First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
…and it’s an oldie again, so, hopefully, lots of people are going to recognise these first lines:
14th July
I don’t know why I’m writing this.
That’s not true. Maybe I do know, and just don’t want to admit it to myself.
I don’t even know what to call it- this thing I’m writing. It feels a little pretentious to call it a diary. It’s not like I have anything to say. Anne Frank kept a diary, or Samuel Pepys- not someone like me. Calling it a ‘journal’ sounds too academic, somehow. As if I should write in it every day, and I don’t want to – if it becomes a chore, I’ll never keep it up.
Maybe I’ll call it nothing. An unnamed something that I occasionally write in. I like that better. Once you name something, it stops you seeing all of it, or why it matters.
Did you recognise the lines? The book was published in 2019. It was a debut novel of a London-based author who has recently published another thriller.
…and it’s The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides:
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Have you read The Silent Patient? Did you recognise the first lines?
Have you read Alex’s sophomore book The Maidens or is it on your tbr?
Book & Author Details: Honorable Rogue by Linda J. Parisi (Blood Rogue, #2) Publication date: July 13th 2021 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance Synopsis:
There is the blood and can only ever be the blood. So how can love survive in a world of pain?
As a Roman gladiator and slave, vampire Hunter Pierce only knew death and destruction. Never love.
Dr. Victoria Roberts only knew love and safety, never fear or death, until the day her life was shattered with a home invasion that destroyed her world.
Now Hunter and Tori’s worlds collide, with Blood Rogues continuing to menace both human and vampire alike.
Tori is in danger and it’s all Hunter’s fault. To keep watch of the clever doctor, the vampire enlists
her to aid in finding a cure for Nirvana, the dangerous poison rogue vampires are using to kill.
When Tori is kidnapped, Hunter faces his corrupt former master and a race against the clock to save his own life.
But can a vampire who has only watched out for himself risk his life, and his immortality, for the love of a human?
Can a woman who has lost everything rebuild her shattered heart with a man who thinks he hasn’t got one? Only love, trust, and an Honorable Rogue can save them all.
As a major in biochemistry with a minor in English literature, Linda has always tried to mesh her love of science with her love of the written word. A clinical research scientist by day and NJRW Golden Leaf award winning author by night, she creates unforgettable characters and puts them in untenable situations, much to their dismay. Choices always matter and love conquers all, so a happy-ever-after is a must. Linda is the current Treasurer of Liberty States Fiction Writers. She has served on the boards of other writing organizations, and loves to teach the craft of writing at worshops and conferences. She lives in New Jersey with her husband John, son Chris, daughter-in-law Sara, and Audi, a Cocker Spaniel mix who had her at woof!
Book & Author Details: Nefarious by Mary Ann Marlowe Publication date: July 13th 2021 Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Warning: What you’re about to read is not a romance . . .
Diabolical Wall Street traders, Dane Russ and Val Montgomery, vaulted into fame and fortune as the power duo of financial technology. But after they lost the internet trading company they built from the ground up to ruthless Geraldo Valencia, they had to tuck tail and run to a Midwestern firm. Dane deals with the boredom by leaning into his playboy ways. Meanwhile Val plays the role of a scrupulous mentor, while secretly playing mind games with everyone at the office.
When Geraldo’s daughter shows up as an intern in Val’s summer training program, Val sees the perfect opportunity for her longed-for revenge—she’ll teach the girl nefarious business practices and send her home ethically compromised. But Dane’s not interested because he’s stumbled across his own opportunity for vengeance—a chance to seduce Noelle, the new CEO, and the woman who spurned him years ago.
As Val and Dane play cat-and-mouse with everyone else, their long-simmering history of unresolved romantic injuries with one another begins to burn beyond their control. While Dane doesn’t notice that a jealous Val has set him on a path to ruin Noelle, Val’s blind to the traps Dane has laid to bring her down. Although they’re adept at using everyone around them like chess pieces, their interpersonal game has no rules and can only end with their mutual destruction. If they don’t agree to a cease fire, Val’s reputation will be destroyed and Dane will lose his heart before he even realizes he’s risked it.
Some Kind of Magic is Mary Ann Marlowe’s first novel. When not writing, she works by day as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a German tutor, a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms, plus she has a second-degree black belt. She has lived in twelve states and three countries and loves to travel. She now lives in central Virginia where she is hard at work on her second novel. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at http://www.maryannmarlowe.com, on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/marlowemaryann/, and at twitter.com/maryannmarlowe.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
The book I can’t wait for this Wednesday is …
Defy the Night by Bridgit Kemmerer
From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a brand-new blockbuster fantasy series about a kingdom divided by corruption—and the girl who will risk everything to bring the system crashing down.
The land of Kandala is recovering from a devastating plague, with a cure so rare that only the wealthy can afford it. Tessa is one of the many in the lower class, whose parents were killed for distributing the cure on the black market. She continues their legacy by stealing supplies to give to those in need, along with help from her partner, the suave and mysterious Weston Lark. As rumors spread that the cure no longer works, Tessa hatches a dangerous plan to infiltrate the castle and break down the class barriers for good. Set in a fantasy world startlingly similar to our own, Brigid Kemmerer’s new series illuminates the divide between those with power and those without. . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to flip the system.
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication Date: September 14, 2021
Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cursebreaker series, Call It What You Want, More Than We Can Tell, Letters to the Lost, and the Elementals series. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. http://www.brigidkemmerer.com / Twitter and Instagram: @BrigidKemmerer
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for The Life She Wants, a new psychological thriller by J.MHewitt.
The Life She Wants
You want to save your marriage. She wants to destroy it.
Paula worries that her marriage to Tommy is hanging by a thread. She loves how safe her husband makes her feel, but lately, it seems like he’s pulling away from her, and he keeps avoiding a much-needed conversation about finally having children. When Tommy suggests a cruise getaway for the two of them, Paula is thrilled. He’s fighting for this marriage, and he’s even promised that they will talk about growing their family. It’s Paula’s dream come true. Until the couple meets beautiful Anna. From the moment Anna appears in their lives, things start to go wrong for Paula. She finds herself trapped in a sauna. Her hair is destroyed at the salon. Money goes missing from her cabin. At first, Paula thinks she’s paranoid in suspecting Anna is turning her dream holiday into a nightmare. But soon, it becomes clear that Paula may not be the only woman fighting for Tommy’s affections. How far will Anna go to get what she wants? What lines will Paula cross to protect her marriage? And whose dark past will return to destroy them first? The Life She Wants is a suspenseful psychological thriller with a twist. Perfect for fans of Catherine Ryan Howard, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell.
The Life She Wants is an intense psychological thriller that starts as a slow-burn and then picks up the pace to turn into a story full of twists and turns.
Paula has been together with her husband Tommy for more than fifteen years. She appears to have it all-a good-looking husband who earns a lot of money and is able to afford every kind of comfort, a five bedroom house, cars, holidays, unlimited free time. On the other hand, she has never used her degree, she hasn’t got any real friends and her husband refuses to discuss the question of starting a family. Is her marriage in trouble? Is there anything she can do to save itandensureshe still has the life she wants?
When Tommy (unwiling as he is to discuss babies) shows their two tickets for a cruise, Paula is hopeful that maybe things aren’t as drastic as she thought. But then aboard the cruise liner, Tommy is back to his usual narcissistic behaviour and strange things begin to happen to Paula, including being locked in the sauna. Could their new aquaintance- dazzlingly beautiful Anna- have anything to do with it?
The story is told from three POVs- two of them are those of Paula and Anna and then there are also ‘Before’ flashbacks from the mysterious third person. Part of the fun of reading this book is trying to figure out who they are. I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters in the book (I did sympathise with them, though), but the book was very easy to read and it is clear that the author knows how to slowly build the suspense and then surprise the reader with an unexpected twist in the end. Bonus points for using very atmospheric settings that add to the darkness and mystery of the plotlines.
Entertaining, full of drama (especially towards the end), intense, The Life She Wants is the first book by J.M. Hewitt that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources, NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio
J.M. Hewitt is the author of five crime fiction novels. Her work has also been published in three short story anthologies. Her books usually incorporate twentieth and twenty-first century events and far-flung locations, and her novels explore the darker side of human behaviour. In contrast to the sometimes dark content of her books, she lives a very nice life in a seaside town in Suffolk with her dog, Marley.
Happy Publication Day to Faking Reality by Sara Fujimura!
My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Some Kind of Wonderful meets Kara McDowell’s Just for Clicks with diverse characters, perfect for readers looking for feel-good YA romance and those who like “clean teen” reads
Dakota McDonald swore after “The Great Homecoming Disaster” that she’d never allow her romantic life to be a plot line in her parents’ HGTV show again. But when the restaurant run by the family of her best friend (and secret crush), Leo, is on the line, Dakota might end up eating her own words.
Leo Matsuda dreams of escaping his small town Arizona life and the suffocating demands of working in his family’s restaurant, but the closer he gets to his goal—thanks to the help of his best friend (and secret crush) Dakota—the more reasons there are for him to stay.
My thoughts:
Faking Reality is a clean YA romance with sweet protagonists, lots of delicious Japanese food and Asian representation.
Dakota McDonald has been a star of a reality TV show (something to do with DIY?) ever since her parents found out they were expecting a child. She seems oddly at ease with this lifestyle- perhaps, anyone would, if they happened to grow up on a set. She might not be sure who she really is or what she wants -let’s face it, it goes with the territory when you’re a teenager- but she has time to figure it out and very soon she’ll be free to do it, as the season the TV company is filming now is the final one. One thing she is certain about is that she wants her best friend Leo Matsuda to finally notice her. Friends-to-something more? (remember it’s a clean romance) is one of my favourite tropes. How do you get yourself out of the Friend Zone when the person who is absolutely perfect for you in all respects doesn’t want to risk your special relationship and understanding?
Leo’s family own a Japanese restaurant (he is half Japanese, Dakota is quater Japanese)and allhis life revolves around it. How are you supposed to have social life, fall in love, date, make mistakes that will let you figure out what matters in life, if all you get is just an occasional half an hour with your parents’ friends’ daughter who happens to become your best friend. That is until her secret crush stops being secret, and suddenly things are a bit weird, and you get a chance to work your feelings out.
This isn’t a double POV book, the story is told from Dakota’s perspective. Usually, I’m all for it – in real life we don’t have the advantage of knowing what other people think or how they feel about the events. This time I couldn’t help wondering if seeing Leo’s side of the story could have made it more interesting.
In case you’re wondering why the blurb referenced My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it does have the same kind of attitude- despite the dilemmas and limitations imposed on them, the protagonists know their families have their best interests at heart and they can always count on their support.
Pick this book if you like food in general and Japanese food in particular, if you like clean romance and don’t mind slightly slower pace, if you are into Japanese culture or like learning about different cultures, and if you think your family is important in defining what and who you are, although, ultimately, it is up to you to choose your own way in life.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor Teen for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
About Sara Fujimura
SARA FUJIMURA is an award-winning young adult author and creative writing teacher. She is the American half of her Japanese-American family, and has written about Japanese culture and raising bicultural children for such magazines as Appleseeds, Learning Through History, East West, and Mothering, as well as travel-related articles for To Japan With Love. She is the author of the National Public Radio Best of the Year young adult novel Every Reason We Shouldn’t, in addition to self-published young adult novels Tanabata Wish and Breathe. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and children.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
How it works:
Jana from That Artsy Girl assigns each Tuesday a topic and then posts her top ten list that fits that topic. Anybody is welcome to join and create their own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. You can put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you!
July topics are:
July 6: Reasons Why I Love Reading July 13: Book Titles That are Questions July 20: Books I Read In One Sitting (or would have if I had the time) July 27: Books I’d Want With Me While Stranded On a Deserted Island
Jana’s meme allows you to put your own unique spin on the topic and I would like to mention an interesting TTT discussion topic Carol from Reading Ladies came up with.
Some endings seem to leave us with lots of questions: did the protagonist survive? did they really live happily ever after? did the changes introduced into this world stick?
It’s Monday! What are you Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, a place to share and discuss what we’ve read in the past week and what we’re in the middle of or are planning to read this week.
After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt Elias and Laia as they flee the city of Serra.
Laia and Elias are determined to break into the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison to save Laia’s brother, even if for Elias it means giving up his last chance at freedom.
They will have to fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene, Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.
Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own, one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape… and kill them both.
You want to save your marriage. She wants to destroy it. Paula worries that her marriage to Tommy is hanging by a thread. She loves how safe her husband makes her feel, but lately, it seems like he’s pulling away from her, and he keeps avoiding a much-needed conversation about finally having children.
When Tommy suggests a cruise getaway for the two of them, Paula is thrilled. He’s fighting for this marriage, and he’s even promised that they will talk about growing their family. It’s Paula’s dream come true. Until the couple meets beautiful Anna.
From the moment Anna appears in their lives, things start to go wrong for Paula. She finds herself trapped in a sauna. Her hair is destroyed at the salon. Money goes missing from her cabin. At first, Paula thinks she’s paranoid in suspecting Anna is turning her dream holiday into a nightmare. But soon, it becomes clear that Paula may not be the only woman fighting for Tommy’s affections. The only question is why…
Wartime Blues for the Harper Girls (Blog Tour)
LONDON 1917
As the Americans enter the War, there is renewed energy in the war effort.
With husbands and sons fighting for freedom, the women of Harpers are left to tackle the day-to-day affairs at home and work.
With Ben Harper away, Sally fears she is being followed by a mysterious woman. Who is she and what does she want?
Maggie Gibbs collapses seriously ill in the frontline hospitals and is brought back to England close to death. Can she be saved and what does the future hold for her and her broken heart?
Marion Jackson’s father is on the run from the Police already wanted for murder. She fears he will return to threaten his family once more. And Beth Burrows is pregnant with her second child, worried and anxious for her husband Jack, who has been many months at sea.
As Christmas 1917 approaches what will the future hold for Harpers, its girls and their men at War?
What I am reading/listening to now:
The Do-Over by Melissa MacKinnon (Blog Tour)
After years in the grueling California dating scene, Maggie Kelley has finally agreed to marry her Mr. Right Now. But there’s just one teensy problem…the county clerk lets her know that she’s technically still married to her Vegas fling: the best three days she ever had…and can’t actually remember. The moment she sees her very hot husband after eight years, with his works-well-with-his-hands attitude, she’s sure their wedding night must have been explosive.
The absolute last person Finnegan Garrity expected at his door is Maggie—his ultimate “one who got away.” Yet here she is in his small-town boat shop, looking just as adorable as ever…and wanting a divorce. Yeah, he has no intention of letting that happen. Now he’s got one week to convince Maggie that they’re still perfect for each other.
But he’s going to need more than just a do-over: he’s going to need a miracle.
Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents–who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno–Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.
But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands. At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess–who is barely making ends meet–is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist–and the science behind a soulmate–than she thought.
Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
Happy Release Day to Melissa MacKinnon’s newest book The Do-Over!
Title: The Do-Over
Author: Melissa MacKinnon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
About The Do-Over:
After years in the grueling California dating scene, Maggie Kelley has finally agreed to marry her Mr. Right Now. But there’s just one teensy problem…the county clerk lets her know that she’s technically still married to her Vegas fling: the best three days she ever had…and can’t actually remember. The moment she sees her very hot husband after eight years, with his works-well-with-his-hands attitude, she’s sure their wedding night must have been explosive.
The absolute last person Finnegan Garrity expected at his door is Maggie—his ultimate “one who got away.” Yet here she is in his small-town boat shop, looking just as adorable as ever…and wanting a divorce. Yeah, he has no intention of letting that happen. Now he’s got one week to convince Maggie that they’re still perfect for each other.
But he’s going to need more than just a do-over: he’s going to need a miracle.
Melissa spent her childhood exploring the coast of down east Maine without parental supervision and immersing herself in any book she could get her scrappy little hands on. Although she pursued a career in theater, the written word is her true calling. She leads a full life with her husband and six children traveling the country to wherever the Army sends them in her very large twelve passenger van, in what she lovingly deems “organized chaos”. She finds time to write in her “spare time”, somewhere in between soccer practices and nap time with coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. She loves creating unforgettable romance, and enjoys writing and reading everything from sexy, sword-toting heroes to spit-out-your-coffee funny romantic comedies… as long as she doesn’t get the book wet. She leaves that up to the characters.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Coldharbour, written by British author John Mead. I’ve always been fascinated by the process authors come up with their intriguing plots and they research they do to make their police procedurals both gripping and realistic. Today John has kindly agreed to offer us a fascinating insight into his writing process.
Guest post by John Mead
Looking for Inspiration: Themes, Plots and Characters.
I have no doubt there are as many ways to obtain inspiration, the spark that will give life to a new book, as there are authors. There are those who will undertake meticulous research: into demographics and trends in book sales, then, having gleaned a topic from this, further research to develop a plot and characters that will, hopefully, bring about a best seller. And then there are those who just jump in and start typing, and hope for the best, inspiration coming piecemeal or having been fully formed from the outset. In practice either can work. However, for myself the process is much more mundane.
Inspiration for my fist book – The Fourth Victim – in the current crime series, came from walking down Lehman Street, in Whitechapel, London. I was on my way to Wilton’s Music Hall, the oldest theatre in London, now restored and thriving. At the bottom of the street, almost under the railway viaduct, is the Jack the Ripper museum. Inevitably I started to think how the area had changed over the years and what a modern day Ripper would be like – perhaps Jack would be a Jill. Given, at the time, I was head of a unit supporting the educational needs of children unable to attend school as the result of physical and mental health issues, it wasn’t surprising that my thoughts also turned to the killer’s mental state. From those twin themes the plot and characters evolved.
I also learned, having bogged myself down in one or two dead ends, that it is always worth drawing up a brief outline before starting and, most importantly, being prepared to deviate from said plan. Perhaps more accurately it would be better to say the plan should be flexible and allow for adjustments. I soon discovered, when writing, that I am one of those authors whose characters take on a life of their own, so I constantly tweak things. Inevitably, therefore, my initial plan is very sketchy, a sentence or two on the contents of each chapter, just enough to convince me I have enough for a book and a plot that works.
By the end of the first book I knew I wanted to create a series, to continue using the main characters, to develop these further and to add a couple of new ones. Unfortunately I didn’t have a theme. For me the theme is what gives rise to the crime or crimes that my police team will investigate, and this creates the plot. The characters then interact, their actions allow the plot to change and develop, so usually the ending is different from what I thought it would be at the start. For my second book I wanted a different sort of crime story, a theme not normally considered. Inspiration came from two sources: Twitter and the BBC. On Twitter I noticed a post featuring an old black and white clip about drag artists performing in East End pubs, it rang a bell, I’d seen the original TV documentary as a youth. How things had changed I thought, or had they? A day or so later I watched a short BBC drama about two men, one young and one old, trying to come to grips with the fact they were cross-dressers. Motivations, sexuality and gender were all touched upon. My interest peaked, further online research, and Geraldine was born.
I now had a process and style that allowed me to continue the series, but I still needed inspiration for a third book. As with the first it came from a location. It came whilst visiting a bird sanctuary in Rainham, down on the Thames Estuary. As a boy I had played in Rainham Marshes – a desolate, wind swept place – ideal for dumping a body. However, a quick look at Google maps showed me that the marshes had been tamed and now container depots dotted its cheap to buy land. Containers made me think of smuggling and trafficking and out of this Coldharbour was born. Ironically, as the book was being published so a container full of dead Vietnamese migrants was discovered at a depot in Rainham. A terrible event that made the headlines but unfortunately, I knew from the research I’d undertaken, this was only one small part of a continuing global tragedy.
There is a fourth book in the pipeline, Skeletons, expected to be out later in the year. With three books preceding it, inspiration came from digging up Matthew Merry’s past.
John Mead
Coldharbour
The Met Police’s Major Investigation Team East has its hands full: a rash of tit for tat gang related stabbings, a strangled housewife, the decomposed remains of a woman found in a ditch and more to come. Adding to their woes is their boss, Chief Inspector Matthew Merry, being distracted by his problems at home.
For Matthew’s wife, Kathy, her only concern is dealing with the aftermath of being drugged and raped by a co-worker. Will the trial of the man responsible be enough to give her the justice she demands. Or, as her therapist states, is it revenge she really desires. She doesn’t know. As her emotions see-saw from elation to depression, her only certainty is that her husband seems more concerned about his work than her.
And Matthew is only too aware of his failings both at home and work. But the police machine grinds on, seeking information and sifting evidence — justice is not their concern.
John was born in the mid-fifties in Dagenham, London, on part of the largest council estate ever built, and was the first pupil from his local secondary modern school to attend university. He has now taken early retirement to write, having spent the first part of his life working in education and the public sector. He was the director of a college, a senior school inspector for a local authority, and was head of a unit for young people with physical and mental health needs. When he is not travelling, going to the theatre or the pub, he writes. John is currently working on a seies of novels set in modern day London. These police procedurals examine the darker side of modern life in the East End of the city
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