After He's Gone by Jane Isaac

You think you know him. Until he’s dead.

When Cameron Swift is gunned down outside his family home, DC Beth Chamberlain is appointed Family Liaison Officer: a dual role that requires her to support the family, and also investigate them.

As the case unfolds and the body count climbs, Beth discovers that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has secrets.

Even the dead…

Title:  After He's Gone

Author: Jane Isaac

Publication Date: 18th June

Links:  UK:  Amazon   US: Amazon

Our Review

I love a book with intrigue right from the start and this book fits the bill perfectly.

DC Beth Chamberlain is assigned as a family liaison officer in a case where a man called Cameron Swift is murdered in cold blood on his own doorstep. She then becomes involved in the investigation as they unravel the complexities of his life and discover how much he'd been hiding from his fiancée Monika.

The investigation was really interesting as we are taken down various avenues and the secrets are unearthed one by one and we are pulled in different directions not knowing who can be trusted. Delving into the lives of those around him threw up some interesting facts and complicated the investigation further.

I really liked Beth's character and the mix of dynamics from the relationships around her with her sister and also her lover and how those relationships affected Beth's role in the police.

This was very well written and the build up of suspense throughout ensured that the pit of my stomach felt pinched as I was held in the grip of wanting to know what happens next.

Looking forward to Jane's next book as I'm sure there's a lot more in store for Beth Chamberlain.

A very satisfying read to quench my craving for crime novels.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Jane Isaac is married to a serving detective (very helpful for research!). They live in rural Northamptonshire, UK with their daughter, and dog, Bollo. Jane's debut novel, An Unfamiliar Murder, introduces DCI Helen Lavery and was nominated as best mystery in the 'eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook awards 2013.'

The Truth Will Out, the second in the DCI Helen Lavery series, was nominated as 'Thriller of the Month - April 2014' by E-thriller.com and winner of 'Noveltunity book club selection - May 2014'.

Jane' s sixth novel, After He's Gone, features Family Liaison Officer, DC Beth Chamberlain and will be released in June 2018. The second Beth Chamberlain novel will follow later in 2018.

Jane loves to hear from readers and writers. You can reach her via her website at www.janeisaac.co.uk

Sign up to her book club at http://eepurl.com/1a2uT for book recommendations and details of new releases, events and giveaways.

The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson

Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman and when no one comes to claim her, she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell is still struggling to move on when, three weeks later, Jude disappears.

Twenty-five years on, Nell is forced to quit her job to find out who the Brighton Mermaid really was – and what happened to her best friend that summer.

But as Nell edges closer to the truth, dangerous things start to happen. Someone seems to be watching her every move, and soon she starts to wonder who in her life she can actually trust…

Fast-paced and thrilling, The Brighton Mermaid explores the deadly secrets of those closest to you.

Title: The Brighton Mermaid

Author: Dorothy Koomson

Published By:  Century

Publication Date: 17th May 2018

Links:  UK:  Amazon       US: Amazon

                      Waterstones

                      WH Smith

Our Review

Wow this is one of the best books I've ever read.
It was mesmerising from beginning to end and the momentum of the plot raced along with intrigue and suspense in equal measures.
The story is told by alternating chapters between Nell and her sister Macy and also alternates between the present day and to the time of the discovery of the body, along with flashbacks to other occasions.
As a teenager Nell and her best friend Jude discovered the body of a girl on Brighton beach. The unidentified girl soon became known as The Brighton Mermaid due to a defining tattoo on her arm and the case remained unsolved even after 25 years.

I found the premise of the story absolutely fascinating as Nell spent most of her time trying to find out who the Brighton Mermaid was and what happened to her.
Also the fact that Nell and Jude's lives were changed so dramatically after this incident mostly due to the reaction of the police which involved racism towards them and their families. One nasty piece of work in particular called John Pope was determined to destroy them.
To say this book was unputdownable is a complete understatement, I enjoyed every last word of it and the book itself was so thick and felt great to be immersed in.

Nell is a flawed but immensely likeable character and I felt so sad for her for the way she was treated. The author has been very perceptive in relaying the feelings of teenage insecurities and how unkind words said to a teenager can have a profound affect on the rest of their life.

Dorothy Koomson is one of my favourite authors and this has become my favourite of all of her books. I see this as a blockbuster film or series on a par with Big Little Lies. I want to shout from the rooftops BUY THIS AMAZING BOOK!!!

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Dorothy Koomson is the award-winning author of 14 novels and has been making up stories since she was 13 when she used to share her stories with her convent school friends. Her published titles include: The Friend, When I Was Invisible, That Girl From Nowhere, The Flavours of Love, The Woman He Loved Before, Goodnight, Beautiful and The Chocolate Run.

Dorothy’s first novel, The Cupid Effect, was published in 2003 (when she was quite a bit older than 13). Her third book, My Best Friend’s Girl, was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads of 2006 and went on to sell over 500,000 copies. While her fourth novel, Marshmallows For Breakfast, has sold in excess of 250,000 copies. Dorothy’s books, The Ice Cream Girls and The Rose Petal Beach were both shortlisted for the popular fiction category of the British Book Awards in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Dorothy’s novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and a TV adaptation loosely based on The Ice Cream Girls was shown on ITV1 in 2013. After briefly living in Australia, Dorothy now lives in Brighton.

For more information on Dorothy Koomson visit www.dorothykoomson.co.uk

Five Years From Now by Paige Toon

What happens if you meet the RIGHT person at the WRONG time?
Nell and Van meet as children when their parents fall in love, but soon they are forced worlds apart.

Five years later, they find each other. Their bond is rekindled and new feelings take hold, but once again they have to separate.

For the next two decades, fate brings Nell and Van together every five years, as life and circumstance continue to divide them. Will they ever find true happiness? And will it be together?

‘One day, maybe five years from now, you’ll look back and understand why this happened…’

Title:  Five Years From Now

Author: Paige Toon

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date 17th May 2018

Links:  UK:   Amazon      US:   Amazon

                     Waterstones

                     W H Smith

Our Review

Heartbreaking and heart wrenching I actually felt physical pain in my tummy at the ending of this book.

I loved every second of it. It's almost like a modern version of Wuthering Heights if Heathcliff had been a nice person. Paige Toon has an amazing way of creating believable characters and delving into their and the reader's emotions and she doesn't hold back from breaking hearts.

Nell and Vian first meet at the age of five when he and his mum move in with Nell and her dad. It doesn't take long before they become inseparable until a tragedy occurs and their lives are torn apart. The book returns to their relationship every five years and we get to see them change from being filled with teenage angst into fun loving twenties and then become more mature as time goes on.

I loved both Nell and Vian so much as they were such lovely characters. Going through their teenage years took me back to when I was a teenager and the feelings I felt then were captured beautifully.
Sadly they go through a lot of heartbreak throughout this book but although the ending tears your heart out there is still such an uplifting feel to it and then wallop! the last line makes you want to sing.

I now need to lie in a darkened room to recover from this amazing love story

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Paige Toon was born in 1975. A philosophy graduate, she worked at teen, film and women's magazines, before ending up at Heat magazine as Reviews Editor. She is very experienced at events and interviews and has a significant social media following. The One We Fell in Love With was picked for the Zoella Book Club. Her novels are bestsellers throughout Europe.

Visit Paige's website at paigetoon.com to sign up to her free book club, 'The Hidden Paige', and say hi to her on Twitter @PaigeToonAuthor and Facebook.com/PaigeToonAuthor

Sunshine & Sweetpeas on Nightingale Square by Heidi Swain

Kate is on the run from her almost-divorced husband who is determined to have her back, and she has found the perfect place to hide... a little cottage on Nightingale Square in Norwich, far away from her old life in London. But the residents of Nightingale Square don't take no for an answer, and Kate soon finds herself pulled into a friendship with Lisa, her bossy but lovely new neighbour.

Within a matter of days Kate is landed with the job of campaigning the council to turn the green into a community garden, meanwhile all the residents of Nightingale Square are horrified to discover that the Victorian mansion house on the other side of the square has been bought by developers. But when all hope is lost, the arrival of a handsome stranger is sure to turn things around!

Heidi Swain is the perfect summer read - you'll want to find your own green space, stretch out in the sun and dive into life at Nightingale Square.

Title:  Sunshine & Sweetpeas in Nightingale Square

Author: Heidi Swain

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date:  31st May 2018

Links: UK: Amazon   US: Amazon

Our Review

This book was an absolute delight to read and I can safely say it is my favourite so far.

The story focuses on Kate who moves away from the fictional village of Wynbridge, which features in all of Heidi's other novels, to leave behind a failed relationship and as soon as she finds the little cottage on Nightingale Square I immediately felt at home there and wished I could move in.

I found the story intriguing in parts and was flicking the pages quickly to try and find out what was behind the history of Prosperous Place the mansion which was on Nightingale Square, which sounded amazing.

I fell in love with Luke the hero and found some of the conversations he had with Kate really quite funny. I also really liked the new friends that Kate had made in her new neighbourhood and thoroughly enjoyed being on her journey with her as she settled into her new place.
.
I also enjoyed the trip back to The Cherry Tree cafe which featured in Heidi's first novel.

Reading this book about love, friendship and second chances is as lovely as that special time when spring turns into summer and will guarantee you a cosy warm feeling inside.

If you haven't read the other books by this author then why not? This one could be read as a standalone but you really should read all the others too.

Heartily recommended.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she finally plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

A lover of Galaxy bars, vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she writes contemporary fiction and enjoys the company of a whole host of feisty female characters.

Heidi is now a Sunday Times Best-selling author who lives in stunning south Norfolk with her wonderful family and a mischievous cat called Storm.

Her debut novel, The Cherry Tree Cafe, was published on July 16th, 2015 and became an Amazon bestseller.