Category Archives: debut novels

“The Companion” by Kim Taylor Blakemore – Book Review

Posted on March 24, 2020 by

At a tender age, Mary Blunt used deception to wheedle her way into a position as maid at the mansion of the Burton family, in mid-19th century New Hampshire. It is a household with six servants who work for Mr. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Historical fiction, NetGalley | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

“The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley – Book Review

Posted on February 7, 2020 by

What Happens When You Tell Your Truth? Monica – 37 years old, a former corporate lawyer, she now owns and runs “Monica’s Cafe” in Fulham, London.  Monica is in her mid-thirties and her biological clock is ticking louder and louder … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Favorite books, Literary fiction, NetGalley, Women's fiction | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

“Mercy House” by Alena Dillon – Book Review

Posted on February 1, 2020 by

Mercy House, a women’s shelter in Brooklyn, is run by three aging nuns. It opens its doors to all manner of woman, regardless of religion, race, or bias. It gives succor to women who have been abused, either mentally or … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Edelweiss, Literary fiction, Women's fiction | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

“The Doll Factory” by Elizabeth Macneal – Book Review

Posted on January 18, 2020 by

Twins, the Whittle sisters are twenty-one years old and working in a doll factory when we first meet them. They are in the employ of a drug-addled despot named Mrs. Salter. They work grueling hours and live in a damp … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, gothic fiction, Historical fiction, NetGalley | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

“The Whisper Man” by Alex North – Book Review

Posted on December 29, 2019 by

“If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken. If you play outside alone, soon you won’t be going home. If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass. If you’re lonely, sad, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Favorite books, Page turners, Psychological thrillers | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

“Blackberry & Wild Rose” by Sonia Velton – Book Review

Posted on December 15, 2019 by

Inspired by the life of Anna Maria Garthwaite, “Blackberry & Wild Rose” is a fictional rendering of  the mid-eighteenth century silk industry in Spitalfields, London. Esther Thorel – married into money and privilege, she is an Englishwoman in her late … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Edelweiss, Historical fiction | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides – Book Review

Posted on December 12, 2019 by

Theo Faber contrives to work at a forensic psychiatric hospital in North London so that he might get the opportunity to work with Alicia Berenson. Her case is interesting in that following the murder of her husband, she has not … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Psychological thrillers | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

“The Woman in the Dark” by Vanessa Savage – Book Review

Posted on November 30, 2019 by

Sarah and Patrick are married and have two children, Joe who is seventeen and Mia who is fifteen. Since Sarah’s mother passed away, she is riddled with guilt and her emotional state is fragile. Now, she is told she tried … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Favorite books, NetGalley, Psychological thrillers | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

“She Lies in Wait” by Gytha Lodge – Book Review @randomhouse

Posted on November 9, 2019 by

“Seven kids had bedded down thirty years ago but only six of them had got up in the morning”. When a rebellious young girl hides from her parents at a camping site in the Brinken Wood of the New Forest, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1st in series, Book Reviews, debut novels, Mystery fiction, NetGalley | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

“Blood Orange” by Harriet Tyce – Book Review

Posted on November 7, 2019 by

“Actions have consequences” Alison Wood is burning the candle at both ends in both her personal and professional life. She works long hours as a busy barrister in London and has just landed her first ever murder case. Unfortunately, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Legal thrillers, NetGalley, Page turners, Psychological thrillers | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

“Lacey’s House” by Joanne Graham – Book Review @Legend_Press

Posted on November 4, 2019 by

A beautifully written, well crafted, debut “Lacey’s house” is a novel told in two voices.  Alternate chapters introduce us to Rachel — a young, single, and solitary artist who has just miscarried — and Lacey, an elderly women with a horrific past … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Legend Press, Literary fiction, NetGalley, Women's fiction | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

“Echo Hall” by Virginia Moffatt – Book Review

Posted on October 19, 2019 by

2014 – The story opens with a young woman, Phoebe Flint, visiting a stately home on the English/Welsh border which is open to the public. Though she has paid to enter the building, this is, in fact, the house where … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Historical fiction, NetGalley | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

“A Perfect Sentence” by Patrick Starnes – Book Review

Posted on September 14, 2019 by

Desperately dissatisfied with his comfortable, middle-class life, and meandering through his days, Keir Buchan feels like he is just going through the motions of living. A writer of detective novels, he has just been made redundant from the University where … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Men's fiction, Thistle Publishing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“The Red Address Book” by Sofia Lundberg – Book Review

Posted on August 16, 2019 by

Originally written in Swedish and translated to English by Alice Menzies The elderly Doris is nearing the end of her life in her native Stockholm, Sweden. Her only close relative is her great-niece, Jenny who is a busy young mother … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Literary fiction, NetGalley, Scandinavian | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

“Girl Last Seen” by Nina Laurin – Book Review

Posted on July 12, 2019 by

“Everyone has scars. Even if they’re not on the outside.” Our protagonist is Ella Santos – though now she goes by the name of Laine Moreno. When she was just ten years old she was abducted and held hostage for … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Canadian fiction, debut novels, NetGalley, Page turners, Psychological thrillers | Tagged , , | 6 Comments