SOME NEW BOOKS COMING OUT SOON

A selection of new books published in April 2011
I've just picked out a few of the hundreds of new books coming out

The Fifth Witness (Mickey Haller, Book 4) by Michael Connelly
Published:  5 April - USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand
14 April - UK & Ireland
 It will also be released as an eBook, Audiobook and large print format.

Mickey Haller has fallen on hard times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.
Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too - and he's certain he's on the right trail.


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Hanging Hill by Mo Hayder
Published:  14 April 2011 by Bantam Press


Imagine finding yourself divorced and penniless. No skills and a teenage daughter to support. How would you survive? What would you be prepared to do? These are questions Sally Benedict has never really thought about, until her marriage to a successful business man fails. Her sister, Zoe, couldn't be more different from dreamy Sally. A detective inspector in the city of Bath, she loves her job, and oozes self-confidence in spite of a secret she struggles to keep secret. The two women haven't seen each other for almost twenty years. But the horrific murder of a teenage girl in the city is about to change all that. The sisters are dragged together by a sequence of events neither of them could have predicted - forcing them into a criminal world of extreme pornography and illegal drugs. Increasingly they find themselves confronting situations they'd never expected to face. And coming up with solutions they'd never dreamed possible. Until one of the sisters does something so horrific and desperate that there's no way back.......


For more info on Mo Hayder see here


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Moving On by Anna Jacobs
Published:  28 April 2011 - UK
1 Aug 2011 - USA & Canada

Molly Peel has been downtrodden for years, but everyone has their sticking point. At her daughter’s wedding she’s sidelined in favour of her ex-husband’s new wife. When an accident puts her in hospital no one visits her. Her son, who lives with her, isn’t paying his share of expenses. It’s time to move on and make a better life for herself, painful as that may be.

Molly leaves London, looking for a job, and finds far more than she’d bargained for, including a new chance of love - if she can pluck up the courage to seize the moment. But her ex intends to buy her old family home at a knock-down price and is an expert at dirty tricks to prevent her selling it. Will she find the strength to resist him this time and keep moving on? Or will his emotional blackmail pay off?

For more info on Anna Jacobs see here

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The Redeemed (3rd in the Jenny Cooper series)

Published: 1 April 2011 - UK

3 May 2011 - USA

A man's body is discovered in a church yard, the sign of the cross carved into his abdomen. Later he is found to be Alan Jacobs, a troubled psychiatric nurse. It seems to Jenny Cooper, Severn Vale District Coroner, this is likely to be an open and shut suicide case, but something tells her to probe a little deeper ...Then an enigmatic young priest, Father Lucas Starr, entreats Jenny to hold an inquest into the death of reformed porn actress, Eva Donaldson. Jenny's investigations will lead her to a powerful new religious group The Mission Church of God; and when it later emerges that Jacobs was also a member of the church, Jenny realises that more could link the deaths of these victims than she could have realised. Meanwhile Jenny must finally confront the demons of her past; and as her private life threatens to shatter, faces intense pressure from all angles to cease her investigations. But to Jenny Cooper, whose whole life has been governed by deception, the truth is everything...

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Goddess of Vengeance (8th in the Lucky Santangelo series)

Published: 14 April 2011 - UK

13 September - USA

Lucky Santangelo rules with her high profile casino and hotel complex – The Keys in Vegas.  Lennie, her ex-movie star husband is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her wild and gorgeous teenage daughter, is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs.
Lucky has everything.  Family.  Love.  Life.
And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her, one way or the other.
Born a Prince in the small but affluent Middle Eastern country of Akramshar, Armand comes to America with his American mother at an early age, and rises to become a real estate business titan.  Armand regards women as nothing more than breeding mares or sexual playthings, so when his people inform him that the one property he covets more than anything, The Keys, is not for sale, he is shocked.  That a mere woman would turn down his offer to buy The Keys is unthinkable, and Armand vows to force Lucky’s hand whatever it takes.
And so the battle for power begins…

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Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson
Published:  28 April 2011 - UK
14 June 2011 - USA

''As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...'

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

For more info on SJ Watson see here

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Abandon (The 1st book in the Abandon trilogy series) by Meg Cabot (YA)
Published:  26 April 2011 - UK & USA

A dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

When Pierce first sees him, she thinks he is a murderer. She's right about one thing -- he does take lives. But not in the way she ever imagined. Pierce is drawn to the dark stranger even as she tries to uncover the mystery surrounding the tragic death of someone close to her. As she gets closer to the truth -- and the stranger -- unexpected secrets are revealed, even in her own heart.

For more info on Meg Cabot see here

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Book Review: The Gallows Curse by Karen Maitland

Genre:  Historical Fiction


Published by:  Michael Joseph  (Mar 2011)


Pages:  576  (Paperback)


My Rating:  9.5 / 10

Elena is 16 years old, a naive, fragile flame-haired girl, working as a maid for Lady Anne.  She becomes pregnant and has strange dreams in which she appears to kill her new born baby.
Raffaele is a middle-aged man, steward to Lady Anne, he has carried out horrendous crimes in his past for which he can’t forgive himself, but I believe he is a good man.  And he has a soft spot for Elena.

Due to a deliberate act of well-meaning deceipt, their lives become bound forever together.

The year is 1210 -- not a good year in England -- King John has opposed the Pope in wanting his own man to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, not the man that the Pope has requested.  As a punishment the Pope has denied the people all the rites of the church; no church services, no baptisms, no last rites for the dying.

Against this backdrop of fear, as Elena is accused of murdering her baby and sentenced to hang by the evil Lord Osborn, who has now taken over Lady Anne’s house, she flees to safety but her nightmares have only just begun. The man who hunts her, Osborn, will stop at nothing to find her but Raffaele is equally determined to protect her at all costs.

I enjoyed this book enormously, the writing was pacy, descriptive and compelling.  All the characters, both good and bad, were full of life.

People were God fearing  and I was fascinated by the many superstitions the people  believed in such as spitting 3 times on their forefingers to ward off evil and laying a mistletoe twig and sprinkling salt in a newborn’s crib to prevent the faeries abducting the child.  They were terrified of their souls rotting in hell if they didn’t carry out these practices.

I could almost smell the rotting food  and raw sewage running through the middle of the tiny streets and feel the evil among the all enveloping darkness when all that could be seen was an odd chink of light coming from one of the run down houses.

This is a story full of treachery, lies, treason with a murder or two thrown in for good measure! The original plotline kept me hooked throughout all 500+ pages, the story never slowed down, I didn’t think there were any boring parts.

If you enjoy reading books like The Pillars of the Earth I’m pretty sure you will enjoy this!

Body Care Product Review: ACORELLE EAU DE PARFUM DISCOVERY SET

This pack contains 6 x 2ml sprays of Acorelle Eau de Parfums, which are

Wheat Almond
Rose
Wild Berries
Lotus Bamboo
White Orchid
Amber Vanilla

I think this is a really good idea if you want to sample the various perfumes without spending a large amount of money buying the full size bottles.  There’s a very good mix of different intoxicating scents, they are all very unique ….... my favourite is Rose, it’s sweet and light, just perfect for a spring day.

It comes in a nice sturdy presentation box and I think it would make a lovely present for a friend or a member of your family.

These are one of the world’s first certified organic fragrances, according to the mypure people.  The principles of aromatherapy underline each fragrance with delicate blends of essential oils to lift your mind & spirit.

“An elegant way of exploring the world of aromatherapy”.

As with all the products available from mypure these scents are  sulfate free, paraben free and phthalate free.

It is available for £9.99 from mypure.co.uk

Interview with Francois Lelord: Author of Hector and the Search for Happiness

I'm thrilled that author Francois Lelord has taken time out to answer a few questions for me today. Hector and the Search for Happiness is a phenomenal worldwide best-selling debut novel and his second book, Hector and the Secrets of Love has just been published in the UK by Gallic Books.

Firstly, thank you for taking time out to answer a few questions about Hector and your writing.  I wondered how you felt about the amazing success of Hector and his adventures, did you have any idea when writing that he would be so popular?

I wrote the first Hector on a impulse, this book came to me very easily, and I was really happy writing every chapter of it. I was thinking that Hector and the search for happiness will please my friend, but was too unusual to be a big success. Then I was surprised… I was thinking that I had written something very personal, but Hector seemed to have touched universal emotions among people.

Have your professional colleagues read any of the books and, if so, what was their response?
The ones I know told me they liked it, because they could recognize some part of their difficulties in Hector’s practice, and many of the ones I don’t know recommended the book to their patients.  I know about a very few who didn’t like the book, because for them, it was making fun of their profession. I am afraid that we don’t have the same sense of humour, which is okay.

Who would you say is your typical Hector reader?
If I can judge from the lectures I attended, mostly women of all ages, but my publishers told me it’s generally the case for any kind of fiction – except thrillers. But some men are my readers too, some of them very educated if I can judge from their comments. On the other hand, many young women told me that they gave the book to their boyfriends who never read usually, and they enjoyed it. So Hector is read by women, and by men who don’t read!


What was your road to becoming a published author like?
I always dreamed of writing fictions, by after early rebuffals from publishers for my two « youth » novels – they were not that good, I must confess -  I turned to professional writing, and then published some books for the general audience : about difficult personalities, self-esteem, and emotions, with some success. In fact I was supposed to write this kind of book about happiness with my usual co-author and friend, but I did not feel inspired. Some months later, Hector popped up in my mind.

Can you name 3 words that you think sum up Hector?
Kind, curious, stubborn.
I think that sums up Hector very well! Thank you again for providing such insightful answers.

My Review of Hector and the Search for Happiness is here
My Review of Hector and the Secrets of Love is here
Hector and the Search for Happiness to be made into a film starring Patrick Dempsey

Body Care Product Review: A'kin Lemon Myrtle Hand Wash

A'kin Australian Native Rainforest Botanics Lemon Myrtle Hand Wash features Australian-grown Lemon Myrtle Oil, known for its anti-bacterial properties, in a synergistic blend of softening, skin-kind cleansers and stimulating aromatherapy oils for the ultimate in hand care.

The first thing I noticed on receipt of this Hand Wash was the bottle packaging.  What a disappointment it was, I thought it looked quite cheap, not something that I would associate with A'kin products at all. I normally love the look of all their products, I think they look very classy and always look good on the bathroom shelf but this just didn't look expensive at all. (Or maybe I'm just being a snob!)


It does have a lovely lemony smell, the clear liquid is thick and it lathers reasonably well.


It doesn't dry out my hands, they do feel nice and soft afterwards and it does what it says on the label -- 'naturally gentle, fresh & pure, for all skin types'


Overall, I think it is a really good product -- just a pity about the look of it!


It is available from mypure for £9.99 for a 240ml bottle (8.1 fl. oz)


As with all the products on the mypure website, this Hand Wash is sulfate free, paraben free and phthalate free.

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Book Review: Hector and the Secrets of Love by Francois Lelord

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Published by:  Gallic Books  (January 2011)
Pages:  276  (Paperback)


My Rating:  7/10


About the Book:

What is the secret formula for love?
Hector, our intrepid psychiatrist, sets off on a new globe-trotting mission – and this time he's looking for LOVE.
One of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies has employed him to track down their brilliant scientist, Professor Cormorant, who has disappeared abroad with the secret of a modern-day love potion.
Leaving behind his troubled relationship with girlfriend Clara, Hector's adventure takes him to the Far East and into the arms of beautiful Vayla, forcing our hero to think deeply about what love really is/means.

This is the second book about the adventures of Hector, the psychiatrist, following on from Hector and the Search for Happiness which I reviewed here

The style of writing is in the same childlike manner which is so easy and quick to read that I just skipped along the short paragraphs.


Hector travels to Asia to look for his friend, the professor who has disappeared with samples of a drug for falling in love, or for staying in love when we want to. But, before he sets off his girlfriend Clara tells him that they should stop seeing each other for a while so he has to question his own feelings for her and tries to discover the secrets of love along the way.


As in the first book Hector makes notes of his discoveries, some of which include

• Love and jealousy go hand in hand

• Love is, smiling the moment you see one another

While searching, he meets a young girl who speaks no English, possibly falling in love with her, is used in one of the professor's experiments, makes new friends, meets and then loses the professor.


I like Hector, he is simple, uncomplicated, friendly and intelligent.  He easily makes friends with people no matter who they are or where they're from.


But, about half way through I started to get bored with the story, the pace was going a little too slowly for me, and there was quite a lot of information to absorb. I didn't feel that I knew the other characters very well so couldn't really empathise with them or care too much about what happened to them.


This wasn't a page turner, though it did pick up pace gradually as the plot unfolded and I liked the few twists and turns.


Overall, I didn't enjoy it as much as Hector and the Search for Happiness.


At the back of the book there is an excerpt from the next Hector book -- Hector Finds Time -- which is to be published in April 2012.


For more information see the GallicBooks website

Book Review: The House of Dust and Dreams by Brenda Reid

Genre:  Historical Fiction
Published by:  Orion Publishing  (June 2010)
Pages:  384  (Paperback)
My Rating:  9/10






THE HOUSE OF DUST AND DREAMS BY BRENDA REID


About the Book:


Greece 1936 A young British diplomat and his wife have been posted to Athens. Hugh loves the life there but his spirited and unconventional wife, Heavenly, finds it hard to fit into the whirl of endless parties and socialising. When Hugh is sent to Crete to sort out a problem, they stay in a rundown house owned by his family. Heavenly falls in love with the place and the people, and stays on when Hugh returns to his duties. As she tries to rebuild the ramshackle home, Heavenly makes firm friends with Anthi, a young woman from the village and Christos, the handsome and charismatic young builder. But the dark clouds of war are gathering and the island will become a crucible of violence and bloodshed in the days to come. For Heavenly, her friends and family, it will be the greatest test they have ever known.


First Lines:

I first saw the old Orfanoudakis house on a warm, sunlit afternoon, the only sound a lone bullfrog and the cicadas.  The village around it was sleeping.

The chapters alternated between the two women, Heavenly an English lady and Anthi a Cretan.  They met when Heavenly was first exploring the beautiful countryside, she slipped and hurt her ankle and Anthi helped her, they immediately became firm friends, and this friendship was the basis for the story.
The backdrop was the lovely island of Crete and as the years went on and the War came nearer their lives began to change in different ways.
Heavenly was no longer the shy gauche creature who moved awkwardly, she blossomed in the friendliness of the people and gradually became absorbed in village life.
As the Germans gained control in Crete, Brenda Reid didn't shirk from describing the awful situation the inhabitants of the little villages found themselves in as they fought against the enemy.
I really warmed to both Heavenly and Anthi ..... they led two very different lives ...... Heavenly was the privileged wealthy wife of an Ambassador and Anthi was the poor hard-working mother of two young daughters and wife to a cruel husband in a loveless marriage.


Wonderful descriptive writing that was easy to read, the author obviously knows a great deal about Crete and which comes through very strongly throughout the story.

Book Review: The Skinny On .... The Art of Persuasion by Jim Randel

Genre:  Self Help
Published by:  Rand Media Co.  (May 2010)
Pages:  293  (Paperback)
My Rating:  9.5/10








THE SKINNY ON THE ART OF PERSUASION BY JIM RANDEL


About the Book (taken from the back)
It's about developing the skills to move minds.  In this graphic, one-hour read you'll learn how to influence the thinking of others.  You'll learn skills to increase your persuasiveness and eventually, your success at whatever endeavour you pursue.


This is a delight to read ..... there are stick thin illustrations (as on the cover) and has lots of real life examples of how different people tried different approaches to try to persuade someone to buy their product or to listen to what they have to say. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but you realise after you've finished just how much you've learned.


Each chapter deals with the different ways people can be persuaded to do what you want them to do ..... for example one tells us we should learn to listen and watch as good listeners make good persuaders. In another we learn the difference between being persuasive and being manipulative.

Some of the chapters seem obvious, e.g. people want what they can't have and others that I'd never even considered but which, when explained so clearly and easily, are obvious to me now.


The blurb claims that it will only take an hour to read this book ........... I read it in about 1 3/4 hours but I did keep stopping to jot notes down or to think about what I'd read or just to impart some of the information to my husband ......... so I think around an hour without any distractions would be right.


This is the sort of book to keep and just dip into to jog your memory, I think it's a brilliant idea, it's so simple and effective with lots of graphics and is so clear to understand. Nowadays we get bombarded with so much information that it's sometimes too much to take in, this little book will give you just enough without overloading your brain!


This is only one of many books on The Skinny On series -- To see the full list go to theskinnyon.com

 I have these books to read and review 

Networking .....maximising the power of numbers

Time Management .... and other life challenges

Success .... why not you?

Special Thanks to Rand Media Co. for forwarding me these books to read.

Book Review: Blacklands by Belinda Bauer

Genre:  Mystery,Suspense,Crime,Psychological Thriller
Published by:  Corgi  (2009)
Pages:  348  (Paperback)
My Rating:  9/10

BLACKLANDS BY BELINDA BAUER

About the Book
A psychological thriller about the cat-and-mouse game between a boy desperately seeking the truth about this uncle's murder and the murderer himself.


Twelve year old Steven is lonely and feels unloved by his family.  His nan spends most of her days staring out of her window waiting for a son who will never come home and he knows his mother loves his little brother more than him; he rarely experiences praise and he can never do anything right in her eyes.
19 years ago his Uncle Billy (who was only 11 at the time) disappeared just 200 yards from his home and the family's anguish and suffering began and has never ended.
Every afternoon Steven goes digging on the moors convinced that if he found his Uncle Billy's body his nan would notice and love him and everyone would be pleased and Steven would feel happy.
The digging had given his life a purpose.
He then decides to write to a convicted child serial killer, Arnold Avery, who was the main suspect for Billy's disappearance, thus a chilling game of cat and mouse begins. Steven was writing to the Devil and asking for mercy.
The slow build up in suspense creates an atmosphere of tension and fear as the letters go back and forth and I felt very uncomfortable reading the serial killer's thoughts as he recalled some of the children he'd abducted.  Bauer does not, thankfully, go into too much detail here but what is left unsaid is probably more chilling.
I did feel that the prison part of the book took up too much of the story and I found myself feeling a little bored and was glad when the story returned to Steven.
The descriptions of the wild and desolate moors added to the chilling feel throughout the novel and I could almost see the mist and feel the icy wind blowing across the pages.
This is such an original plotline which I found difficult to put down.


Belinda Bauer's debut novel won the CWA Gold Dagger for the crime novel of 2010.  Her official website can be found here
Her new novel 'Darkside' is out now.

This is my 2nd book in the Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge

1st Book in The Great Transworld Crime Caper