Fiction

Book Spotlight: Murders Along the Coast by Brian Gee
Simon Crofts is a Crime Scene Manager working at major incidents and overseeing the Scenes of Crime Officers under his command. Their job is to deal with all types of crime from burglary to murder, in the seaside towns on the south coast. A quiet festive period is interrupted by a call to the suspicious death of a baby. The traumatic scene and the subsequent post-mortem are all in a day’s work for the SOCO’s. As their examination ends, they are then called to another scene, this time just as tragic. A successful businessman and his wife have been shot dead in their own home. There are no clues to who has carried out the shooting, or why. The story follows the crime scene officers as they painstakingly carry out the thorough examinations of the house looking for that one tiny piece of evidence that will lead them to the suspect. In this case it has been made more complicated, as it appears that the offender has been careful, and doesn’t appear to have left any clues behind. Crofts and his team have been faced with this type of challenge before and are confident that they will solve this case. Will they succeed, or will the clever assassin get away with murder?
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
A Bloody Business by Stephen A. Roddewigg In Review
Over the last few months, or longer, I have been reviewing Vocal creators' forays into the world of self-publishing and publishing. So far, I have reviewed "Glass Dolls" by L.C. Schäfer and "Wasted Love" by Poppy.
By Paul Stewart2 years ago in BookClub
Pre-Order + Advanced Reader Copies: Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson
A HEART-POUNDING YORUBA INSPIRED FANTASY NOVEL SET IN AN EPIC WORLD OF COURTLY INTRIGUE AND FORBIDDEN POWER . . . In Oru L'ore has a secret. She is the only one without agbára – the ability to harness power from the sun. On pain of death must conceal it from everyone. Including her best friend, Alawani. But when the gods declare Alawani an Àlùfáà – a great honour where he will serve the gods and the Kingdom – he must be stripped of his power in a brutal trial likely to kill him. Unwilling to bear his death, L'ore vows to rescue him. When she desperately attempts to channel agbára an icy shadow magic instead pours from her hands; a power she learns originated from a forbidden, secret land beyond the six rings of Oru. One which she and Alawani must now seek sanctuary and discover a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees . . .
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
A serendipitous saunter through libraries or bookstores to catch what calls out to me is not only a wild ride, it also connects me with talented, unforgettable authors I might otherwise miss. One Young Adult novelist snagged through my methods was Jason Reynolds’s New York Times Bestseller, Long Way Down.
By The Dani Writer2 years ago in BookClub
Twitter Tricks to Boost Engagement and Grow Your Audience
Twitter Tricks to Boost Engagement and Grow Your Audience Twitter is a dynamic platform with millions of users and endless opportunities to connect, promote, and engage. To stand out, you need more than just occasional tweets. Below are some proven strategies to maximize your presence on Twitter.
By Mahalakshmi2 years ago in BookClub
Telegram Tricks and Tips
Telegram Tricks and Tips Telegram is a powerful messaging app that offers a range of features and tools for its users. While many use it primarily for basic messaging, it has some lesser-known features and tricks that can greatly enhance the user experience. Whether you're a casual user or someone looking to get the most out of Telegram, these tips and tricks will help you unlock its full potential.
By Mahalakshmi2 years ago in BookClub
Gothic Giants: Contrasting Shadows of The Haunting of Hill House and Hell House
The haunted house is a time-honored trope in horror literature. Two of the most iconic stories in this subgenre are Shirley Jackson's 'The Haunting of Hill House' (1959) and Richard Matheson's 'Hell House' (1971). Both novels have left an indelible mark on the genre but do so in strikingly different ways. While they share the basic premise of a haunted house that preys on its inhabitants' weaknesses, the two novels diverge in tone, style, and the nature of their horror.
By Samantha Almeida2 years ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Mr Hammond and the Poetic Apprentice by Mellany Ambrose
Summer, 1814. Thomas Hammond is an apothecary surgeon in a village near London whose dreams of a grand medical career were ruined by a shameful secret. He longs to see his apprentice, his son Edward, become a great surgeon. His other apprentice is eighteen-year-old local orphan, John Keats. Thomas sees John as a daydreamer who wastes time reading. John asks Thomas how he copes with his patients’ suffering, but Thomas has no real answer. After all, Georgian medicine is brutal with no anaesthesia, antisepsis or antibiotics. Leeches are used to bleed and medicines can poison rather than cure. Thomas failed to save John’s mother four years earlier, and when John criticises Thomas’s methods tempers flare on both sides. Despite their differences, Thomas and John begin to develop a grudging respect for each other with Thomas seeing a humanity in the way John relates to patients. Their relationship deepens into one more resembling father and son while Thomas's true son, Edward, disappoints his father. Thomas realises John is gifted and would make a skilled surgeon, but to help John succeed Thomas must confront his own past mistakes. On the verge of qualifying as a surgeon, John unexpectedly abandons medicine for poetry. Thomas is devastated and struggles to find meaning in his life and work. As he faces one final challenge, can the master learn some valuable lessons about life from his poetic apprentice before it’s too late?
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Masquerade Fall by Estella G. Fogg
Recently orphaned Elodie Di Silva is about to make her debut into Society, sponsored by her mother's friend's family. Quietly grieving, she allows Lady Beaumont and friends to guide her. But with the arrival of Lady Beaumont's enigmatic son, Lord Lucan Beaumont, who sends chills down Elodie's spine, she senses her debut is about to be derailed. Stalked by day, and haunted by night by glimpses of a dark-haired man, who is somehow both stranger and familiar to her, Elodie vows to discover his secrets, and why she is so drawn to him. But things are not what they seem. Elodie's history with Raphael Blackmore, Duke of Mistbourne, is more complicated than she could ever have imagined. Thrust into the bright lights of the Ton, Elodie navigates masquerade balls, picnics and house parties - where revelations will present one final fateful choice. She must decide whether to spread her wings and embrace the truth of her past... or allow the gilded cage of lies to close around her, locking her in an unwanted future.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Maid of Steel by Kate Baker
It’s 1911 and, against her mother’s wishes, quiet New Yorker Emma dreams of winning the right to vote. She is sent away by her parents in the hope distance will curb her desire to be involved with the growing suffrage movement and told to spend time learning about where her grandparents came from. Across the Atlantic - Queenstown, southern Ireland - hotelier, Thomas, dreams of being loved, even noticed, by his actress wife, Alice. On their wedding day, Alice’s father had assured him that adoration comes with time. It’s been eight years. But Alice has plans of her own and they certainly don’t include the fight for equality or her dull husband. Emma’s arrival in Ireland leads her to discover family secrets and become involved in the Irish Women’s Suffrage Society in Cork. Her path to suffrage was never meant to lead to a forbidden love affair…
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater
They’re called the Lost Ships … but sometimes they come back. And when they do the crews are missing, while the ships have been strangely altered, rumoured to be full of horrors. Opal Imbiana has been seeking something her whole life. It’s a secret so precious she’s willing to risk her life recovering it from a recently discovered Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But with the aid of an amazing AI companion and experimental armoured suit, Opal might just stand a chance. This blast of a book kickstarted the much-loved Lost Solace series, about an unlikely friendship between two women who keep hope alive in the darkest of times.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Lost in the Crowd: Benji's Story by Sarah McKnight
Life is good at Benji’s house. At least, that’s what everyone seems to think. Benji Lance, on the other hand, isn’t so sure. The legendary party host may not be as content with his chill, unsupervised life as he lets on, and the weight of pretending is really starting to take a toll. With a new school year underway, Benji is assigned a project that will force him to face his feelings and uncover an elusive secret buried within his family’s history. But can Benji make it to the end of the year without shutting down, or will he learn how to confront his feelings head-on? The expectations on Benji are a heavy burden to bear, and every day brings him closer to his breaking point.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub