, Selfridges, and on www.nutriburstvitamins.com

The single sachets are currently not available to purchase.

KETTLE Chips Sea Salt & Crushed Black Peppercorns (£2.09) - KETTLE Chips do not need any introduction. They are made with real food ingredients. Salt and Pepper is a classic combination of flavours, which doesn't disappoint. Very moreish chips, they are gluten free, vegan and contain no artifical flavours.

100% of KETTLE Chips potatoes are British.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

PizzaExpress Sweet & Smoky BBQ Pizza Dipping Sauce (£2) is our latest favourite condiment, which we discovered recently, shopping on Ocado. We were very pleased to get another bottle of this delicious BBQ sauce in the food box. 

It is utterly delicious with pizza, but goes well with other foods too.

In fact, I mix it with the Greek style yogurt and add to roasted or boiled baby new potatoes. I also like to add it to a grilled halloumi sandwich.

Inspired by the popular Barbacoa pizza on the PizzaExpress menu, this sauce adds a sweet kick to any pizza.

Available in all major supermarkets.

If you're looking for an easy way to liven up even a simple salad, then check out Hellmann's Caesar Salad Dressing 210ml and Fat Free Vinaigrette 210ml (£1.25).

Hellmann's Caesar Salad dressing is creamy, piquant and tangy, while Hellmann's Fat Free Vinaigrette is fresh-tasting, sweet and sharp. With only 7kcal per serving, these dressings will enhance a variety of salads.

Available in ASDA and on Ocado.

Knorr Zero Salt Beef Stock Cubes (£1.50) - Knorr has launched the first in the market Zero Salt Stock Cubes to bring flavour to family meals without added salt.

Accredited by Netmums and available in Vegetable, free range Chicken and Beef flavours, this range is made with carefully selected ingredients (vegetables, herbs, spices, beef from responsible farms etc). 

Beef stock cubes have a rich meaty flavour.

Available in all major supermarket chains and Boots.com

Aero Caramel Chocolate Melts and Milk Chocolate Melts (£1.59) - if you love Aero, you will enjoy these smooth, bubbly chocolate button-size pieces. They melt on your tongue, and you can feel the bubbles from the aerated chocolate. Smooth, creamy and moreish, these melts are a lovely treat to share while watching a movie.

Each serving of 12 sweets contains 127kcal and 13.6g of sugar.

You will receive one of two items in your box.

Available in all major supermarkets.

Borna Lightly Sweetened Pistachio Drink (500ml/£1.99) is a creamy sweet plant-based milk substitute. It has a lovely aroma and delicious pistachio taste. Better with coffee than tea, or drizzled over cereal.

No added gums, artificial flavours or additives, only Calcium and Vitamin B12 from natural sources.

Available at Selfridges, Whole Foods, on Ocado, Amazon and www.bornafoods.com

Aqua Libra Infused Sparkling Water Raspberry & Blackcurrant/Blood Orange & Mango (£1) is a delightful sparkling water. 

No sugar, calories, sweeteners or anything artificial. Ingredients include just sparkling water, infused with natural fruit flavours and a dash of lemon juice.

Delicately light, refreshing, crisp and clean.

You should receive two items in your box.

Available in all major supermarkets, leading high street chains and online.

And finally, Yogi Tea For the Senses Fresh Inspiration/Pure Happiness or Natural Energy (£2.59) - this is a unique range of teas, inspired by the aromatherapy and the power of essential oils. 

These tea blends contain precious, naturally pure plant essences. A beautiful combination of herbs and spices make these teas very special.

All ingredients are 100% organic.

You should receive 1 of 3 items in your box. We got a box of Yogi Tea Natural Energy, which is a beautiful combination of white tea and lemon.

Available on Ocado, Amazon, and many independent health food stores.

A Moment of Faith by Martin Svaneborg

"Never in history had the perfection of a life rested in the hands of a moment. Of this he was certain... This day was about everything his future would not be; it was about matters of the heart. Matters of life and death. About the empirical elements of life, which had caused him countless grieveances and immense distress through the previous years". 

"In her eyes, I had momentarily witnessed eternity; from nothing to everything in a single moment. Time had stood still and in that moment, when nothing had happened, everything had happened".

A Moment of Faith by Martin Svaneborg is a historical romance, told in dualtime setting.

It's difficult to describe the genre of the book - it's a combination of a philosophical treatise on love and a mystery thriller along the lines of The Da Vinci Code.

The dualtime narrative alternates between Copenhagen, 1839-55 and the present.

We meet an eccentric scholar of theology Søren Kierkegaard as he runs out of his house to meet the love of his life, Regine Olsen, while she heads home from her piano lessons. She invites him in and plays the piano. Overcome with emotion, Søren proclaims his love. In a miserable state of lust and anxiety, he asks Regine's father for her hand in marriage.

"Unbeknowst to the councillor, the young man would later become one of the greatest literary advocates for love the world would ever see, but had the councillor known what gruesome fate the love of this young couple would endure, he would have been sensible enough to turn down the proposal".

As soon as Regine accepts his proposal, Søren realises that he has made a terrible mistake.

Fifteen years later, reclusive Kierkegaard comes up with a mission against what he believes to be a false interpretation of Christianity. "All his life, he had fought the inner turmoil of his own faith and conviction against this deceit, the so-called Christian Church... It had to end... This Church had to be anihilated. It had to cease to exist".

His personal vendetta against the Bishop of Copenhagen "would not only cause conflict and controversy but utter catastrophe". He is doing it for his principles, but also for Regine, whom he sacrificed for "the very essence of his life's mission. His faith was the core of his being, and now he would go as far as to throw himself at the hands of public scorn, ridicule, and accusation".

Copenhagen, the present:

Christian Kardahl, an introverted scholar of theology, finishes writing an assignment on one of Kiekegaard's works, where he questioned whether the Christian church had any true value and legitimacy as a religion. Working in the library, he comes across a notification on the forthcoming lecture on the Irvingites. Starting to dig further, Christian reads about the Catholic-Apostolic Church in Denmark. 

Inspired by what he's discovered, he visits the service at the Church. 

Christian immediately feels that there is a warmth and hospitality in that church and its congregation, that he wants to be part of. There he meets a mysterious young woman, Emma, who makes an enigmatic request, "You must save the church".

An old letter found in the library compels Christian to continue his historical research. When a brutal murder follows the discovery of the letter, the past begins to come alive. "There was only one way to figure out what this was all about; figure out exactly what needed saving and why. And oh, yeah: Why ME? It was time for some detective work".

Thus Christian and Emma begin their quest to save the church and likely their lives, as someone ruthless is on their trail. In a whirlwind of events and clues, they have to travel far to solve the mystery. Will their hearts shatter along the way, or is there a new light shining stronger?

The novel's strengths are the atmospheric descriptions of the city, the church, and the portrayal of the doomed love between the tormented philosopher and his muse. 

I felt like reading two different novels, one an equisite historical narrative, a moving story, told with a masterful restraint, another a vigorous conspiracy romp written by "Dan Brown".

I didn't warm up to Christian or his source of inspiration. The sex scene was rather awkward, and didn't add much to the narrative.

Dualtime (sliptime or split-time) novels are very popular now. They explore the significant part the historical past still plays in our contemporary lives. Sometimes the two plotlines are linked organically, sometimes the modern story serves as a vessel to explore the secrets of the past. 

I was intrigued by the mystery which Christian and Emma tried to solve, but it's the historical tale and portrayal of Kierkegaard that truly caught my attention.

A Moment of Faith is a compelling novel of love, persuasion and intellectual ambition. The theme of a timeless tension between romantic ideas of sublime love and domestic realities is finespun and elegantly told.

This post is part of the blog tour for A Moment of Faith. 

Many thanks to Martin Svaneborg and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book.

Purchase Link - http://mybook.to/amomentoffaith

Author Bio – With a background in musical theatre as both an actor, singer, and dancer, Martin Svaneborg has spent his teenage and adult life as a storyteller. In 2018, driven mainly by his interest in the history of religion, Martin started studying theology at the University of Copenhagen while exploring other ways of telling stories as a theatre director, speech coach, and speaker, hence the transition to novel writing felt natural, and his debut novel is a fusion of his growing interest for the personal life of the philosophers he encountered during his studies and the desire to tell an adventurous love story. Also, he, like Kierkegaard, has a thing for nice, long sentences.

 

Social Media Links – 

Instagram - @kingsleypublishers

Instagram - @martinsvaneborg_author

Twitter - @kingsleypublis1

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Murder on Oxford Lane by Tony Bassett

 

"Our team of trained offices have spent hundreds of hours probing every aspect of this case, and yet we've drawn a blank. This has proved an extremely challenging month. What we're hoping for now is some publicity so we can flush out this killer and resolve both cases".

Murder on Oxford Lane by Tony Bassett is a murder mystery, with a strong police procedural element.

This is the first book in a cosy crime series, set in the West Midlands. The countsryside setting and the passions brewing in picturesque villages will remind you of Midsomer Murders. There is a strong emphasis on the investigation, conducted by the police team.

One cold and frosty evening local businessmand and property developer Harry Bowers arrives home for a quick bite before rushing to the choir practice in the church hall. Only he never makes it to the practice. He was last seen in the local newsagent's, and afterwards seems to have vanished without any trace.

The wife takes her time to report her husband's disappearance. What has kept her so long to make a phone call to the police?

DCI Gavin Roscoe lives in the nearby village of Queensbridge, where his wife Helen runs the popular local tearooms. Roscoe and his team, including Detective Sergeant Sunita Roy, investigate the disappearance of the businessman.

This is Sunita's first case with Roscoe. After a shaky start and a criticism from her boss, Sunita starts to show initiative. She is also dealing with personal issues, as her ex is stalking her relentlessly. At first she tries to be kind to him, asking to stop sending her text messages. 

"She felt sorry for him, standing alone in the darkness, begging to be readmitted to her life. But she knew she must stand firm. Arun Halder... was no more than a relic from the past". However, Arun is a pest who cannot accept the truth that the relationship is over.

Despite the personal issues, Sunita shows her mettle. She is convinced that Harry Bowers has met a sinister end.

The more they dig into the businessman's life, the more secrets they uncover. His marriage has been a failure on both sides, and his business is in trouble as well. 

Then the body is found floating in the marina. Is it Harry Bowers?

DS Roy is struggling to win the respect of her colleagues. Slowly, her boss who at first thinks her lack of practical experience might hold her back, realises that she is going to fit in quite well.

It looks like the Midlands hasn't moved on with the times. The men in the community and even workplace are patronising and condensending. Sunita's been addressed to as a young lady, my dear Sergeant, a lady Sergeant etc. 

What's happened to the vanished chorister? And who's the man found in the river? Is Sunita Roy resilient enough to stand up to the prejudices of Middle England?

The story focuses on the police investigation which is gripping and insightful. The working relationship between Roscoe and Roy is evolving as the investigation progresses. 

Murder on Oxford Lane is a well-plotted police procedural. It is an easy read, with an intriguing storyline and a supreme setting. 

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MURDER-OXFORD-LANE-gripping-suspense-ebook/dp/B09Q3L5YFT/

https://www.amazon.com/MURDER-OXFORD-LANE-gripping-suspense-ebook/dp/B09Q3L5YFT/

This post is part of the blog tour for Murder on Oxford Lane.

Many thanks to Tony Bassett, The Book Folks and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!

Author Bio –

Tony Bassett, a former Fleet Street journalist, has written a gripping series of crime novels set in the Midlands.

The first book in the series is called Murder on Oxford Lane. Published by The Book Folks, it concerns the disappearance of a property tycoon from a sleepy Warwickshire village.

Middle-aged DCI Gavin Roscoe and his relatively inexperienced sergeant, DS Sunita Roy, are confronted by suspicious deaths as they struggle to uncover what has happened to the businessman.

The second book in this Midlands crime series, The Crossbow Stalker, will be released shortly.

Tony decided to set this string of novels in Warwickshire and Worcestershire after spending many happy years working as a newspaper reporter in Worcester.

He first developed a love of writing at the age of nine when he and a friend produced a magazine called the Globe at their junior school in Sevenoaks, Kent.

At Hull University, Tony was named student journalist of the year in 1971 in a competition run by Time-Life magazine and went onto become a national newspaper journalist, mainly working for the Sunday People in both its newsroom and investigations department.

His very first book to be published, the crime novel Smile Of The Stowaway, was released in December 2018. It concerns a Kent couple who harbour a stowaway and then battle to clear his name when he is charged with murder.

Then, in March 2020, the spy novel The Lazarus Charter, was released. It involves foreign agents operating in the UK. The book has kindly been endorsed by Marina Litvinenko, widow of the murdered Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko, and by Stan and Caroline Sturgess, parents of the innocent mother-of-three poisoned with novichok in Salisbury in 2018.

Tony, who has written at least four other novels which are as yet unpublished, has five grown-up children. He is a Life Member of the National Union of Journalists. He lives in South-East London with his partner Lin.

 

Social Media Links –

www.tonybassettauthor.com

www.twitter.com/tonybassett1

www.facebook.com/tony.bassett.92505

www.instagram.com/tonyba1

Death in the Mist by Jo Allen

 

"The crag that sheltered the tarn from sun and wind was patched with snow, streaked brown with thin soil washed down from above. The surface of the water below it was still and menacing, black with the absence of light.

They said the sun never reached it. They said its depths were occupied by two immortal fishes. It was fifty feet deep and even in good weather it looked as if it went down for ever, to the very centre of the Earth. It was cold and it was dangerous. She swallowed back a tear".

Death in the Mist by Jo Allen is the murder mystery set in Cumbria. This is the seventh book in the DCI Satterthwaite series. It reads as a standalone, but it would help to understand the relationships of the main protagonists better if you read the previous books in the series.

The blurb on the cover catches your attention at once: 

A drowned man. A missing teenager. A deadly secret.

Every year, on the anniversary of her son Luke's disappearance, Emmy Leach makes a trip to the Cumbrian tarn, where she belives her son has perished all those years ago. He was a demanding teen, with a challenging behaviour. "After his disappearance, she chose to forget those things. Fifteen years on, she remembered only the joy of his presence and the aching pain of his absence". Though his body has never been found, Emmy believes he son is no longer alive.

While placing a bunch of daffodils in a jar on the rocks and thinking of her lost boy, she spots something in the icy water. It is an abandoned tent, and it appears that it contains something or someone inside it.

The police retrieve a body of a drug addict, wrapped in the tent. This discovery will set in motion a chain of events which will prove that the past casts a long shadow. 

DCI Jude Satterthwaite, his colleague and former partner Detective Sergeant Ashleigh O'Halloran and their team investigate the murder. Jude has to revive his first, unsolved case. 

The case reveals that Emmy's past is complicated. And someone will go to any lengths to protect the lethal truth. 

Discovering more about the past of the victim, Jude sees some parallels with his troublesome younger brother Mikey. Mikey is still bitter about the divorce of his parents, and resents Jude's overprotective behaviour. 

Luke had also struggled with his parents' divorce, and hated his step-father Rob. 

Emmy was aware of the mutual hatred betwen her son and husband, but sadly, chose her husband over her child. After Luke's disappearance, she cannot even properly grieve. "He'd [Rob] done everything properly and supported her, but she'd sensed early on that he'd felt only relief after her son had gone. She'd sensed, too, that her mourning, and the inevitable guilt that accompanied it, had quickly come to irritate him..."

Rob is manipulative and has a cruel streak. He controls who his wife meets and befriends. Emmy is isolated and is afraid of angering her husband. 

"In her heart of hearts, Emmy thought this unreasonable. though her need for Rob's esteem was great enough that she let it dominate her..."

After meeting Emmy, Ashleigh's own demons reawaken. Just like Emmy, she has been in a difficult coercive relationship. Her ex-husband was also dominant and controlling. She sees all the signs, and tries to help. Why does not Emmy see it herself?

Ashleigh is still besotted with her cheating ex, but she's wiser now. Jude observes that the case is upsetting Ashleigh more than it usually would. Her empathy make her one of the best interviewers on the team, but her mental state is fragile.

As a way of meditating, and trying to find balance in her thoughts, Ashleigh spreads her trusted Tarot cards. But now the cards don't bring any clarity or consolation.

It becomes clear that Emmy is in danger. There are too many secrets both her husband and she have from each other, and the police. 

Who is guilty? Who is the innocent party? The secrets of the past are about to come out.

Death in the Mist is a thought-provoking, melancholic read, which deals with issues of coercive control, manipulative behaviour, loss of self-esteem, isolation and misplaced sense of loyalty. It's the complicated love triangle that's in the mist. Mist of mistrust, unease, dishonesty and cruelty. Both men in Emmy's life, who claim to love her, are manipulative liars who would do anything to win.

Like the previous books in the series, Death in the mist is a wistful contemplation of the human relationships, our frailties and strengths.

It's a compelling story, with complex, believable characters and a shocking ending.

If you liked reading this review, you might want to catch up on the reviews of the previous books in the series.

Death at Rainbow Cottage

Death on the Lake

Death in the Woods

Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Mist-DCI-Satterthwaite-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B09KYJK6H9

US - https://www.amazon.com/Death-Mist-DCI-Satterthwaite-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B09KYJK6H

This review is part of the blog tour for Death in the Mist.

Many thanks to Jo Allen and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book.

Author Bio –

Jo Allen was born in Wolverhampton and is a graduate of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and the Open University, with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in geography and Earth science. She's been writing for pleasure and publication for as long as she can remember. After a career in economic consultancy she took up writing and was first published under the name Jennifer Young, in genres of short stories, romance and romantic suspense. She wrote online articles on travel and on her favourite academic subject, Earth science. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she most likes to read -- crime.

Jo lives in the English Lakes, where the DCI Satterthwaite series is set. In common with all her favourite characters, she loves football (she's a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers) and cats.

 

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/JoAllenAuthor

https://twitter.com/JoAllenAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/joallenauthor/

An Escape to Remember by T.A. Williams

 

"...she felt remarkably relaxed, unusually relaxed. Something told her the Grand Hotel del Montferrato was going to prove to be a perfect place of escape and a little oasis of calm. And she could certainly do with some of that".

An Escape to Remember by T.A. Williams is a glorious romance, set in the hills of Turin.

When Louise Rhodes arrives home from her work trip a day earlier, hoping to surprise her boyfriend Tommy, she is shocked to find him in bed with another woman. "In the space of a few seconds her whole life had been turned upside down. Tommy had been the man with whom she had been planning to spend the rest of her life but now those dreams were in tatters".

Louise is heart-broken, and wonders, "Was she the problem? Had she not been loving enough or considerate enough or understanding enough? Of course it was likely, that her job had been part of the problem... No, whatever contributing factors there might have been from her side, the blame here lay squarely on Tommy's shoulders".

Thankfully, her boss Joseph (unaware of the drama at home) comes with a grand project. He wants Louise to go to Italy, as he has just signed off on a deal to purchase a hotel in the hills of north-west Italy, just below the Alps. 

The Grand Hotel del Montferrato is old, quirky and picturesque, and has been operating for over a hundred years, but it's "bearly ticking over at present" and needs a major renovation. 

Joseph sends Louise to Italy with a plan, "Go through it from head to toe. Make any changes you think fit to the property itself, the facilities, the management and staff at all levels. Get rid of any dead wood and turn it into one of the best luxury hotels at all levels". That's quite an ask.

Louise is glad to have a new purpose. As it happens, the hotel is in dire need of renovations, but the staff working there prove to be loyal and hard-working. "Just like the orchestra playing on the Titanic, they had carried on as normal while the hotel had slowly started to sink beneath the waves".

Having arrived to Italy, Louise is determined to stay away from men. 

"Her upcoming trip to rural Italy sounded as though it would provide a place to escape from the memory of Tommy and his woman".

To complicate matters even further, Joseph invites Louise for dinner, and their conversation leaves her confused. Is Joseph interested in her?

Her old flame, Paolo has re-appeared in her life. He was Louise's first real great love. The romance ended abruptly when Paolo "made it brutally clear that his career took priority over everything - including her". He's having marital problems back in the States, and considers it a sign from above, that he and Louise might get back together. 

Tommy is still pretty much in her thoughts too. 

And there's an enigmatic Count Vittorio Emanuele Dellarosa, whose family has owned the hotel for many years. He inherited the failing business and sold it along with everything else. Vittorio is a recluse, who lives in the old mill, quite close to the hotel, with Leo, his big brown Labrador.

There is a wave of sadness surrounding him, he works as a professor at Turin University but barely ventures in the local society, as if he has given up on any chance of finding his personal happiness. What is the tragedy behind his seclusion?

Louise feels "an immediate and inexplicable feeling of familiarity, almost as if the two of them had already met". Vito appears to be polite, but very reserved, unlike his dog Leo who seems to be deliriously happy to meet her every time she walks in the countryside around the hotel.

"Her head was spinning with conflicting thoughts of four men. First, there was Tommy and the still open wound caused by his infidelity, second was the former love of her life who had moved to the other side of the globe, only to reappear like magic, third her boss whose intentions she couldn't fathom, and now, suddenly, this unknown man who had made such an inexplicable first impression on her..."

Louise is excellent at her job as a company troubleshooter for the luxury hotel chain, and gradually the hotel is returning to the glory days. She knows what she is doing, but finds it not that easy to stay focused purely on the job, as she keeps thinking of the handsome hermit Vito.

His tragic past and her newly-minted policy of staying away from men make it almost impossible for any romance to bud. Will Louise and Vito have a chance to open their hearts to each other?

An Escape to Remember has been a perfect antidote to depressive thoughts, and I needed a bit of happy escapism, with beautiful landscapes and gorgeous food. And though I'm not a dog person, I couldn't but smile at the antics of the impulsive and uninhibited Leo. He is such a character that he often steals the scenes.

There are several supporting characters who make the leading story even more compelling. The stories of the hotel staff, Calogero, Domenica and Luigino, interweave into the main plotline, helping it build to a beautiful ending.

The Italian setting is so vividly described, you feel transported to Italy. The author has an impressive knowledge of the Italian cuisine too. I kept nodding my head at the food descriptions, yes, I'd be happy to eat that, and that, and that. Bravo for all the Italian food desciptions, totally spot on!

Fabulous escapism with oodles of atmosphere and romance. Made me want to re-visit Italy straight away.

This post is part of the publication day event for An Escape to Remember.

Many thanks to T.A. Williams, NetGalley and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - mybook.to/AnEscape

Author Bio – I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I did languages at university a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only seven years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

The fact that I am now writing escapist romance is something I still find hard to explain. My early books were thrillers and historical novels. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations, even if travel to them is currently difficult.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tawilliamsbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorWilliamsBooks/

Badlands by Gary Kruse

 

Badlands

Surf. Sand. Smugglers. Murder.

 

Willow has run as far as she can.

From her home.

From the friends she betrayed.

From the family who betrayed her.

From her own name.

But a cry for help will bring her back.

Back to face her family.

Back to face the sins of her past.

Back to face the darkness at the heart of Cornwall.

In the search for her sister, Willow will face deception and betrayal, before she’ll find love – and herself. But will she uncover how close the enemy is, or will she become another victim of the Badlands?

 

Purchase Link - http://mybook.to/badlandsdarkstroke

Author Bio – Gary Kruse is a multi-genre writer of flash fiction, short stories and novels. He lives with his family in Hornchurch on the Essex/London border.

He began writing as a teenager after seeing the Craft in the cinema and wondering what would happen if the coven of witches from the Craft came face to face with the Lost Boys (the vampires, not Peter Pan's crew!).

His work has appeared online and in print anthologies and his short story "Mirror Mirror" was shortlisted in the WriteHive 2021 Horror competition, and subsequently featured in the "Duplicitous" anthology.

His short story "Hope in the Dark" won first place in the November 2021 edition of the Writers' Forum Short Story competition.

His debut novel “Badlands” is published through Darkstroke on 21st January 2022.

 

Social Media Links –

www.twitter.com/@KruseGowerWrite

www.instagram.com/@gowerkrusewrites

www.facebook.com/gary.kruse.1029

https://garykruse.co.uk/

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi

"In even the most innocent scenes there is darkness to be found at the corners," he said, "from the way the light falls on the frame."

"Are fictional detectives fundamentally dishonest?" She thought about the question. "That could be the title of a doctoral thesis". He waited for her to answer, the silence punctured by birdsong. "I would say no. No more than fiction itself".

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi is an entertaining and quirky detective novel. You can compare it to a game of Cluedo, as you move from chapter to chapter, master the act of deduction, following the clues to solve the murder mystery.

Julia Hart arrives to an island in the Mediterranean where the reclusive Scottish author and mathematician Grant McAllister lives his solitary life. His book of mysteries, published many years ago, during the golden age of detective fiction, might be published again, with an introduction and re-edited material. 

McAllister's claim to fame is that he came up with a mathematical theory of crime fiction. His book of stories is meant to support his theory. "All of these stories derive from a research paper that I wrote in nineteen thirty-seven, examining the mathematical structure of murder mysteries... The aim of that research paper was to give a mathematical definition of a murder mystery".

The paper lists all of the possible permutations of detective fiction. When Julia queries that there must be an awful lot of these permutations, the professor explains, "Strictly speaking, there are infinitely many, but they divide into a small number of archetypes. In fact, the main structural variations can be counted on two hands. The stories were written to illustrate these major variations... The mathematical definition is simple... Effectively, it just states the four ingredients that comprise a murder mystery, with a few conditions applying to each one".

"The first ingredient is a group of suspects; the characters that may, or may not, have been responsible for the killing".

"The second ingredient of a murder mystery is a victim, or a group of victims. Those characters that have been killed in unknown circumstances".

Following that logic, you might guess that the third ingredient is a detective, or a group of detectives. "Those characters that are trying to solve the crime. I considered this one to be optional, which is to say that the group of detectives can have nobody in it... We make no restriction on the size of the group".

And finally, the fourth component is the murderer. "A killer, or a group of killers; those responsible for the deaths of the victims. Without that it's certainly not a murder mystery". The condition is that the killer(s) must be drawn from the pool of suspects

The concept is an intriguing one. 

The book is divided into chapters with seven different short stories, which are not connected between themselves, except by the genre (murder mystery). Each of the stories has hidden inconsistencies, or "jokes", as the author tries to explain later. The reader is supposed to work them out, if they are smart enough to pay attention to all the details.

Each chapter goes on like that: under the pretext of editing and re-writing the book of crime stories, Julia reads a story to McAllister to stimulate his memory, then she explains to him what she thinks the inconsistencies are, and keeps pestering him for personal information. He is happy enough to talk about his stories, but is reticent about his personal affairs, and rightly so.

It appears Julia suspects McAllister of being involved in an old unsolved murder case, which happened many years earlier.

The stories are quite underwhelming, unpleasant, and leave a nasty aftertaste. The writing clearly emulates the style of the golden era of the British crime story, but in an amateur way (which will be explained at the end of the book). It might be presented as the homage to the classic crime stories, but overall these are derivative and affected stories.

The fifth story, Trouble on Blue Pearl Island, is described as the homage to Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None), but it's not so much the homage as the direct stealing borrowing of the crime setting and scenario.

Some of the stories are plain disturbing. You can argue that all murder stories are disturbing, but here they are so clinical, unemotional, merciless and plain unpleasant. I don't think there is a single likeable character in the book, including Julia who has her own agenda and hounds the old man with her cleverness and cunning.

As it happens, by re-writing each story Julia is trying to trick McAllister into confession regarding the unsolved murder mystery which happened years earlier in London, dubbed as The White Murder. She believes he might have been involved or at least knows something about it.

As a reader, you feel somewhat cheated, since it's not something that you can predict, following the plot.

The ending with the solution to the "main" murder mystery is rather heavy-handed and not very plausible. 

Eight Detectives has been lauded as a box of delights by The New Yorl Times (see the endorsement on the cover), which I tend to disagree with. 

I had rather high expectations, reading the book endorsements and reviews in the papers. The narrative is very dry, as if dissected with the precision of the scalpel, and arranged on the mortuary slab. Totally devoid of any human emotion. 

You can argue it's clever, in a textbook-style of writing, but it's lost its soul on the way. 

To find a positive slant, I liked the cover design of this book, it's playful, curious and original. There are way too many crime stories now with the almost identical figures of women in red/yellow/blue shown from the back against some dark, stormy, gloomy background. There are so many of them, they begin to morph into one design. I wonder if these design artists all studied art in the same school.

SPOILER ALERT!

If you haven't read this book, please do not read further, as there are some major spoilers.

In the end we find out that the stories are actually written by a woman (and later re-written by another woman). Yes, there are plenty of women who write crime stories, and some of them do pile on a lot of gruesome details, but... The style of these stories feels masculine to me. The re-written story about the nasty sadistic detective, where he drowns the young woman in the bathtub, then tortures the "suspect" for the confession... That ending with the body on the mortuary slab being all his. I don't see this necrophiliac story as a work of a woman.

Have you read Eight Detectives? Did you find it a box of delights?