Body Care Product Review: LIVING NATURE FIRMING EYE CREAM

About the Product:

Firm and smooth delicate skin around the eye and minimise the effects of ageing with Living Nature's light Firming Eye Cream. The calming and soothing effect of the Harakeke gel offers relief to tired and puffy eyes. 

The plant actives used in Living Nature can speed up the skin renewal and repair process. - Repair the damage done to your skin during the day, i.e. free radical damage, loss of moisture and UV damage. - Promote cell repair and bring fresher, younger-looking skin to the surface. 

Sorry the picture is a little blurred but it does give you an idea of what the product looks like!

I've been using this eye cream for the past few weeks - it is very light and creamy.  When I first used it it made the skin around my eyes feel quite tight, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, in fact it felt as if it was working!

The instructions say that you should use your ring finger to dab it around your eyes which I have been doing and it does absorb surprisingly quickly into my skin.  I use it night and morning after cleansing.

Does it work?  Well, I honestly haven't noticed any difference with the lines underneath my eyes but the lines at the corners do seem to be a little less noticeable.

It is available from mypure.co.uk in a 10ml tube.

Everything sold by mypure is sulfate free (sodium lauryl sulfate SLS, sodium laureth sulfate SLES, ammonium laureth sulfate ALES), paraben free & phthalate free. 

Check out their website - they have lots of offers on their goodies and it's Free Delivery to the UK.

Some New Books Published in November 2011

This is a monthly feature where I pick just a few of the many new books coming out soon.  Some are well-known authors but I've also chosen some that are not household names.


How It All Began by Penelope Lively
Published:  3 Nov 2011 - UK ….......... 5 Jan 2012 - USA

Genre:  General Fiction

When . . . Charlotte is mugged and breaks her hip, her daughter Rose cannot accompany her employer Lord Peters to Manchester, which means his niece Marion has to go instead, which means she sends a text to her lover which is intercepted by his wife, which is . . . just the beginning in the ensuing chain of life-altering events.

In this engaging, utterly absorbing and brilliantly told novel, Penelope Lively shows us how one random event can cause marriages to fracture and heal themselves, opportunities to appear and disappear, lovers who might never have met to find each other and entire lives to become irrevocably changed.

Funny, humane, touching, sly and sympathetic, HOW IT ALL BEGAN is a brilliant sleight of hand from an author at the top of her game.

Penelope Lively, CBE, was born in Cairo, Egypt and came to England at age 12 in 1945.  She studied Modern History at Oxford …. has two children and six grandchildren and now lives in London.  Her books have been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize, winning once for Moon Tiger in 1987.

For more on Penelope Lively see her website. 
Click here to see what Samantha Cox at bookgeeks thought of this book.
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The Sisters by Nancy Jensen
Published:  8 Nov 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  General Fiction

In the tradition of Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, a dazzling debut novel about the family bonds that remain even when they seem irretrievably torn apart

Growing up in hardscrabble Kentucky in the 1920s, with their mother dead and their stepfather an ever-present threat, Bertie Fisher and her older sister Mabel have no one but each other - with perhaps a sweetheart for Bertie waiting in the wings. But on the day that Bertie receives her eighth-grade diploma, good intentions go terribly wrong, setting off a chain of misunderstandings that will send the sisters on separate paths and reverberate through their daughters' and granddaughters' lives.

What happens when nothing turns out as you planned? From the Depression through World War II and Vietnam, and smaller events both tragic and joyful. Bertie and Mabel forge unexpected identities and raise daughters - and sisters - of their own, learning that love and betrayal are even more complicated than they seem. Gorgeously written, with extraordinary insight and emotional truth, Nancy Jensen's debut novel illuminates the far-reaching power of family and family secrets.

Nancy Jensen is a Goodreads author and there are several reviews of this novel there.

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The Real Katie Lavender by Erica James
Published:  10 Nov 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Romance

At 30, Katie Lavender thinks she is better than most when it comes to dealing with life's surprises. But when she gets a request to visit a solicitor, she's not expecting the dramatic turn her life is about to take. There, she receives a letter from her deceased mother that literally changes everything she ever knew about herself...

Sounds intriguing.....

Erica James is the author of several bestselling novels. Born Erica Sullivan, she grew up on Hayling Island in Hampshire, England and lives now with her two sons in Cheshire. She began writing after attending a creative writing course at the Arvon Foundation. For her novel Gardens of Delight she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association in 2006.

To find out more about Erica James her lovely website is here.

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Brodmaw Bay by FG Cottam
Published:  10 Nov 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Horror

It's the perfect seaside village - no crime, no Londoners ...When things start to go badly wrong for James Greer in London, Brodmaw Bay seems to be calling him and his family. There's a perfect house, excellent schools - and welcoming neighbours who assure the Greers that they'd be delighted to have some new blood in the Bay. But perhaps the village isn't so much welcoming them as luring them. To something ancient and evil....

FG Cottam has had several horror books published by Hodder -- his last novel was The Waiting Room which I have reviewed here. 

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Home for Christmas by Cally Taylor
Published:  10 Nov 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Popular Fiction

Beth Prince has always loved fairytales and now, aged twenty-four, she feels like she's finally on the verge of her own happily ever after. She lives by the seaside, works in the Picturebox - a charming but rundown independent cinema - and has a boyfriend who's so debonair and charming she can't believe her luck!
There's just one problem - none of her boyfriends have ever told her they love her and it doesn't look like Aiden's going to say it any time soon. Desperate to hear I love you' for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and instantly wishes she hadn't.
Just when it seems like her luck can't get any worse, bad news arrives in the devilishly handsome shape of Matt Jones. Matt is the regional director of a multiplex cinema and he's determined to get his hands on the Picturebox by Christmas. Can Beth keep her job, her man and her home or is her romantic-comedy life about to turn into a disaster movie?
A sparkling seasonal tale of finding true love at Christmas.

Aawww I love this cover! It makes me feel all warm and Christmassy.......

Cally Taylor’s novel Heaven Can Wait was published by Orion in October 2009. It scooped the 'Debut Novel of the Year' and 'Novel of the Year' prizes at chicklitreviews.com, was awarded chicklitclub.com's first ever 10/10 review and has been translated into thirteen languages.

For more information on Cally Taylor her website is here.

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The Alloy of Law (The 4th book in the Mistborn series) by Brandon Sanderson
Published:  10 Nov 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Fantasy

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history - or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

The Mistborn series is a trilogy of high fantasy novels.  Published by Tor Fantasy between 2006 and 2008, the series currently consists of Mistborn: The Final Empire, Mistborn: The Well of Ascension, and Mistborn: The Hero of Ages.
The Alloy of Law is a stand-alone short novel which takes place about 300 years after Mistborn: The Hero of Ages.

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No Holds Barred (Daniel Whelan, Book 2) by Lyndon Stacey
Published:  24 Nov 2011 - UK …...... 1 Mar 2012 - USA
Genre:  Mystery

When ex-police dog handler Daniel Whelan is asked by his former boss to help a friend who is struggling to run her husband's haulage company while he is recovering from a vicious attack, he and his German shepherd, Taz, rapidly find themselves attracting the wrong sort of attention. Daniel investigates, and soon finds evidence of some very nasty business indeed - but after several violent warnings, he begins to wonder . . . has he bitten off more than he can chew?

This is unusual - an ex-police dog handler (with Taz the dog) who investigates mysteries!

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Bloodstone (Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan, Book 11) by Paul Doherty
Published:  24 Nov 2011 - UK …........ 1 Mar 2012 - USA
Genre:  Historical Mystery

December, 1380.
When the corpse of Sir Robert Kilverby is discovered in a locked room, Brother Athelstan accompanies the King's coroner to investigate. For Sir Robert had in his possession a priceless relic, a sacred bloodstone, which has now disappeared. Did Sir Robert die of natural causes or was he murdered? Athelstan is sceptical of rumours of a curse hanging over Sir Robert, but when it is discovered that a second old soldier has been gruesomely slain on the same night, the rumours no longer seem so far-fetched . . .

Paul C. Doherty has published a series of historical mysteries set in the Middle Ages, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. He writes both fiction and non-fiction under his own name, both as P.C. Doherty and Paul C. Doherty, as well as the pennames: Anna Apostolou, Michael Clynes, Ann Dukthas, C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, and Vanessa Alexander. Doherty is the author of several mystery series, including The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan, the Hugh Corbett medieval mysteries, the Canterbury Tales of mystery and murder.

He is also the Headmaster of Trinity Catholic High School in the UK.
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Deception (Harry Tate, Book 3) by Adrian Magson
Published:  24 Nov 2011 - UK …... 1 Mar 2012 - USA
Genre:  Thriller

Former MI5 officer Harry Tate's skill at tracking down runaways is second to none - and the Security Services need his help. When MI6 ask him to trace Vanessa Tan, a lieutenant with the Royal Logistics Corps who failed to report for her return flight to Afghanistan, Harry instinctively feels it's a mission to avoid. But when he learns of the involvement of his former boss, Henry Paulton - the man who tried to have him killed - he agrees to take the job, and events soon take an unexpected turn . . .

ADRIAN MAGSON began writing short fiction and features for women’s magazines, contributing over the years to publications in the UK, US, Scandinavia, Japan and Australia. As well as writing comedy material and stories for BBC radio, he also turned to writing crime thrillers, and was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award. Since then he has gone on to have several crime thrillers published. 
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Just Another Day by Patricia Fawcett
Published:  30 Nov 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

Returning to her roots and discovering that her childhood home in Devon is up for sale, Frankie buys it on impulse but is moving back a mistake?
Will living here again help her to come to terms with something that has haunted her for years? Will she be able to rid herself of the guilt she feels following the accident to her brother James, an accident for which she feels responsible.
Meeting up with an old girlfriend Izzy brings things to a head for Izzy was present that day and knows the truth and it is Izzy and Gareth, the new man in her life, who help Frankie to find her way to forgive herself at last and move on.

Patricia Fawcett was born in Preston, Lancashire and has been writing for over 30 years.
For more information see her website. 


  If I see any reviews of these books I will add them

Book Review: THE COLOUR OF DEATH BY MICHAEL CORDY

Genre:  Thriller

Published:  Transworld  (Aug 2011)
Pages:  381  (Paperback)
Source:  Part of the Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge
My Rating:  7/10

About the Book:

In a residential neighbourhood of Portland, Oregon, an unknown young woman uncovers a shocking crime scene by inexplicably sensing the evil within its walls. To the police, she is a mystery. She can’t even tell them her own name. They christen her Jane Doe.

Suffering terrifying hallucinations, Jane is assigned to Nathan Fox, a forensic psychiatrist struggling with his own demons. Together they must piece together the jigsaw that is Jane’s identity.Then a sequence of brutal killings terrorizes the city and Fox learns Jane is the only cryptic link between the unrelated victims. To solve the murders, Fox must discard his black and white preconceptions, look beyond the spectrum of normal human experience and confront the dark truth of her past…and his own. 


This is my 3rd read of 4 books in the Transworld Book Reading Challenge.


I was really engrossed in this book at the start as we first meet Nathan Fox as a young boy when his mother, father and young sister are brutally murdered during a gas station robbery ...... but Nathan can't remember anything about the traumatic incident or why his life was spared.


The story then moves 19 years to the present day as Nathan is now a psychiatrist helping people though he can't help himself with his loss of memory.  He is detached and has learned to distance himself from pain and loss.


He is then entrusted to a young woman who has total memory loss and, because Nathan is the right colour of indigo, she trusts him and no-one else.  I found this side of the story very intriguing as both the woman and Nathan shared a special kind of sense.....Nathan could feel someone else's pain and Jane Doe had other senses as well, which are slowly revealed and which could be the reason for her memory loss. 

The story becomes even more intriguing when a series of murders occurs and Jane's picture is found with the victims and she is persuaded to use her other senses to help identify the killer .....the police are sceptical...... but Nathan believes in her.

I liked Nathan and so did Jane who thought he was a hard man to get to know well even if you were a friend, though she doesn't find him aloof or cold, he was too compassionate.  I liked their developing relationship, it seemed real and natural.

Up to this point in the book I was getting involved with the characters and enjoying the storyline but when it moved on to a cult who lived deep in the woods and who's charismatic leader has three beautiful devoted wives I'm afraid my interest started to wane a little.

It was still quite gripping but it wasn't the same book for me and I found myself not rushing to finish it to find out what was going to happen. 

The other books I have read for this Challenge are --

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

and

The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas

My next (and final) read will be 

The Water Room by Christopher Fowler

Book Review: BABY BE MINE BY PAIGE TOON

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Published:  Simon & Schuster  (July 2011)
Pages:  439  (Paperback)

Source:  Publishers
My Rating:  9/10

About the Book:

'He's not mine, is he?' That's the question I fear the most. You see, I have a secret. My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but by one of the most famous rock stars that ever lived. And he doesn't even know it. 
One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their son Barney. 
But they're living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out - because as Barney reaches his first birthday, Meg can no longer deny that her son is growing to look more and more like his rock star father every day, and less and less like Christian, and sooner or later, the world is going to realise ...

This is the follow-up to Johnny Be Good which was published in 2008 so it's been a long anxious wait to find out what happened to Meg and Johnny.  I haven't read that book but I wish I had -- I don't think I needed to read it but, after finishing this, I wanted to read it, if only to know more about their relationship before this sequel.

I loved the writing style, it was not over-dramatic or soppy, it had just the right amount of tenderness and fun and sadness all wrapped up in the story.  

At the beginning of the story Meg was full of guilt and lived in constant fear of everyone (particularly the lovely and patient Christian) finding out, but when Johnny finds out early on that he is Barney's father he reacts in a totally different way to what everyone expects from a man 'with the attention span of a gnat'.

'Okay,' I say, because I don't want to hurt him (Christian) anymore.  But this is going to be complicated.  Johnny is aware of Barney's existence now.  I can't imagine how this is going to pan out, but there's one thing I'm certain of: there's more hearbreak to come.

Meg's roller coaster of emotions really moved me as she tried to come to terms with her guilt over Christian, her feelings about Johnny, and above all her love for her little boy which really shone through and was incredibly touching at times.  

While I didn't laugh or cry (as the blurb suggested) there were some funny moments and I did feel for Meg, I really wanted her to be happy and I was never sure how it was going to go, it kept me on tenterhooks until the very end.


I thought this was an engrossing story, great storyline, interesting characters, that will keep you reading because you just want to find out what happens!  And you can't ask for anything more in a book can you?

Special Thank You to the publishers for sending me this book to review.

Paige Toon's author page on Simon & Schuster is here.

 

Body Care Product Review: A'KIN ANTI-OXIDANT DAY CREME

About the Product:

A'kin Rose de Mai, Anti-oxidant Day Time Face Cream is a rapidly absorbed anti-oxidant rich formula with the ultimate combination of active ingredients including vitamins A, B5, C, E, alpha lipoic acid and vipers bugloss oil (omega 3, 6 & 9 essential fatty acids) all encapsulated in a 12-hour time-release system. Helps fight wrinkles and increase skin suppleness and elasticity. Perfect as a makeup base.

This is the most gorgeous rich and creamy face cream.  It is so easy to apply, quickly absorbing into my skin and has a lovely flowery scent which is not too overpowering.

I use it every morning after cleansing -- my skin can get greasy during the day but I have had no problems when I use this Cream -- it keeps my skin fresh and non-greasy all day.  I really love it!

I also use the A'kin Lavender and Rose Moisturising Night Cream -- which I love as well!  -- my review of that is here

It is available from the Mypure website in a 50ml pot.

All A’kin products are free from sulfates, ethoxylates, parabens, propylene glycol, petrochemical cleansers, silicones, phthalates, mineral oils, DEA and artificial colours.  The A’kin skin care range was launched in 2002 in Australia and brought to the UK for the first time by mypure in 2004.
They are ingredient-rich, vegan and use certified organic ingredients where possible, they have been formulated without animal ingredients or animal testing.

Book Review: THE DETECTIVE BRANCH BY ANDREW PEPPER

Genre:  Historical Mystery
Published:  Orion Books  (Feb 2010) 
Pages:  372  (Paperback)
Source:  BookDagger RealReaders
My Rating:  8.5/10

About the Book:

Drury Lane, 1844. A robbery has been committed at a pawnbroker's, leaving three people dead. The man called in to investigate is Pyke, head of the Metropolitan Police's newly formed Detective Branch at Scotland Yard.
Pyke must find the culprit and quickly, especially as the identity of one of the victims threatens to expose his own criminal past. 
A valuable religious artefact appears to have motivated the robbery but when the main suspect commits suicide in police custody, the investigation falters. Then the rector of a wealthy parish is brutally murdered and Pyke spots a connection. His suspicions lead him to a dissolute former Catholic priest, rumours of devil worship, and an old case that no one wants him to investigate.
With time running out and the murderer threatening to kill again, Pyke must face up to forces within the police and the church who would prefer the secrets of the past to remain buried forever.
Pyke joins the newly formed Detective Bureau of the Metropolitan police in a tale of corruption and murder.

This is the 4th book in the Victorian mystery series featuring Detective Pyke.  I haven't read any of the first three so I can't compare this with the earlier ones.

Pyke had a chequered past, he had been convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, only to escape and earn a full pardon, he had also served some time in the debtors prison.

He was certainly no goody goody but he was a good policeman and "as he looked down at the bodies.....it was his job to remain detached, to see things as they were, but it was hard work to look at the crime scene and not feel a twinge of excitement.  An abomination had been perpetrated and it was his job to find the man or men responsible.
At bottom, it was why he'd agreed to join the police force; because he loved the thrill of the chase."

He had a strained relationship with his 14 year old son, a strained relationship with his superiors and an equally strained relationship with his peers in the Detective Branch.  All in all, he's not very good with people.

What started off as a routine robbery/murder soon turned into a complicated story of a stolen church artefact, a man accused of murdering a child, past murders that may or may not be related to this murder investigation and other surprising turn of events.

This was a better than average mystery which seemed slow at the beginning, there were a lot of characters to remember but once the story had developed I became thoroughly engrossed and had no idea which way it was going to go.

Special Thanks to BookDagger RealReaders for sending it to me.

About the Author:


Andrew Pepper is a lecturer in American Writing and Contemporary Crime Fiction at Queen's University, Belfast. His first novel, THE LAST DAYS OF NEWGATE, was shortlisted for the CWA NEW BLOOD AWARD. He lives in Belfast with his partner and children.

SOME NEW BOOKS COMING OUT IN OCTOBER

This is a monthly feature where I pick out just a few of the hundreds of new books coming out soon.

If I see a review of one of them I'll put a link to it.

Unsaid by Neil Abramson
Published:  6 Oct 2011 - UK ….. 4 Aug 2011 - USA
Genre:  General Fiction

UNSAID is told from the perspective of Helena Colden, a veterinarian who has just died of breast cancer. Helena is forced to witness the rapid emotional deterioration of her husband David. With Helena's passing, David, a successful Manhattan attorney, loses the only connection that made his life full. He tries to carry on the life that Helena had created for them, but he is too grief-stricken, too angry, and too quickly reabsorbed into the demands of his career.
Helena's animals likewise struggle with the loss of their understanding and compassionate human companion.
Because of Helena, David becomes involved in a court case to save the life of a chimpanzee that may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of animals consciousness.
Through this case all the threads of Helena's life entwine and explode - unexpectedly, painfully, beautifully.

There are lots of mixed reviews on Goodreads for this book, many are 5 stars.
Beautiful colours on the cover.

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Awakenings by Edward Lazellari
Published:  17 Oct 2011 - UK …... 30 Aug 2011 - USA
Genre:  Fantasy

Cal MacDonnell is a happily married New York City cop with a loving family. Seth Raincrest is a washed-up photographer who has alienated even his closest friends. The two have nothing in common - except that they both suffer from retrograde amnesia. It's as if they just appeared out of thin air thirteen years ago, and nothing has been able to restore their memories. Now their forgotten past has caught up to them with a vengeance.

Cal's and Seth's lives are turned upside down as they are stalked by otherworldly beings who know about the men's past lives. But these creatures aren't here to help; they're intent on killing anyone who gets in their way. In the balance hangs the life of a child who might someday restore a broken empire to peace and prosperity. With no clue why they're being hunted, Cal and Seth must accept the aid of a strange and beautiful woman who has promised to unlock their secrets. The two must stay alive long enough to protect their loved ones, recover their true selves - and save two worlds from tyranny and destruction.

“Lazellari’s debut fantasy foretells a promising career. Read Awakenings and get in on the ground floor with a great new writer.”
--Glen Cook, author of The Black Company series

"Edward Lazellari is a talent to watch with high expectations."
-- Ben Bova, six-time Hugo Award Winner

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The Faithless by Martina Cole
Published:  18 Oct 2011 - UK
Genre:  Mystery

Gabby looked at the woman she had hated nearly all her life. Then she sat down on the ladder-backed chair, put her face into her bloodied hands and cried. 
To the outside world, Cynthia Tailor is a woman to envy; she has a devoted husband, a lovely home and two gorgeous children. But Cynthia is deeply unhappy with her lot; she has always craved the best things in life, and is determined to see that she gets them. Cynthia will let nothing stand in her way, even if it means devastation and tragedy for those nearest to her. And the casualties are many: her husband Jimmy, weak and unable fight the wife he can never please; her sister Celeste, from whom Cynthia steals her most precious possession; and her parents, Mary and Jack, who pick up the pieces. 
But the victims who suffer the most are Cynthia's children. For James Junior and Gabby, the pain she causes will stay with them for ever...

Martina Cole is a British crime writer and most of her stories are about London’s gangster underworld.  She has sold over 10 million copies of her books in the UK alone.  Most of her novels feature a female protagonist or antihero.

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As The Pig Turns (Agatha Raisin, Book 22) by MC Beaton

Published:  20 Oct 2011 - UK …..... 11 Oct 2011 - USA
Genre:  Mystery

The picturesque Cotwsold village of Winter Parva has decided to warm the winter months after the holidays by roasting a pig in the town square. Agatha, always one for a good roasting, has arrived with her former protegée and current rival in the private detection racket, Toni, to enjoy the merriment. But as the rotary spit is placed over a bed of fiery charcoals and the pig is carried toward its final resting place, Agatha realizes that things are not as they seem....

'Stop!' she screams suddenly.

The "pig," in fact, is Gary Beech, a policeman not exactly beloved by the good people of the village. Although Agatha has every intention of leaving matters to the police, everything changes when Gary's ex-wife hires Toni to investigate. With that provocation, how could any sleuth as obviously vain and competitive (and secretly insecure) as Agatha could do anything other than solve the case herself?

I really should get round to reading one of these books, as they sound like just the type of cosy mysteries I enjoy.  Agatha Raisin’s website can be found here.
MC Beaton is also well known as the author of the Hamish Macbeth mystery series set in the Highlands.
A full list of all her books can be found at fantasticfiction.co.uk 
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Dragon’s Field by Elizabeth Gill
Published:  22 Oct 2011 - UK ….... 1 Feb 2012 - USA
Genre:  Saga

1909, Northumberland. When Shona Hardy’s worst fears come true and her fisherman husband James’ boat is lost at sea, she finds herself alone in a village where she has always been an outsider.
But little does she know that, a world away, wealthy bank manager Harry Darling has never forgotten the horror of his impoverished childhood, nor the kindness of a young girl, Shona Hardy.
So when a man slips and dies outside his bank, and Harry recognizes him as Tam, Shona’s estranged father, his past and present collide, altering his - and Shona’s - lives forever . . .  

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The Thread by Victoria Hislop
Published:  27 Oct 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Romance

Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a devastating fire sweeps through the thriving Greek city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five years later, Katerina Sarafoglou's home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she flees across the sea to an unknown destination in Greece. Soon her life will become entwined with Dimitri's, and with the story of the city itself, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people.

Thessaloniki, 2007. A young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents' life story for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of the people who were forced to leave. Should he become their next custodian and make this city his home?

Victoria Hislop’s debut novel set in Greece, The Island, (which I’ve read and enjoyed) was a No.1 bestseller in the UK.  “To Nisi” the 26 part adaptation of the novel is the most successful series in the history of Greek television, watched by some two-thirds of the population!

Her website can be found here.
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666 Charing Cross Road by Paul Magrs
Published:  27 Oct 2011 - UK & USA
Genre:  Horror/Quirky Urban Fantasy

From olde London Town to the juicy heart of the Big Apple, something is waiting to bite In a Manhattan gallery, a strange, undead woman, who's been lost for centuries, is found in a basement and becomes the centrepiece of Shelley's new museum show. Nicknamed Bessie, the Scottish Bride, she becomes an overnight celebrity as Christmas approaches. 
From the dusty vaults beneath the famed bookshops in Charing Cross Road, Shelley's bibliophile aunt Liza receives crumbling volumes by post, while her friend Jack prefers brand-new books and his brand-new lover. 
When a small leather-bound book of spells arrives, Liza finds it repellent. But its arcane magic brings Bessie to life, and enthrals Shelley's posh boyfriend Daniel - literally. It contains the quintessence of evil in the form of a dark bloodstain marking several pages: vampire blood. 
As Daniel's power grows, everyone's lives are infected. Soon the vicious vampire infestation rife in NYC threatens to spread to London - and only the Scottish Bride and her new friends can stop it... 

I have had Paul Magrs Hell’s Belles on my bookshelf for ages, I’ve heard great reviews about it but, for some reason, I’ve just never got round to reading it.
The huge list of his books can be seen at FantasticFiction.co.uk 

** If you would like to win a copy of this book (and you're in the UK) head on over to BookChickCity where you'll find a review and a chance to win 1 of 4 copies!

Ends 31 October 2011 -- Good Luck!  **