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My Thoughts … ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ by Grace Elliot

January 31, 2011 By 14 Comments

This review will also be published over at ‘Semicolon’s Saturday Reviews‘, on Saturday February 5th 2011, where anyone can post a review that they would like to share with others, or where you can visit to find some great recommendations from fellow bloggers. Stop by and visit Sherry, she would love to hear from you.

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This is my first e- book and also the first published book by new author Grace Elliot.

This PDF file was sent to me, by Grace herself, as part of an interview/competition, run by ‘The Secret Writer’, which to my amazement, I won.

I tend to read historical romantic fiction as a light hearted interlude, between much weightier, more serious tomes. They are generally easier to read, the plots are uncomplicated and, on the whole, predictable….. until now! Keep on reading

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Synopsis:

A Dead Man’s Debt – a story of blackmail, duty and an unexpected love.

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Celeste Armitage has a plan….and that plan doesn’t include marriage.

After deliberately humiliating a suitor, Celeste’s despairing parents exile her to the country. But once there she discovers a sketch book of daring nude studies and is shaken to find the artist is her hostess’s eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing. This darkly cynical lord is exactly the sort of dissipated rogue she has sworn to avoid…if only her blood didn’t heat at the thought of him.

Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf’s life is a facade. Only he can save the Charing’s from disgrace as a blackmailer seeks to ruin his late brother’s reputation. But just as Ranulf dares to open his heart to Celeste, the fully fury of his nemesis is unleashed…and Ranulf faces a stark choice between family duty and true love. But when Celeste guesses the truth behind his rejection, Ranulf underestimates her resolve to clear his name… and unwittingly places the woman he loves in mortal danger.

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About The Author:

Grace Elliot leads a double life as a vet by day and author of intelligent historical fiction by night. Grace is an avid reader and turned to writing to de-stress from an emotionally demanding job. She firmly believes that smart people read romance – as an antidote to the modern world! Grace is obsessed by all things feline and is particularly fond of guinea pigs.

There is a great, insightful interview with Grace, conducted by ‘The Secret Writer’

[Read more...]

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Danielle Ramsay – A New Author To Watch For

October 29, 2010 By 18 Comments

For all lovers of the British detective/thriller/crime genre, there is a new name on the scene, who I am sure we shall be hearing more from. Danielle Ramsay, is introducing us to a new crime solving character, Inspector Jack Brady, in her debut novel ‘Broken Silence’

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Synopsis – Words taken from the book

Early one morning in the seaside resort of Whitley Bay, the lifeless body of a young girl, Sophie Washington, is found brutally murdered – her face mutilated beyond recognition.

Back on active duty after an enforced break in his less-than-glittering career, DI Jack Brady is barely holding it together. With his personal life resembling a car crash, his problems only intensify when his close colleague Jimmy Matthews reveals that he was with the victim on the night of the murder.

Brady’s loyal deputy, DS Harry Conrad and police psychologist, Amelia Jenkins are assigned with him to crack the case. But as Brady delves deeper into Sophie’s life he discovers a far from rosy picture.

Brady must ask some tough questions if he is to discover the truth. Questions not only about Sophie, but also about himself-and what he finds out isn’t going to be pretty…..

About Danielle Ramsay:

Danielle Ramsay is a Scot, living in a small seaside town in the North-East of England.

Always a storyteller, it was only after initially following an academic career lecturing in literature that she found her place in life and began to write creatively full-time.

Always on the go, always passionate in what she is doing, Danielle fills her days with horse-riding, running and murder by proxy.

Danielle was short-listed for the CWA Debut Dagger Award, in both 2009 and 2010, but was narrowly pipped at the post on both occasions.

Her latest novel, has a title – ‘Broken Bodies’ and is well on the way to being ready for publishing in 2011.

I have purchased ‘Broken Silence’ for my father, so have yet to read and air my thoughts about it, but a follow-up post will appear shortly.

If anyone has already read the book, please feel free to start a discussion about it.

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Has Anyone Read?….

August 31, 2010 By 2 Comments

Has anyone read either ‘The Sage And The Scarecrow’, or ‘The Lexical Funk’, both written by a young Florida born author, called Daniel Clausen?

It was a chance meeting, when Daniel followed me on ‘Twitter’, and to satisfy my curiosity before accepting him and following him in return, I checked out his site.

Floridian, Daniel, earned his degree in English and American Studies, from the University of Miami, with further graduate studies in International Relations and Public Policy.

He has  wanted to be a writer fom an early age, and to help him achieve his goal, he has held down a diverse range of jobs, to support his series of published stories and articles.

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In the background , he has diligently been working on and had published, two books. ‘The Sage And The Scarecrow’, is the novel that attracted my attention and helped in my decision to highlight Daniel as an author waiting in the wings for recognition, whilst ‘The Lexical Funk’ is a morph of a previous book, started at college and is a collection of short stories and random musings.

Synopsis: – ‘The Sage And The Scarecrow’

Six months after his father has died from cancer, Pierce Williams finds himself in a deep state of depression. The book follows him through a journey from his college, where everything seems dismal and empty, to a small town on the east coast of Florida to find his best friend, Jennifer, and the only person he thinks can “cure” him. Touching on themes such as the existential pain of thinking too much, love, and the politics of everyday life, Pierce’s journey takes him through the struggles and boredom of college life, as he attempts to discover his place in the world.

He is currently working on a second novel, ‘The Ghosts Of Nagasaki, which ties in with his three years as an ESL teacher in Japan and his love of speaking and reading Japanese, as a spare time hobby.

I hope to read ‘The Sage And The Scarecrow’ very soon, but if anyone else out there has beaten me to it, your comments and views would be appreciated.

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Lars Kepler

July 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lars Kepler is a new Swedish author, who is making a huge name for himself and is getting rave reviews, although little else is known about him at this time.  It is also the pseudonym, behind which, spouses Alexander and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, hide.

“The Hypnotist”, is the first in a planned series of books featuring Detective Inspector Joona Linna. Due for release in the UK April 2011.

The second book in the series, is called “The Paganini” and is due for release in Sweden, in the Autumn of 2010.

Synopsis: “The Hypnotist”

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In the middle of a dark December night, psychiatrist Erik Maria Bark is woken by a telephone call from a hospital in Stockholm. Detective Inspector Joona Linna asks for his immediate help in treating an unconscious patient suffering from acute trauma. He hopes that Erik will be able to communicate with the young boy through hypnosis, enabling the police to question him. They hope to find out who so brutally murdered his parents and younger sister, in order to track down and save his older sister before it is too late.

But it has been ten years since Erik last practised hypnosis, and he has promised never to do it again. Painful memories from that time make their presence felt, contributing to his decision not to help the police.

When Erik finally allows himself to be persuaded, it is as if the floodgates have been opened to a torrent of unforeseen happenings. Without warning this violent and inexplicable course of events impacts with full force on Erik’s life. His son disappears, and to have a chance of saving his life, Erik has to confront himself with the past, with the times when his research-work was laid in ruins and his marriage seemed on the verge of collapsing.

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Ali Shaw – ‘The Girl With Glass Feet’

June 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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Ali Shaw was born in 1982 and grew up in a small town in Dorset, although he currently lives and works in Oxford.

Since graduating, he has worked as a Bookseller and at Oxford’s Bodleian Library.

‘The Girl With Glass Feet’ was published in 2009, as Ali’s debut novel. He is currently working on his second book.

‘The Girl With Glass Feet’ has been described as  a ‘dazzlingly imaginative and gripping first novel, a love story to treasure’

Ali has just been announced as the winner of 2010 Desmond Elliott Prize and it’s supporting £10,000 prize money.

Synopsis - ‘Girl With Glass Feet’ [Read more...]

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The Orange Award For New Writer 2010

June 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Orange Award For New Writers was launched in 2005, in partnership with Arts Council England. Any work of fiction can be entered, so long as it has been writen by a woman, of any age or nationality and it has been published as a book in the United Kingdom. The award is given to the best emerging female literary talent and comes with a winning bursary of £10,000. The Award for 2010 went to ‘The Boy Next Door’, written by Irene Sabatini.

Synopsis – Taken From The Author’s Website

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In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, the son of Lindiwe Bishop’s white neighbour, seventeen-year-old Ian McKenzie, is arrested for a terrible crime.

A year later Ian returns home, the charges against him dropped. He is brash and boisterous, full of charm and swagger, and fascinating to fifteen-year-old Lindiwe.

She accepts a ride from him one day, despite her mother’s warnings, and something grows between them — becoming stronger and stronger in a world that wants nothing more than to divide them.

A secret that Lindiwe keeps hidden, and which Ian discovers years later, ensures that their lives will be irrevocably entwined as their country crumbles around them. [Read more...]

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