#BlogTour Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen

It’s my turn on the BlogTour Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett. ‘A vintage classic from the award-winning, multi-million bestselling Norwegian author Gunnar Staalesen, available in English for the very first time.’

About the Author

One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. 

Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour); Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.

About the book

Fresh from rehab, PI Varg Veum faces his most complex investigation yet, when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears, and the case of a missing child is revived. The classic Nordic Noir series continues…

PI Varg Veum has returned to duty following a stint in rehab, but his new composure and resolution are soon threatened when three complex crimes land on his desk.

A man is found dead in an elite swimming pool. A young woman has gone missing. Most chillingly, Veum is asked to investigate the ‘Camilla Case’: an eight-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a little girl, who was never found.

As the threads of these three apparently unrelated cases come together, against the backdrop of a series of shocking environmental crimes, Veum faces the most challenging, traumatic investigation of his career.

Review

This book finds Varg just out of rehab and ready to get down to the nitty-gritty of the toxicity of the world of crime and criminals he appears to be surrounded by. The cold case of a missing child, the drowning of a young man and the disappearance of a young woman.

Varg’s freshly found stability is shaken, not stirred, by a complex combination of cases. On the surface they are seemingly unrelated until Varg starts drawing the threads together an making connections, where other people see none he starts unraveling a cleverly constructed cloak of silence.

I’m pretty sure I said this about the last Varg Veum book, but this is the best yet. It really hit the nail on the head for me. This psychological thriller is paced meticulously and superbly executed. A random set of circumstances equals an insidious deadly plot.

The author delivers a scathing commentary on the inequality of life, especially when it comes weighing up the worth of a human being and actual monetary profit. That parallel is drawn across multiple thread, whilst connecting a strong set of characters.

Simultaneously it has the Nordic Crime flair Staalesen is known for, and of course the acerbic personality of his character Varg is a delight as always. As always a riveting read.

Buy Bitter Flowers at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. At Orenda Books.

#Blogtour Demon by Matt Wesolowski

Another intriguing episode by this innovative author – welcome to the BlogTour Demon by Matt Wesolowski.

‘Scott King’s podcast investigates the 1995 cold case of a demon possession in a rural Yorkshire village, where a 12-year-old boy was murdered in cold blood by two children. Book six in the chilling, award-winning Six Stories series.’

About the Author

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK- an US-based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more. 

His novella, The Black Land, a horror story set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was a bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WH Smith Fresh Talent pick, and TV rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller, Changeling (2019), Beast (2020) And Deity (2021) soon followed suit. 

Follow @ConcreteKraken on Twitter, for more on Matt click here: linktr.ee/MattJW

About the book

In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world.

Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the ‘Demonic Duo’ who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity.

Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark and fanciful stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act. And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, King himself becomes a target, with dreadful secrets from his own past dredged up and threats escalating to a terrifying level. It becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun…

Review

This is the sixth book in the Six Stories series, I also highly recommend the previous books they are great reads. This one has the usual moral conundrum the author tends to play with within the myths, the rumours, the folklore and the cold hard facts.

Given the raw material and factual case this was very likely based on, because a lot of it veers on the factual precipice of the tragic Bulger case and the way the public still demands their pound of flesh from the perpetrators, I can imagine the points of discussion being quite divisive.

If a child commits the unimaginable is it possible for them to create a normal life after serving their time and completing the punishment considered suitable by the judicial system? If their crime is considered evil, do the actions of one moment mean they should be hounded, harassed and persecuted till they are gone too? Clearly many people think so, but this book looks at the crime and perpetrator from a different angle – the result is an intriguing read. 

This is the kind of premise that has endless opportunities going forward, that includes any visual on-screen representation. The modern element will appeal to a multitude of readers, and true crime as a premise is always a draw. 

The author doesn’t rest on the laurels of his trail of success, he is always looking for a way to keep the premise fresh and readers engaged. Going beyond the boundaries of the crime by introducing the limitations of his main character or in this case the implications of a failing judicial system and how the world in general reacts to crime, punishment and justice.

Buy Demon at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Orenda Books pub date 26 Nov. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books.

#BlogTour Fall by West Camel

 It’s my turn on the Blogtour Fall by West Camel.

About the Author

Born and bred in south London – and not the Somerset village with which he shares a name – West Camel worked as an editor in higher education and business before turning his attention to the arts and publishing. He has worked as a book and arts journalist, and was editor at Dalkey Archive Press, where he edited the Best European Fiction 2015 anthology, before moving to new press Orenda Books just after its launch. He currently combines his work as editorial director at Orenda with editing The Riveter magazine and #RivetingReviews for the European Literature Network.

He has also written several short scripts, which have been produced in London’s fringe theatres, and was longlisted for the Old Vic’s 12 playwright project. His debut novel, Attend was published in 2018, and was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award. His second novel, Fall will be published in December 2021. Follow @west_camel on Twitter, Visit westcamel.net

About the book

Twins Aaron and Clive have been estranged for forty years. Aaron still lives in the empty, crumbling tower block on the riverside in Deptford where they grew up. Clive is a successful property developer, determined to turn the tower into luxury flats.

But Aaron is blocking the plan and their petty squabble becomes something much greater when two ghosts from the past – twins Annette and Christine – appear in the tower. At once, the desolate estate becomes a stage on which the events of one scorching summer are relived – a summer that changed their lives forever.

Evocative, thought-provoking and exquisitely written, Fall is an unforgettable story of friendship and family – of perception, fear and prejudice, the events that punctuate our journeys into adulthood, and the indelible scars they leave…

Review

Aaron is, as far as he is aware, the last man standing in a building complex set for refurbishment and demolishment. He is determined to fight to preserve the family legacy, and equally determined to fight his brother Clive. The only thing they can agree on is what a blast from the past could mean for both o them when old friends start to stir up long forgotten trouble and trauma.

I think this author in particular has told a story – the actual core of the premise – that tends to be dismissed, perhaps because systemic racism is part of our colonial roots and the fabric of societal structures. It has been a part of the way we act and interact for so long that it is the norm.

Camel notes the nuances of racism in a variety of ways. From the stereotypical assumptions about the presence in a predominantly white neighbourhood, to the questioning of ownership as opposed to being renters. Most importantly how easy it is and was to point the finger, and in doing so use the systemic abuse and stereotypes to create a story no one questions. Why don’t they question? Yeh the answer is part of a bigger problem in a society that lives to the tune of the ghost of a colonial mother ship. Elitism, privilege and whiteness reign supreme, which leaves an abundance of racially profiled victims in its wake.

Although this is a completely different direction from Attend, which is also worth reading by the way, the author always cements his stories in the depths of human interactions and emotions. I think it’s a fascinating social commentary with vivid parallels being drawn throughout with the architecture and surroundings to the characters themselves.

Buy Fall at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. At Orenda Books.

#BlogTour The Quiet People by Paul Cleave

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour The Quiet People by Paul Cleave.

About the Author

Paul is an award-winning author who divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where most of his novels are set, and Europe. He has won the New Zealand Ngaio Marsh Award three times, the Saint-Maur book festival’s crime novel of the year award in France, and has been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Barry in the US and the Ned Kelly in Australia. 

His books have been translated into over twenty languages. He’s thrown his frisbee in over forty countries, plays tennis badly, golf even worse, and has two cats – which is often two too many.

Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulCleave, and his website: paulcleave.com.

About the book

Cameron and Lisa Murdoch are successful New Zealand crime writers, happily married and topping bestseller lists worldwide. They have been on the promotional circuit for years, joking that no one knows how to get away with crime like they do. After all, they write about it for a living.

So when their challenging seven-year-old son Zach disappears, the police and the public naturally wonder if they have finally decided to prove what they have been saying all this time… Are they trying to show how they can commit the perfect crime?

Multi-award winning bestseller Paul Cleave returns with an electrifying and chilling thriller about family, public outrage and what a person might be capable of under pressure, that will keep you guessing until the final page…

Review

The plot is tragically cynical in a way. The parents and their need for success becomes an Achilles heel in the disappearance of their young son. Who better to plan the abduction and possible murder of a victim than two people who seem to be experts at plotting crimes?

The suspicion that falls quite quickly on the parents mirrors a similar well known crime. The public are more invested in pointing the finger and shaming them than in the truth. The victim becomes almost secondary to the media frenzy and investigation that ensues.

It’s a dark psychological thriller. The author doesn’t mind crossing the boundaries and making readers feel uncomfortable, surprised and perhaps in part playing up to the kind of fears that lurk below the surface. It’s one thing to throw something outrageous into the general atmosphere, but in reality we don’t rally want certain things to come to fruition.

It’s a tense read with plenty of relatable moments, especially when it comes to parenting and the fears we have for our vulnerable children, but the most frightening thing is when some of those fears come true.

Buy The Quiet People at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books; pub date 25 November 2021 |  Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. At Orenda Books.

#BlogTour Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver

It’s an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver. It’s a dark read and a cracking one.

About the Author

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his  sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Will’s latest title published by Orenda Books,

The Beresford was published in July. His previous title Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts. Follow @will_carver on Twitter

About the book

When AA meetings make her want to drink more, alcoholic murderess Maeve sets up a group for psychopaths. Maeve has everything. A high-powered job, a beautiful home, a string of uncomplicated one-night encounters. She’s also an addict: a functioning alcoholic with a dependence on sex and an insatiable appetite for killing men.

When she can’t find a support group to share her obsession, she creates her own. And Psychopaths Anonymous is born. Friends of Maeve.

Now in a serious relationship, Maeve wants to keep the group a secret. But not everyone in the group adheres to the rules, and when a reckless member raises suspicions with the police, Maeve’s drinking spirals out of control. She needs to stop killing. She needs to close the group. But Maeve can’t seem to quit the things that are bad for her, including her new man…

Review

What’s not to enjoy about the refreshing honesty with which Maeve goes about her daily life. The automatic and expected boxes are ticked to keep up appearances, but what happens when the small moments of truth and pleasure threaten to interfere with the way she runs her life. Can she sustain any kind of long-term relationship or friendship without being swallowed up by the darkness she likes to cater to.

I think I enjoyed this book for all the wrong reasons. At the top of that list is the fact the author peels back the layers of the shallow exteriors and presents a very real reality. In fact I wonder what would or will happen if psychopathic or sociopathic traits become an acceptable part of society? 

Next on the list, and I have mentioned this in a review of a book written by a recovering alcoholic who swallowed the scheme whole and shouted it out to the world, is the way Carver takes AA to task. It doesn’t work, and the statistics are very interesting. It divides the addicted into categories, some of which are set-up to fail like some self-fulfilling prophecy. Not because of the addiction per se, but because of the way it is infused with a cult like dependency on a reverence to religion and God. 

Clearly only the door reading you must accept God and faith into your heart or fail automatically, means everyone who steps through another door is on a fast path to failure. It also means blame and guilt for loss of sobriety has an automatic perpetrator, as opposed to having personal accountability or looking at the cause and not the symptom.

And the third point is the logistical aspect of certain victimology, which should probably raise alarm bells about the writer, if I were so inclined, but I’m not. (My next FoM meeting is coming Wednesday at six pm – just saying.) 

If Friends of Maeve groups start to pop up everywhere we all know whose door to knock on, right? Talk about giving people ideas and some direction in their lives. Trust Carver to create the kind of book that people will probably either feel uncomfortable about or not admit to liking it for being a bit more than a crime read. I loved it. It’s deliciously dark. It lacks any kind of societal norm or boundary. Most importantly it speaks softly to the dark side – they might not acknowledge it, but they are listening. It’s a superb read.

Buy Psychopaths Anonymous at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Orenda Books pub date 25 Nov. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orendabooks.

#BlogTour The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen

It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston.

 ‘From the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of The Man Who Died comes The Rabbit Factor, a madcap, high-octane existential thriller, currently being adapted for the screen starring Steve Carell’

About the Author

Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author in 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. 

With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. A TV adaptation is in the works, and Jussi Vatanen (Man In Room 301) has just been announced as a leading role. 

Palm Beach Finland  was an immense success, with Marcel Berlins (The Times) calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’. His latest thriller, Little Siberia, was shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger, the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Awards and the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. In total, Antti Tuomainen has been short- and longlisted for 12 UK awards. Follow @antti_tuomainen on Twitter

About the book

Award-winning author Antti Tuomainen launches his first series with The Rabbit Factor, an energetic black comedy, currently being adapted for the screen by Amazon/Mandeville Films with Steve Carell to star, and Antti executive producing.

What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal. Until he is faced with the incalculable, after a series of unforeseeable events.

After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from some dangerous men who are very keen to get their money back.

All improbable and complicated problems. But what Henri really can’t compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, a happy-go-lucky artist with a chequered past, whose erratic lifestyle bewilders him. As the criminals go to increasingly extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri’s relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets…

Review

Henri likes logic, order and common sense, but life isn’t always like that. Life isn’t always a mathematical equation you can solve. Nothing proves this more than when he inherits an adventure park, and all the responsibilities and debts that go with it. That includes some heavies who don’t like the word no.

Tuomainen always manages to push boundaries and make his concepts seem speculative in nature when they in fact nothing of the sort. In fact he manages to capture human connections, thought processes and all the inexplicable moments between us. It’s a bit like someone telling you to come into a large body of dark water, whilst telling you it’s safe and shallow, then letting you step into a void of unknown depth.

I know I’ve said this before, but you really never know what you’re going to get from this author. The premises are from one end of the spectrum to the other. What they have in common? Main characters who stay with you and plots you remember.

I can’t wait to see the visual representation of this book, especially if the first part of the book is replicated accurately. Finally, my compliments to David Hackston – the translation is excellent.

Buy The Rabbit Factor at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Orenda; pub date 28 Oct. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

BlogTour Cold As Hell by by Lilja Sigurðardóttir,

 It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Cold As Hell by by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated by Quentin Bates.

‘With rights sold in 14 countries, Cold as Hell is the first in the riveting, atmospheric and beautifully plotted five-book series. An Áróra Investigation, from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers.’

About the Author

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, her English debut shortlisting for the CWA International Dagger and hitting bestseller lists worldwide. Trap soon followed suit, with the third in the trilogy Cage winning the Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year, and was a Guardian Book of the Year. 

Lilja’s standalone Betrayal, was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

Follow @lilja1972  on Twitter, Visit liljawriter.com

About the book

Estranged sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries, and are not on speaking terms. When their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to look for her. But she soon realizes that her sister isn’t avoiding her … she has disappeared, without a trace.

As she confronts Ísafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Björn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours – who have their own reasons for staying out of sight – Áróra is drawn into an ever-darker web of intrigue and manipulation.

Baffled by the conflicting details of her sister’s life, and blinded by the shiveringly bright midnight sun of the Icelandic summer, Áróra enlists the help of police officer Daníel, to help her track her sister’s movements, and tail Björn. But she isn’t the only one watching…

Review

Historically Áróra and Ísafold have had a bit of a bumpy ride as sisters. They have become disconnected from each other, and yet old loyalties and the need to protect is never far from the surface. When Ísafold disappears Áróra feels she owes it to her big sister to help, despite the fact she has ignored her attempts in the past, and has repeatedly returned to a bad personal situation.

This book is the first in a new series, and it looks like it’s going to be a humdinger of a popular one. Whether intentionally or not the author has given this book a different style – it’s still Scandi noir, but it’s darker. There is an almost staccato like approach to the chapters and characters, and the main characters swim silently between black and white in the greyish areas of conscience and guilt.

Adding the almost anonymous quality of the perpetrator gives readers the sense of this could be me or you, which is also exactly what happens with the ethical aspect of the crime in this story. If you weigh the scales of punishment and justice – what would you do?

I think this is Sigurðardóttir’s best work so far. She’s risen above the expectations of the genre and given it what I believe to be her individual style writing voice, and I think it’s just the beginning. I am looking forward to where this series is going to take us.

Buy Cold As Hell at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books, pub date 28 October 2021 |  Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone

 The Third book in the bestselling McIlVanney – shortlisted Skelfs series! From the discovery of a human foot in a park, to the missing daughter of Jenny’s violent ex-husband… the stakes have never been higher for the Skelf family.

(Author pic credit – Duncan McGlynn)

It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone.

About the Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve previous novels, most recently The Big Chill (2020). Several of his books have been bestsellers and three, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade – including at a funeral parlour ahead of writing A Dark Matter – and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. 

Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three solo EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh. Follow Doug on Twitter @doug_johnstone and visit his website: dougjohnstone.com.

About the book

Keeping on top of the family funeral directors’ and private investigation businesses is no easy task for the Skelf women, and when matriarch Dorothy discovers a human foot while walking the dog, a perplexing case presents itself.

Daughter Jenny and grand-daughter Hannah have their hands full too: the mysterious circumstances of a dying woman have led them into an unexpected family drama, Hannah’s new astrophysicist colleague claims he’s receiving messages from outer space, and the Skelfs’ teenaged lodger has a devastating experience.

Nothing is clear as the women are immersed ever deeper in their most challenging cases yet. But when the daughter of Jenny’s violent and fugitive ex-husband goes missing without trace and a wild animal is spotted roaming Edinburgh’s parks, real danger presents itself, and all three Skelfs are in peril.

Taut, dark, warmly funny and unafraid to ask big questions – of us all – The Great Silence is the much-anticipated third instalment in the addictive, unforgettable Skelfs series.

Review

Am I the only one that thinks the way Dorothy handles the whole ‘finding a foot’ business is kind of odd. I know in their profession they are used to dead bodies, death and much more due to the Skelfs little side business, but honestly anyone would think she found a Roman coin and stuck it in her pocket to take home. How many body parts is she used to finding whilst walking the dog? Everyone else – Jesus weeps, Dorothy – ah a foot.

Unfortunately, much like a bad smell, the psycho Craig is lingering in the background again. Just there on the periphery of their lives to make sure they never feel completely safe, which is exactly what he wants. Fear equals control.

Reading The Skelfs is a little bit like watching improv Comedy done by the local AmDram society – you just never know what you’re going to get next, sometimes it is completely out of left field. Johnstone has written the story in a way that gives it a multi interlinked story feel. Each character has their own mystery or problem to solve, and how that is done effectively by supporting and trusting each other.

I am surprised this series is being brought to a conclusion and only presented as a trilogy, but perhaps the author will bring them back in a spin-off or a special Skelf extravaganza. It’s a quirky dark domestic series with a cosy crime feel, subtle sharp humour and the kind of premise that promises an entertaining read – even when it gets serious.

Buy The Great Silence at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Orenda Books, pub date 19 August 2021 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books.

#BlogTour No Honour by Awais Khan

 It’s my turn on the BlogTour No Honour by Awais Khan. 

‘A powerful, poignant and captivating story of love, family, and a battle for change, which travels from the depths of rural Pakistan, to the dangerous streets of overpopulated Lahore’

About the Author

Awais Khan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Durham University, and studied creative writing with Faber Academy. His debut novel, In the Company of Strangers, was published to much critical acclaim, and he now regularly appears on TV and radio. Awais also teaches a popular online creative writing course to aspiring writers around the world. He lives in Lahore and is currently working on his third novel. Follow @AwaisKhanAuthor on Twitter.

About the book

In sixteen-year-old Abida’s small Pakistani village, there are age-old rules to live by, and her family’s honour to protect. And, yet, her spirit is defiant and she yearns to make a home with the man she loves.

When the unthinkable happens, Abida faces the same fate as other young girls who have chosen unacceptable alliances – certain, public death. Fired by a fierce determination to resist everything she knows to be wrong about the society into which she was born, and aided by her devoted father, Jamil, who puts his own life on the line to help her, she escapes to Lahore – only to disappear.

Jamil goes to Lahore in search of Abida – a city where the prejudices that dominate their village take on a new and horrifying form – and father and daughter are caught in a world from which they may never escape.

Review

The honour killing of a young girl in her village seems so far from relevant to Abida. She is a teenager in love with no sense of impending danger for herself or her family when the inevitable happens and the truth of her situation becomes common knowledge. The wrath of the men who see themselves as judge and jury, but only when it comes to opposite gender, and how they can keep them submissive.

One of the interesting themes in this story was the topic of violence against women and how it is perceived as a tool to keep them obedient. Jamil has been taught not to treat the women in his life this way, however as the story progresses the use of violence and the treatment of his wife and daughter are part of a self-fulfilling prophecy – until he has to make a choice between life or death.

There is no doubt this is a powerful story and behind the fictional characters there is a hard truth that needs to be heard, indeed it needs to travel around the world. The oppression of women by certain cultures, societies, countries and religions is relevant topic of our day and age. It’s unacceptable and deplorable that girls and women are still living in the dark ages, being controlled by archaic rules made by and for men.

Honour killings are also part of Western crime statistics. Too many young girls and women are being murdered by their own family members for imagined infractions on the ‘honour’ of their family. There is no place for vigilante enforcement of medieval rules in the 21st century. There should be zero tolerance for any person involved in said crimes.

The power these cruel perpetrators wield over families and communities is cult-like and anyone who orders the rape, torture and murder of a child, girl or woman in the name of simple human mistakes or choices – is a murderer and someone who shouldn’t be held in high esteem.

Although I really enjoyed the story, part of me would have liked to have seen Khan take the brutal honesty of the first chapter and run with it – with less of a fictional element. Some things shouldn’t be sugarcoated to save the sensibilities of the privileged. Great read.

Buy No Honour at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books; Pub date 19 August 2021 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Orenda Books.

#BlogTour Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

 It’s a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Girls Who Lie by by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb.

About the Author

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir studied for an MSc in Globalisation in Norway before returning to Iceland and deciding to write a novel – something she had wanted to do since she won a short-story competition at the age of fifteen. After nine months combining her writing with work as a stewardess and caring for her children, Eva finished The Creak on the Stairs. 

It was published in 2018, and became a bestseller in Iceland. It also went on to win the Blackbird Award, a prize set up by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Ragnar Jónasson to encourage new Icelandic crime writers. It was published in English by Orenda Books in 2020. Eva lives in Reykjavík with her husband and three children and is currently working on the third book in the Forbidden Iceland series. 

Follow @evaaegisdottir on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads

About the Translator

Victoria Cribb is one of Icelandic literature’s best-known translators into English, working with Arnaldur Indriðason, Sjón, and Gyrðir Elíasson, among others. She became interested in Iceland as a teenager and taught herself the language with a 1948 Linguaphone set.

About the book

When single mother Maríanna disappears from her home, leaving an apologetic note on the kitchen table, it is assumed that she’s taken her own life – until her body is found on the Grábrók lava fields seven months later, clearly the victim of murder. Her neglected fifteen-year-old daughter Hekla has been placed in foster care, but is her perfect new life hiding something sinister?

Fifteen years earlier, a desperate new mother lies in a maternity ward, unable to look at her own child, the start of an odd and broken relationship that leads to tragedy.

Police officer Elma and her colleagues take on the case, which becomes increasingly complex, as the list of suspects grows ever longer and new light is shed on Maríanna’s past – and the childhood of a girl who never was like the others…

Review

This is the second book in the Forbidden Iceland series and whilst both books can be read as standalone novels I highly recommend reading the first –  The Creak on the Stairs. 

The story begins with a homicide, a less than perfect mother is found dead – is it suicide or something more nefarious? Elma starts to reconstruct the dysfunctional family structure and ties, which leads her in unusual directions. What kind of person treats her child like a hateful mistake? It’s a multi-layered story with plenty of areas that are neither black or white. Imperfect people with perfect little secrets, the kind of secrets that destroy people.

I was actually quite interested by the fact both books are very much individual experiences, despite some of Elma’s personal experiences and history flowing into this one. To the point where I had actually forgotten the connection. It’s the kind of book, and series, that makes a readers want to go back to the beginning, because you will almost certainly miss something the first time round.

It has the same noirish dark vibe that is tinged with an element of suppressed rage, frustration and despair. Ægisdóttir doesn’t shy away from speaking truths to the side of motherhood society likes to ignore to a certain extent. It isn’t all rainbows and daisies, sometimes it can trigger hormonal responses, and of course there are just some people who shouldn’t be mothers or parents at all. It’s a kaleidoscope of human emotions and mistakes, which bounce of each other to deliver a captivating read.

Buy Girls Who Lie at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books, pub date 22 July 2021 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.