Sophie's Shelves

Joanne has just moved back to the town where she grew up with her 6ywar old son Alfie, who is struggling to fit in at school. In an effort to befriend some of the other mums, Joanne repeats a rumour she has heard, not imagining the consequences this piece of gossip will have. This was a very impressive debut looking at the impact gossip can have. It uses a very emotional charged premise (what would you do if you found out a child killer was living in your town under a new identity?) and explores the reactions to these. Lesley Kara continues to add twists and red herrings throughout the book to keep you guessing. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC

Kayla thinks of Caz as an arrogant surfing Casanova. However when she finds she's pregnant and her ex-boyfriend dies on the same day, he's the only person who seems interested in helping her. This certainly isn't your standard romance. Kayla's pregnancy and her thoughts about this add another dimension, which may make some readers uncomfortable. For me it added the necessary depth to understand the characters a bit more and to stand out from a crowded field of books. The romance itself is a slow burn as trust rebuilds between Caz and Kayla. I enjoyed this. Will keep my eye out for other books by Crista McHugh.

The Faceless Man has a name and it's time for Peter, Nightingale and the rest of the joint operations task force to bring an end to his crimes against humanity round London. I was very excited for this to be released and to find out what is happening with all the characters I've come to love. This brought back a lot of characters that were present in the earlier books in a really satisfying way. 1st a word for Kobna Holbrook-Smith - the audio on these is incredible. He brings it to life with a very authentic voice for Peter, and all his characters are easily distinguishable. He does some of the best narration I've come across and I can't be sure I'd have fallen in love with this series so much if I was reading them. As ever there are multiple small details and moments of humour that keep this ticking and stop it being a run of the mill police procedural. In this some of the stand out moments for me, were Peter cycling through London with a ripped jacket, his and Bev...

Abby has stayed in her small home town, while her best friend, Elise, has gone to LA and become a star. They meet at their high school return and Abby then takes an unexpected trip to LA to rekindle the friendship. Abby and Elise are both flawed characters whose motivations are hidden. Abby is quite a dark character, and the author made an interesting choice in not explicitly discussing her mental health, but there are clearly issues there that become more apparent as the book develops. I was sucked into the world that this created and the dynamic between Abby and Elise is compelling throughout. Lauren Acampora has done a fantastic job at making unlikeable characters very readable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy

Charlee has agreed to speak at a writers' conference her friend Viv has organised. Unfortunately when she arrives, she discovers that Viv's daughter has been kidnapped and the conference is beset by disasters from all sides. This started full of humour and potential. Unfortunately the characters fell a little bit flat and felt a bit like caricatures in places (especially Brad Pitt and his womanising ways). It could have done with a little more development of the plot and relationships between characters. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced review copy