Don’t Let Him In by Howard Linskey

Published by Penguin on 13th May 2021.

The Blurb

Eriston is a small town. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name – and your secrets.

Rebecca hasn’t been back in years, but she grew up in the shadow of a sinister local legend. There have always been deaths in Eriston – more than can easily be explained. People dying in their houses, behind locked doors.

Her father, Sean, had warned her of the dangers. Don’t let him in.

When Rebecca returns, she discovers that her father wasn’t willing to let the legend lie. He was on the verge of uncovering the town’s darkest truth.

Sean knew too much. Now he’s dead and Rebecca could be next……

My Thoughts

Rebecca has returned home following the death of her father, she has been travelling the world and now finds herself back in her home town up on the north east coast of England. Her father had been the editor of the local newspaper until it was forced to close due to lack of readership. however, Sean had not ceased working, his obsession was the high number deaths that occurred in such a small town and two of these in particular, the Eriston Rose and another young woman called Katherine, one of his reporters at the time of her murder. Rebecca soon discovers that her father may have been murdered for the information he knew surrounding these deaths and she enlists the help of the local policeman in her quest to find the truth.

From here on in the plot gets twisty and very dark, Rebecca is on the trail of a serial killer but she has no idea how close that trail is going to lead to her own family. I was totally invested in this story and found myself utterly gripped by the superb narrative. The characters are believable and likeable for the most part. The story developed at a great pace and never once did I skim read the text, I wanted to know every little detail that was going on, I was totally hooked and was desperate to know the outcome.

This story is well written, creepy, intense and just a tad scary with a good dose of the sinister thrown in for good measure. The feeling of being watched is never far from your mind and I guarantee you will be double checking the locks on your doors each night. The outcome was satisfying and I felt all the ends tied in very nicely together. There were times when I thought I had cracked the case only to be thwarted on the next page so when the murderer was finally revealed it was a bit of a shocker.

This is the first book I have read by Howard but it will definitely not be the last. I throughly enjoyed it and would heartily recommend it to lovers of crime fiction/thrillers.

Many thanks to the publisher for gifting me a copy of the book and thank you for bringing to work of Howard Linskey onto my bookish radar!

Check out the blog tour for further reviews.

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Worst.Idea.Ever by Jane Fallon

Published by Michael Joseph.

The Blurb

Lydia and Georgia are so close they’re practically sisters. So when Lydia starts an online business that struggles, Georgia wants to help her – but she also understands Lydia’s not the kind to accept a handout.

Setting up a fake Twitter account, Georgia hopes to give her friend some anonymous moral support by posing as a potential customer. But when Lydia starts confiding in her new Internet buddy Georgia discovers she doesn’t know her quite as well as she thought.

Georgia knows she should reveal herself, but she’s fascinated by this insight into her friend’s true feelings. Especially when Lydia starts to talk about her. Until Lydia reveals a secret that could not only end their friendship but also blow up Georgia’s marriage. Georgia’s in too deep. But what can she save? her marriage, her friendship – or just herself?

My Thoughts

Is there anything we wouldn’t do for our closest friends if they needed help? If your BFF needed a much needed boost you’d help wouldn’t you? But what if that much needed boost backfired so much it actually threatened your entire friendship?

Firstly, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!

Following lifelong best friends Lydia and Georgia, Lydia is unfulfilled in her job and has aspirations for bigger and better things whilst Georgia is on the cusp of greatness with her set of children’s books about a wallaby who likes to shop. Feeling bad for her friend and in good faith, Georgia sets up a fake Twitter account in an attempt to boost her morale and self belief. initially it is successful, Lydia makes a connection with a new client and she starts to believe the good times are coming. Unfortunately, she begins to share a little too much with her new online friend which turns out to have devastating consequences causing both friends to seriously question their entire friendship. This is a story that really questions if our good intentions are really worth it and if sometimes things are just best left well alone.

I think the characters are fantastic, even Igor the dog takes on a star role, they are painted so well by Jane that they become so relatable, I must admit to taking sides throughout the story, although I won’t divulge on whose side I was on! The unravelling of the story was parallel to the unravelling of the lives of both friends, Georgia’s marriage hits some serious problems whilst the insight into Lydia’s ‘Instagram’ life is sad and really makes you feel sympathy for her, but is it enough to redeem her?

I loved this book so much, it is compulsive, funny but with an air of edginess to it. I read it in just a couple of sittings and is a book I will be telling everyone about.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a proof copy in exchange for this review. Please do check out the other reviews on the blog tour, details below.

The Really Resilient Guide: Surviving and Thriving through Change, Uncertainty and Adversary at Work

By Andry Anastasis McFarlane

Over the past twelve months we have had to adapt our lives to accommodate the ever-changing world we have found ourselves living in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us have had to cope with a changing work situation, whether that has been working from home, increased pressure due to a change in working conditions or being furloughed. The world we now work in has changed beyond all recognition and the uncertainty this has caused has led to higher anxiety levels and has had a severe impact on the mental health of many.

The Really Resilient Guide offers readers a supportive and reassuring way to help them to adapt the the ever changing working environment, it gives out some helpful and handy tips that can help you too readjust to your new working conditions. Andry also shares plenty of techniques you can put in to practice that will help you to cope in stressful working situations.

I really liked the layout of the book, it looks at various obstacles and offers, in a reader friendly manner, solutions, tips and techniques that you can try and teach yourself as and when you need them. It is a book that you can either sit down and read cover to cover, or, dip in and out of as and when you feel the need. It is easy to navigate, user friendly and reassuring, it is like having that comforting voice that you can call on when you feel that little extra help. If, like me, you have been in your current role for many years and need to have a fresh approach to your job then this book can guide you through the process of getting to a place in which you feel happy and content. Alternatively, if you are about to embark on a new role and you would to refresh your outlook to work then again this can help.

About the Author – Andry Anastasis McFarlane is a qualified and experienced executive and management coach, a learning consultant, a facilitator and a keynote speaker. She has worked with various organisations for over 20 years helping them to improve staff and team performance, well-being, enhance communication and develop successful managers, leaders, staff and teams.

Many thanks to @literallypr for my copy.