Wendy Cartmell

After thirty years at St Oswald’s Grammar in North Yorkshire, Latin master Roy Straitley has seen all kinds of boys come and go. But every so often there’s a boy who doesn’t fit the mould. A troublemaker. A boy with hidden shadows inside. A new broom has arrived, bringing Powerpoint, sharp suits and even sixth form girls to the dusty corridors. But while Straitley does his sardonic best to resist this march to the future, a shadow from his past is stirring. A boy who even twenty years on haunts his teacher’s dreams. A boy capable of bad things.

I was particularly interested to read this novel being an ex-teacher but also having had some experience of the public school system in England. This novel epitomised the buildings, tradition, characters and the pervading atmosphere. It could be any public school, anywhere in England and that is where the strength of this novel lies. It is grounded in realism, with wholly believable characters, both masters and children. I found it enthralling and couldn’t put it down. When I finished the book, I felt I had lost old friends. Simply terrific.

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Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words, the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend. When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home.

This is a first rate psychological novel, and from a debut author to boot! This novel seriously plays with your emotions. You grieve with Grace at the death of her friend. You mourn with her the dying of her relationship with Dan. You cheer for her as she finds a new best friend. And then the chills start to run down your spine.

No spoilers here folks, suffice it to say that this is yet another fab offering from BookOutre who have an uncanny knack for finding the best unpublished crime and psychological thrillers. I received a copy of the novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click on the cover to go to the book page on Amazon.

Famous killers have fan clubs. Hamish Wolfe is no different. Maggie Rose is reclusive and enigmatic; a successful lawyer and bestselling true-crime writer, she only takes on cases that she can win. Hamish wants her as his lawyer, he wants her to change his fate. She thinks she’s immune to the charms of a man like this. But maybe not this time . . .

I just love Sharon Bolton’s books and this one is right up there with the best of them. It is atmospheric, moody, dark, obsessive and the two main characters were beautifully drawn. Every time I read about Hamish I had shivers up and down my back. Maggie Rose is reclusive and defensive, but that’s because she is hiding a secret from the world, but especially from Hamish and from the police. She is a mult-layered character in her own way, just as Hamish is in his. I liked the format Ms Bolton uses to tell the story, with letters, documents, reports, emails etc. To say too much about the plot would means spoilers so I’ll have to be content is saying that this is an outstanding but utterly different psychological crime novel. Go read it. You’ll love it. My thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley as I received a copy from them in return for an honest review.

Click the cover to go to the book page on Amazon.