Blog Posts from MJ Porter, author and reviewer

I’m sharing my review for No Oil Painting by Genevieve Marenghi #blogtour #bookreview #newrelease #giveaway

I’m sharing my review for No Oil Painting by Genevieve Marenghi #blogtour #bookreview #newrelease #giveaway

Here’s the blurb

A respectable septuagenarian steals a valuable painting and later tries to return it, with a little help from her friends.

Bored National Trust volunteer, Maureen, steals an obscure still life as a giant up-yours to all those who’ve discounted her. The novice fine art thief is rumbled by some fellow room guides, but snitches get stitches, camaraderie wins out and instead of grassing her up, they decide to help.

Often written off as an insipid old fart, Maureen has a darker side, challenging ingrained ideas of how senior citizens should behave. Her new set of friends make her feel alive again. No longer quite so invisible, can this unlikely pensioner gang return the now infamous painting without being caught by the Feds?

I wrote this after hearing a radio interview in which an art detective revealed how a stolen Titian was dumped at a bus stop outside Richmond station. In a red, white and blue plastic bag! I just couldn’t shake such a compelling image. I volunteered at Ham House for many years, and my passion for this Jacobean gem, together with the volunteers’ indomitable spirit, gave birth to my unlikely anti-hero.

With over five million members, the National Trust is a huge British institution. Yet, next to nothing has been written about it in terms of contemporary fiction. Until now.

While No Oil Painting explores themes of insignificance and loneliness in older age, particularly for women, it is mainly intended to entertain and offer a small haven in dark, uncertain times.

Purchase Links

UK Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Oil-Painting-Genevieve-Marenghi-ebook/dp/B0FNLWTCBS/

UK Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Oil-Painting-Genevieve-Marenghi/dp/1917224125/

US Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/No-Oil-Painting-Genevieve-Marenghi-ebook/dp/B0FNLWTCBS/

US Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/No-Oil-Painting-Genevieve-Marenghi/dp/1917224125/

My Review

No Oil Painting follows Maureen, a National Trust volunteer, who decides to combat her boredom by plotting the theft of her favourite painting from Ham House, rather than see it go to Scotland on loan to another stately home. Only, once the painting is in her possession does Maureen then realise it must be returned by fair means or foul to prevent her crime being discovered, or someone she knows, being implicated for the theft.

I did find the story a little slow to get going, and there is a lot of backstory for Maureen, which I found a little too in-depth. I was keen to get on with her predicament of first stealing the painting and then returning it. I did enjoy the elements of bickering and general discord between the group of very different individuals, all volunteering at Ham House, and their interactions with the paid staff members.

This wasn’t quite the fun, light-hearted read I expected, as there are darker elements in Maureen’s backstory and the theft of the painting and it’s return, while driving the narrative, are simply the means by which the found friendships are created. An engaging read, all the same. It’s sure to appeal to readers of deeper narratives, with a slower pace.

Meet the author

With a BA in English and Philosophy, Genevieve worked for eleven years at the Weekend FT, where she helped create and launch How To Spend It magazine.

She volunteered for years as a National Trust guide at Ham House. This became the setting for her debut art heist novel, No Oil Painting, which was listed for the inaugural Women’s Prize Trust and Curtis Brown Discoveries, and was published by Burton Mayers Books on 10th October 2025.

Her writing uses dark humour to probe the difference between our perception of people and their true selves. The gulf between what is said and what is meant. She considers people watching an essential skill for any writer; overheard snippets of conversation or a bonkers exchange at a bus stop are like gold nuggets. She’s been known to follow people to catch the end of a juicy conversation or argument. Women aged over fifty are essentially invisible anyhow and she views this as a kind of superpower.

Unlike her protagonist Maureen, she hasn’t used this to commit art theft. Yet.

Author Genevieve Marenghi

Giveaway to Win National Trust chocolate, and a Ham House towel and fridge magnet (Open to UK Only)

Win National Trust chocolate, and a Ham House towel and fridge magnet (Open to UK Only)

https://gleam.io/8q3jO/win-national-trust-chocolate-and-a-ham-house-towel-and-fridge-magnet-open-to-uk-only

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Welcome to the blog

I’m delighted to welcome Apple Gidley and her new book, Annie’s Day, to the blog #WomensFiction #HistoricalFiction #LiteraryFiction #ArmyNurses #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

I’m delighted to welcome Apple Gidley and her new book, Annie’s Day, to the blog with a guest post.

Guest Post

Keeping Out of the Rabbit Warrens

If, like me, you are fascinated by the minutia of past times and lives, then you too are in danger of getting lost in the gar hole of research. It is that interest that draws me to historical fiction as both a reader and a writer. To make a historical novel come alive even the smallest details are important. Or that’s what I tell myself after I have spent the better part of an afternoon tracing a snippet that might not even make it into the first draft.

The internet has without doubt made the writer’s life easier, but with ease come potholes filled with blind faith. AI can be a starting point, but it is up to the novelist to always dig deeper and wider.

After the publication of my first book way back in 2012, my husband gave me the coolest desk imaginable. Styled after a huge old steamer trunk, it is covered in studded leather and, even more appealing, has lots of drawers. Some are filled with maps, some with files full of random bits of information, such as yellowed and curling bus and train timetables from obscure places that might one day be useful—as are site visits.

The downside of writing historical fiction is that sometimes it is difficult to justify those site visits, as places do tend to change! It was fortunate that for Annie’s Day, I already knew the countries about which I would write, having been educated in Australia, lived in Singapore as a child and an adult, then in Papua New Guinea, and had visited Berlin before the wall came down. Towns might have grown and changed, but a visit still provides a sense of place—the smells, the sounds of the voices in the market, if not the sights.

Gleaned from my mother’s Australian Army Nursing Service records, courtesy of the Australian War Memorial Archives, Annie’s Day follows the timeline but not the story of Mum’s war years. I know she also spent time as a nanny in Berlin during the Blockade, but apart from the odd comment she did not speak about those years and I, to my regret, never pushed.

With some of the writing barely legible on Mum’s army records, I began Annie’s roadmap around those basic facts, and made up the rest, with the addition of actual people—Matron Drummond of the AANS; Captain Selwyn Capon of the Empire Star; Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen of the US Air Force, aka ‘the candy bomber’, who brought moments of joy to the starving children in Berlin by dropping chocolates from his plane window as he flew in to deliver desperately needed supplies. Real people who added depth to the fiction.

Even before becoming a writer, I loved maps, and maps underpin any book written about the war, particularly when the area in question might be off the usual travel path. In a pub quiz, with a little head scratching, most can come up with the five Normandy beaches in Operation Overlord, but names like Lae, or Scarlet Beach, where the Australians landed in the fight to retake the Huon Peninsula in New Guinea, are not so easy to place. And maps are vital in not just locating a spot, but showing the terrain—the rivers to be forded, the mountains climbed, the beaches waded onto. So, maps surround me not just in the research phase but when I’m writing.

One lovely surprise when Annie’s Day began to really bubble was an idle online search for Mum. Writing had been a slow churn—some days are like that—and so I typed in Ida Arundel Morse and up she popped. A number of times. Photos that were not in her papers or albums but that were, again, in the Australian War Memorial Archives. It sent me into a spin, and the rest of the day was lost in tears as I mulled over the mother whose early life I had known so little about. (Mum is #2).

The Imperial War Museum at RAF Duxford is just down the road from where I live and I spent many happy hours wandering around, and sometimes clambering into Lancasters, Dakotas, York Avros, all planes used during the Berlin Airlift.

And books. Lots of books. A few included Giles Milton’s Checkmate in Berlin which tells history in a wonderfully relatable way. Singapore Burning by Colin Smith put me on the island in 1942. For the Pacific theatre, Philip Bradley’s D-Day in New Guinea was invaluable. Patsy Adam-Smith, and Rupert Goodman have both written fascinating books about Australian women at war, the latter focusing on nurses. Peter Ryan’s Fear Drive My Feet is the classic memoir of an Australian operative behind enemy lines in the New Guinea mountains.

Unless you are fortunate enough to find letters in your research, it is impossible to get first-hand data for earlier historical fiction, but for background and general information, I have found that people are incredibly willing to answer questions. One of the characters in Annie’s Day is a former RAF padre. After asking our local vicar interminable theological questions, she put me onto a memoir, Life and Death in the Battle of Britain, written by Guy Mayfield who had been a padre at RAF Duxford during the war. It was a goldmine, and I shamelessly stole one of his anecdotes and gave it to my fictional character, naturally with an acknowledgement in the book.

Another character, Samira, is a Hindu woman destined for an arranged marriage. My friend, Pooja Vacchani, endured countless questions about Hindu culture—she too is thanked!

It truly takes a global village to research, write, then get the final draft into the publisher’s hands, where another village takes over. The author? Well, she moves onto to the next deep dive into research!

Here’s the Blurb

War took everything. Love never had a chance. Until now.

As an Australian Army nurse, Annie endures the brutalities of World War II in Singapore and New Guinea. Later, seeking a change, she accepts a job with a British diplomatic family in Berlin, only to find herself caught up in the upheaval of the Blockade. Through it all, and despite the support of friends, the death of a man she barely knew leaves a wound that refuses to heal, threatening her to a life without love.

Years later, Annie is still haunted by what she’d lost—and what might have been. Her days are quiet, but her memories are loud. When a dying man’s fear forces her to confront her own doubts, she forms an unexpected friendship that rekindles something she thought she’d lost: hope.Annie’s Day is a powerful story of love, war, and the quiet courage to start again—even when it seems far too late.

Buy Link

Universal Link:

Vine Leaves Press Paperback Buy Link:

Meet the Author

Anglo-Australian, Apple Gidley’s nomadic life has helped imbue her writing with rich, diverse cultures and experiences. Annie’s Day is her seventh book.

Gidley currently lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband, and rescue cat, Bella, aka assistant editor.

Connect with the Author

Follow Annie’s Day blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club

I’m sharing my review for Death of a Billionaire by Tucker May #mystery #blogtour #bookreview

I’m sharing my review for Death of a Billionaire by Tucker May #mystery #blogtour #bookreview @tuckermaymysteries @rararesources @rachelsrandomresources

Here’s the blurb

Ever dream of killing your boss? Alan Benning knows how you feel. 

The problem: his billionaire boss actually winds up murdered. And the whole world thinks he did it.

When globetrotting tech billionaire Barron Fisk is found dead on the floor of his swanky Silicon Valley office, all evidence points to Alan. 

Alan must venture into the glitzy, treacherous world of tech billionaires to clear his name by sorting through a long list of suspects with motive aplenty. If he can’t find the real culprit, Alan’s going down. The clock is ticking.

Who killed Barron Fisk? The truth will shock— and change— the entire world.

Fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series, Carl Hiaasen’s tales of high-stakes hijinx, or Ruth Ware’s page-turning mysteries will love Death of a Billionaire.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Billionaire-Murder-Mystery-Novel-ebook/dp/B0FRYHLBBZ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Billionaire-Murder-Mystery-Novel-ebook/dp/B0FRYHLBBZ

My Review

Death of a Billionaire is indeed a fun mystery, with a varied cast of characters, some of them not very nice, as they live their uber-rich lifestyles. It is a story told with irreverence and an eye to what’s currently happening in the world of tech. It is a very enjoyable, fast-paced mystery that you will power your way through.

I was drawn to the title by the mention of Carl Hiaasen, and while it’s been far too long since I read a Carl Hiaasen book that I can’t definitely make comparisons, the humour certainly reminded me of one of Carl’s books.

For a debut novel, Death of a Billionaire is very accomplished, and I do recommend it to fellow readers who love a good contemporary mystery (well, actually, it’s slightly futuristic) and like to have a little giggle along the way.

Meet the author

Tucker May was raised in southern Missouri. He attended Northwestern University where he was trained in acting and playwriting. He now lives in Pasadena, California with his wife Barbara and their cat Principal Spittle. He is an avid reader and longtime fan of the Los Angeles Rams and Geelong Cats. Death of a Billionaire is his debut novel.

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It’s the first week of the MJ Porter Advent Calendar (Kindle edition)

Every day a different deal, from price reductions to free books. Check out this week’s deals and remember, each deal is only for 24 hours (Kindle Countdown deals are on Amazon UK/US but FREE deals are in every territory).

Check back for next week’s deals.

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I’m sharing a fab post from Robert Whanslaw to celebrate the release of his new novel today, Dark Orchid Affair (there’s a competition too) #blogtour #thriller #newrelease #blogpost

I’m sharing a fab post from Robert Whanslaw to celebrate the release of his new novel today, Dark Orchid Affair (there’s a competition too) #blogtour #thriller #newrelease #blogpost

Elizabeth Chadwick, historical fiction author, helped me craft my first sex scene…

There is nothing more satisfying than writing the final words of a book. Whatever the genre—crime, historical fiction, romance, or epic fantasy—anyone who reaches that moment has my full admiration. My advice to anyone planning to write a book is simple: begin, keep going, and finish. Ideas are wonderful, but persistence is what fills the pages.

It was fifteen years ago that I first conceived Dark Orchid Affair. Back then it had a different working title, and the concept was little more than a skeletal outline. During those intervening years, I completed creative writing courses, experimented with countless short stories, and wrote one-and-a-half novels that never saw the light of day. Those abandoned projects were not failures—they were apprenticeships. That, I think, is a truth shared by writers of every genre and every era. Even the chroniclers of medieval courts, whose works survive to this day, were honing their craft long before any parchment bore their name.

If I could offer any advice about improving your writing, it would be this: write, and write often. It sounds obvious, almost simplistic, but developing a voice takes time—just as a medieval scribe took years to perfect a steady hand and a beautifully flowing script. The second essential is to read widely. And I mean widely. I have a deep appreciation for historical fiction and tremendous respect for those brave enough to venture into its demanding terrain. It is a genre where the past must be honoured, and where readers often know their Plantagenets from their Picts. Get the century wrong, or describe a weapon not yet invented, and your reader will spot it instantly.

As a crime writer, I sometimes envy the historian’s burden of accuracy—while simultaneously being relieved that my stories are not tethered to real timelines. Noir and suspense allow more invention, more shadows in which to hide. But all writers, regardless of genre, learn from one another. The joy lies in borrowing the best techniques from across the literary spectrum and melding them into your own voice. Art, after all, has always been a dialogue with the past. Medieval poets borrowed from the troubadours; the noir writers of the 1930s borrowed from the classics; and contemporary authors continue the tradition of artistic inheritance.

I used to dread writing sex scenes. Not because they weren’t relevant to my stories, but because I knew most of my readers were women, and I was anxious about striking the right tone from a male perspective. Strangely enough, it was historical fiction that helped me overcome that fear. Elizabeth Chadwick—whose novels vividly bring the twelfth century to life—offered lessons in writing intimacy with subtlety, restraint, and emotional depth. Drawing inspiration from her approach, I crafted my first sex scene in a short story. To my astonishment (and relief), it went on to win a competition.

To Elizabeth Chadwick, should you ever read this: thank you for the early guidance. I promise I now have my own polished method, but you gave me the confidence to enter a terrain that once felt daunting.

Dark Orchid Affair will be published on 1 December 2025. Whether you are a writer yourself or a devoted reader of historical fiction, perhaps you might consider giving it a place on your reading list—if only to step momentarily from the medieval courts and battlefields into a contemporary world tinged with noir.

And who knows? One day I may gather the courage to test the waters of historical fiction myself. If that ever happens, I will be standing on the shoulders of the writers who have already illuminated the past with such skill.

Here’s the blurb

Ben Walker’s life shatters after one reckless night. Seduced by Maxine—a ruthless femme fatale—he wakes to a nightmare: compromising photos, blackmail, and the threat of losing everything—his marriage, career, and freedom.

Faced with impossible choices, Ben pays the price. But one payment is never enough.

Dragged deeper into a deadly web of lies and manipulation, the stakes escalate, and the noose tightens. What began as a desperate bid to protect his secrets becomes a desperate fight for survival.

With his world crumbling and prison on the horizon, Ben must confront a brutal truth—how far will he go to break free? And can anyone truly escape the sins of their past?

A gripping neo-noir thriller of betrayal, seduction, and deadly consequences.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Orchid-Affair-Love-Intrigue-ebook/dp/B0FVYFNJWG/

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Orchid-Affair-Love-Intrigue-ebook/dp/B0FVYFNJWG/

Meet the author

Robert Whanslaw writes noir, dark crime fiction, and psychological thrillers, grounded in grit, flaws, and the messy business of being human.

He doesn’t write about perfect people. If he did, they’d be the kind you’d want to throw off a fast-moving train.

Raised on the likes of Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain, and the raw voices of mid-century noir, Whanslaw brings a classic noir fatalism into the modern world. His stories walk the fine line between justice and survival, where everyone has a secret and most people lie.

Author Robert Whanslaw

Giveaway to Win 10 x Paperback Copies of Dark Orchid Affair (Open to UK / US only)

https://gleam.io/TzcLu/win-10-x-paperback-copies-of-dark-orchid-affair-open-to-uk-us-only

*Terms and Conditions –UK & US entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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It’s happy release day to The Barrage Body, book 4 in The Erdington Mysteries #histfic #mystery

Here’s the blurb

Birmingham, England, December 1944.

Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is summoned to the Dunlop Rubber Company by an irate Mrs Adams from the Buying Department on a cold Tuesday morning in December 1944.

No sooner have he and O’Rourke managed to uncover the cause of Mrs Adams’ telephone call to the police station, than events take a far more chilling turn than the rogue situation’s vacant advertisement first alluded. It might just be that they’re in the right place at the right time to prevent a terrible tragedy. Or are they?

As the barrage balloon threatens to break free from its winch truck in the terrible wind, Sam Mason makes a most unwelcome discovery. Who killed the man, but more importantly, how did he end up, roped to the barrage balloon? And with the WAAF denying their involvement, how was the barrage balloon even floated? What does it all mean? And when they discover the secret tyre formula from the Testing Department has also been stolen, Sam starts to fear there is even more at stake.

Join Mason and O’Rourke for the fourth book in the quirky, historical mystery series, as they once more attempt to solve the impossible in 1940s Erdington.

Check out The Erdington Mysteries page to discover more about the books.

Buy The Custard Corpses here, available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audio. Or, check out the signed editions page to get a copy directly from me. Book 3, The Secret Sauce, is available now, (as is book 2, The Automobile Assassination).

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I’m delighted to welcome a returning Helen Golden to the blog with her new book, A Husband is Hushed Up #bookreview #historicalmystery #blogtour #avidreader
	


				

				
I’m delighted to welcome a returning Helen Golden to the blog with her new book, A Husband is Hushed Up #bookreview #historicalmystery #blogtour #avidreader @rararesources @rachelsrandomresources @helengoldenauthor

			

			
	
	

		
	

		

Here’s the blurb





A fatal fall. A duchess determined to uncover the truth. And barely any time for tea.





Fenshire, 1891. It was meant to be a birthday celebration weekend in the country—cucumber sandwiches, polite conversation, and maybe a waltz or two. But when the Duke of Stortford is found dead in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs everything goes dreadfully sideways. The police declare it a tragic accident. His wife, Alice, has her doubts. After all, only hours before, the Duke had promised to give up his mistress and make a go of their marriage. Now he’s inconveniently deceased. 





Driven by a need for answers, and helped by her fiercely loyal maid Maud, her observant footman George, and her childhood friend Lord Rushton, Alice sets about uncovering the truth. But as she navigates a house full of secrets, simmering tensions, and more than one guest with murderously bad manners, her suspect pool grows to include those closest to her. Can she piece together the truth? Or will her husband’s murderer get away with it after all?





The guests are leaving. The killer may be among them. Time is running out…












Purchase Link





https://www.amazon.co.uk/Husband-Hushed-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FB916FDV





https://www.amazon.com/Husband-Hushed-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FB916FDV





My Review





A Husband is Hushed Up is the first full-length novel in Helen Golden’s new historical mystery series (I have read the prequel).





The first book takes readers to a very familiar location, and alas, also quite a familiar tragedy as a body is discovered on the staircase early one morning. Alice determines to find the truth of what happened, even though everyone else is sure it’s simply a tragic accident. While she’s driven by the need to discover the truth, it is quite possible that she might regret her actions as the story unfolds.





This is another well-plotted mystery from Helen. I do love her mysteries. They’re always a sure-fire hit for me, and a treat because a bit of a curse of also writing mysteries is that I often realise the threads and clues along the way. For this one, my suspicions were leaning in the right direction, but I’m not going to say why. That’s a writer trick:)





Another excellent mystery, and I look forward to the series continuing.





Check out my reviews for the books in Helen Golden’s Right Royal Mystery series, featuring one of Lady Alice’s descendants.





Spruced Up For Murder





For Richer, For Deader





Not Mushroom For Death





A Dead Herring





A Cocktail to Die For





A Death of Fresh Air





I Kill Always Love You





A Murder Most Wilde





And my review for the prequel in the new historical mystery series.





An Heir is Misplaced





Meet the author





Helen Golden spins mysteries that are charmingly British, delightfully deadly, and served with a twist of humour.





With quirky characters, clever red herrings, and plots that keep the pages turning, she’s the author of the much-loved A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series, following Lady Beatrice and her friends—including one clever little dog—as they uncover secrets hidden in country houses and royal palaces. Her new historical mystery series, The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries, is set in Victorian England and introduces an equally curious sleuth from Lady Beatrice’s own family tree—where murders are solved over cups of tea, whispered gossip, and overheard conversations in drawing rooms and grand estates.





Helen lives in a quintessential English village in Lincolnshire with her husband, stepdaughter, and a menagerie of pets—including a dog, several cats, a tortoise, and far too many fish.





If you love clever puzzles, charming settings, and sleuths with spark, her books are waiting for you.






Author image for Helen Golden






Connect with the author
























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I’m sharing a fab post from crime novelist Ian McFadyen about writing ‘The Twist’ to celebrate the release of The Corpse Bell #blogtour #newrelease #mystery
	


				

				
I’m sharing a fab post from crime novelist Ian McFadyen about writing ‘The Twist’ to celebrate the release of The Corpse Bell #blogtour #newrelease #mystery

			

			
	
	

		
	

		

The Twist





Having a clever and enticing plot and introducing a range of vivid, life-like and interesting characters are paramount for any successful murder story. However, in my view, the kernel of all the best and most memorable whodunits has to be the twist. 





I read once that ‘plot twists can be a thrill for the reader, but they’re overwhelming for the writer’. I’d agree with that.   





If the novel is constructed in such a way that the reader has absolutely no inkling it’s coming, and when it’s revealed to the audience it is as plausible to them as it is surprising, then the twist will elevate the story to a new level. 





And why just have one twist, if the book has sub-plots or a series of red herrings, why not introduce a little twist with those, to add even more intrigue and, dare I say, confusion in the reader’s mind – particularly if your twist reveals that a character high on the reader’s list of suspects is, in fact, innocent of the main crime and there’s a credible reason why they have been behaving in a way you ( the reader) thought was suspicious.  





If you don’t agree with me, I’d ask you to just think of your favourite murder mystery books. I’m sure they all will have many, many truly wonderful elements – the setting, the use of language, the plot, the characters for example. However, I’d wager it’s the twist that you remember.





When thinking about a new Carmichael book it’s the twist that almost always comes first. Whether it’s a character who isn’t all they seem to be, a misunderstanding which only comes to light late on in the story, or a lie that’s not unearthed at first, the twist is my starting point. 





For my books, it’s only once the twist is fleshed out in my head that I feel I can then create a storyline. A plot that builds up to that twist being revealed to the reader. Then using my team of ever-present detectives and introducing new characters, I attempt to take the reader on a journey that leads to the twist.   





One of my favourite twists is in ‘The Death of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie. I’ll not share the details here, for obvious reasons, but if you’ve not read that particular book, I’d recommend you give it a whirl. 





However, if pushed, I’d say my favourite twist was in the TV programme, Tales of the Unexpected in 1979. In an episode written by Roald DahI, called ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’; the twist is delicious!  If you haven’t seen it, look it up on YouTube.    





I’ll obviously not be sharing the twist in my latest book, ‘The Corpse Bell’, but I hope you enjoy it when it arrives. 












Here’s the blurb





The last thing Penny Carmichael expected when she joined the local bellringing group was for her debut to be thwarted by the discovery of a body just yards from the belfry door. As her husband and his loyal team painstakingly sift through the evidence and delve deep into the dead man’s past, it’s clear that solving Peter Mackenzie’s murder may prove a challenge, even for someone with DCI Carmichael’s renowned detective prowess.





What was a man who’d lived for decades in North London doing in Moulton Bank?  Was his chequered past a factor?





And what about the other members of Penny’s bellringing group. Did any of them have a reason to do Peter harm? 





As the case unfolds, DCI Carmicheal and his trusty team seek answers to a complex puzzle which leads them along various paths and, at times, way outside the comfort zone of their rural Lancashire surroundings. 





This fast-paced, cleverly crafted whodunit is the eleventh murder mystery in the gripping Carmichael series from the pen of Ian McFadyen.





Purchase Link





https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corpse-Bell-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0FY34NBPK/





https://www.amazon.com/Corpse-Bell-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0FY34NBPK/





Meet the author





IIan McFadyen was born in Liverpool and enjoyed a successful career in marketing before becoming a writer. Ian’s titles are available in Italian and Czech and, although the author isn’t totally convinced it’s true, he’s been favourably compared with Wilkie Collins and Colin Dexter. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife but spends a great deal of his time writing in his bolthole retreat on the Norfolk / Suffolk border. The Corpse Bell is the eleventh in his series featuring DCI Carmichael.






Author image for Ian 
McFadyen










https://www.ianmcfadyenauthor.com/




















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I’m excited to share an extract from The Other Mother by Heidi Field #thriller #blogtour #blogpost
	


	
	
	

		
	

		

Extract from The Other Mother by Heidi Field





Suzannah is at home with her fiancé, Alec, talking about choosing a name for the baby that is growing in her stomach. Alec is explaining that he wants to name their little girl her after she is born because he doesn’t want people to know until she has arrived, and he hates keeping secrets. 





Alec reaches for his mug and slurps his tea. “How’s Blair? I hope I get to meet her before the wedding. I’m sorry that my work keeps me so busy, and I haven’t managed to make time for her, yet, but I promise I will when this little one is born. You’ll see a new me.”





“I can’t wait. I’m going to enjoy having you around more.”





I rest my head on his shoulder and wonder how on earth I’ll manage to visit Mason when Alec takes a step back from work. I’ll have to think of a better excuse than a non-existent friend. Maybe my boss at work will need me for meetings or a slight change of duties that require some office-based days. Oh, I don’t know, I’ll come up with something.





The doorbell rings. “I’ll get it.” I stand up and my belly rumbles. “Why don’t you get started on dinner—we’re starving.”





Alec glugs the rest of his milky beverage then picks up both mugs and walks out to the kitchen. I head to the door.





The doorbell rings again. “OK. OK. I’m coming.”





I lift the chain and unlatch the door, pulling it open and holding it ajar. My heart stops.





“Breck!”





“Suzannah.”





I glance towards the kitchen. The tap is running and Alec has switched on the speaker to play some rather hectic dance music.





I turn back to Breck, his tall, slim frame and curly brown hair still the same; it’s only the look in his eyes that’s different. “Shit, Breck, what are you doing here? I thought you were back in Ireland with your parents.”





“I am. I was. I just need to talk. Please. You can’t keep ignoring me.”





“There’s nothing to say. Nothing has changed.”





“Mason is in prison. He confessed to being an accomplice to a serial killer. Jesus Christ, Suzannah, that changes everything.”





I put a hand on my stomach. “I’m moving forward with my life, Breck. You left, remember. Ran away. Abandoned me. Please, leave me alone. If I ever find out anything about Lily, I’ll tell you. I promise. Please, just go.”





Alec hollers out from the kitchen. “Everything alright, Suzannah?”





I call down the hallway. “Just a delivery driver looking for an address. He got the wrong house.”





I eyeball Breck, one hand on my hip. “Goodbye, Breck.”





I close the door and lean back against it, praying he will leave and never come here again.





Excerpt From





The Other Mother





Heidi Field





This material may be protected by copyright.












Here’s the blurb





Suzannah is pregnant with her third child. The first is in prison. The second is dead. How far will she go to keep her unborn baby safe? 





When Suzannah learns she is pregnant, she feels like safety and happiness are finally within reach. Her handsome, successful fiancé, Alec, is over the moon about the baby. He proposes and pampers her. He thinks this is Suzannah’s first marriage and first child, but she’s keeping a few secrets. Actually, a lot of secrets. And they are dangerous…putting Suzannah in a position where she must choose who and what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her baby and her freedom.





Drowning in her lies, Suzannah is desperate to bury her past, but her ex-husband, who abandoned her years ago, returns, stalking her and demanding to know what really happened to their daughter. When the imprisoned serial killer who lured and groomed her son, threatens to sell his story to the press, Suzannah feels like the life she’d built and the precious one she’s growing, teeter on a precipice. Now the two children she’s hidden from Alec may be the least of her worries.





Pre-order Links





https://amzn.to/4bP39Mu





https://amzn.to/40y1w1p





https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-other-boy-11





Meet the author





Heidi Field was raised in the beautiful countryside of the South of England with her parents and her two sisters. In her twenties she was a freelance Sports Massage Therapist. She achieved a Degree in Zoology at the age of thirty and then went on to raise two boys and became the stepmother of three more young children. She still lives near her family home with her partner, their Great Dane and the children that have yet to fly the nest. In her early forties Heidi completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Winchester University. She entered the course hoping she would become a children’s fantasy writer and left with a burning desire to write contemporary mysteries and thrillers. Heidi wanted to put relatable people in extraordinary situations, challenge them, push them to their limits and watch them fight for their sanity. The Other Mother is Heidi’s second novel, the next book in The Peasedale Woods Killers series.












Connect with Heidi
























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I’m sharing my review for The Accidental Plus One Down Under—Travel Tales from a Trailing Spouse (Book 2) by Alison Ripley Cubitt #blogtour #travelmemoir #bookreview
	


				

				
‘m sharing my review for The Accidental Plus One Down Under—Travel Tales from a Trailing Spouse (Book 2) by Alison Ripley Cubitt #blogtour #travelmemoir #bookreview

			

			
	
	

		
	

		

Here’s the blurb





New Year’s Eve, 2019





While everyone else is popping champagne corks and ringing in a new decade, Alison—The Accidental Plus One—is crammed into a flying tin can somewhere over the Equator, obsessing over whether she remembered to lock the front door. 





Can she really uproot her life halfway across the world—again? 





Rural calm was sweet while it lasted, but when her partner’s job prospects dwindle, the lure of a new adventure on the far side of the planet proves irresistible. 





This time, she promises herself it’ll be easy. Fewer things to pack. No dog to uproot. Renting rather than buying. And before she knows it, Alison is heading for a land of giant spiders, the world’s longest lockdown and a place where strangers call you mate. 





The Accidental Plus One Down Under is a heartwarming and humorous memoir that proves sometimes love leads us on the most unpredictable journeys. 





Perfect for fans of:





.           Real-life expat tales





.           Heartwarming stories of starting over





If you love stories about the ups-and-downs of life far from home, you won’t want to miss this next hilarious chapter!





Book 2 of the Plus One series. 












Purchase Links





https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accidental-Plus-One-Down-Under-ebook/dp/B0FRT3ZY64





https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Plus-One-Down-Under-ebook/dp/B0FRT3ZY64





My Review





The Accidental Plus One Down Under is a memoir of the author’s time living in Australia and her many travels while there, to New Zealand, the UK and Canada. For those who like food, travel, and knowing how much everything costs to achieve those goals, this could well be the book for you. 





The memoir is at its strongest in the closing chapters, where the author is saying a farewell (for now) to Australia and takes a journey across the vastness of Australia via train. There, I feel the author’s love for the location really shines through.





I also found the chapters on Australia’s Lockdown intriguing, but lacking in enough detail for my nerdy need to equate my experiences in the UK with those in Australia.





This is a book for those who love to travel, or for those who love to travel from their armchair.





Meet the author





Alison Ripley Cubitt is a multi-genre author who started her writing career by winning first prize in a writing competition with a pony book. Some years later, she left New Zealand with the ability to make a white sauce without a recipe, carry three plates at once, and ride a horse (though not at the same time). Dreaming of becoming a copywriter, she landed a job as the receptionist in an advertising agency in Sydney that made the TV series Mad Men’s work culture look tame.





But after two and half years, the lure of London proved too hard to resist, and she left Australia. Landing in London at the right time, she got her break in television production and lasted 15 years, working on Channel 4’s anarchic The Big Breakfast and at Walt Disney and the BBC.





For the past five and a half years, she has divided her time between Melbourne, Australia and Jane Austen country, England.





Her published non-fiction includes travel guides and memoirs. Her fiction includes screenplays, short stories and thrillers. The Accidental Plus One Down Under: Travel Tales from a Trailing Spouse (Book 2) is her tenth book.






Author Alison Ripley Cubitt






Connect with the author









https://www.lambertnagle.com




















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MJ Porter


		
Author of Saxon historical fiction, 20th-century historical mysteries, and Saxon historical non-fiction. Book reviewer and blog host.


			

		

							

					

												

							
													

												

							
							
							
							
							
							
							
														
						

					

				

								

	

	

		
		
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