Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

Madeline Whittier is 17 years old and she does not go outside her home because she has Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, basically she is allergic to the world. However, new neighbours move into the house next door and Madeline spots a teenage boy called Olly. Follow Madeline as she looks out of her window and dreams of a life outside.

Everything, Everything is a debut novel but you would never guess it because her writing is of such high quality and polished. I loved the format of this book, first person with a linear time scale. Madeline wonderfully describes her life to the reader so that we know what it is like to be trapped in her home and to fear the big, dangerous outside world. The story is so engaging and although told from a female perspective, blokes can so easily relate to it.

There is a lot of romance here but it is not slushy or off-putting. The romance is soft and tender, drawing the reader in with hope. You can only wish for things to turn for the better with Madeline.

I loved the philosophy weaved into this story. The dialogue shared with the reader leads to some wonderful quotes to take away with you…

“Everything’s a risk. Not doing anything is a risk. It’s up to you.”

“It’s not your fault. Life is a gift. Don’t forget to live it.”

“You’re not living if you’re not regretting.”

...I thoroughly enjoyed reading Everything, Everything. Many people are finding it a challenge staying at home during the Coronavirus pandemic which makes this book extremely easy to relate to. I just wish that Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales would read this book and reconsider his decision to keep Wales stuck at home, lagging and trapped behind the rest of the UK, as most of Great Britain eases out of lockdown. Although this book is set in California, readers in lockdown around the globe can relate so easily to Madeline’s entrapment.

Everything, Everything is basically a love story but with a lot more thrown in. It is a TOP CLASS read with a happy ending that gets 5 stars from me.

Everything, Everything was written in 2015 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Signal Failure by David Wailing.

Follow Emily as she catches the Night Tube home at 03:47 westbound along the Piccadilly Line. The London Underground is a reliable form of public transport, what could possibly go wrong? Her train has stopped between stations, far below the night time streets. Then the doubts set in and Emily has to decide to stay in her seat or do something.

I thought this book was BRILLIANT. David creates an intense atmosphere through his very descriptive high quality writing. There is so much tension as David gives you the feel of being a Transport for London passenger. This tale is creepy and builds on the fear that can grasp any passenger without notice on the London Underground. Signal Failure is highly charged and the horror exposed is an exciting read. David really taps into the buzz and feel of the London Underground. He plays on the fears of what lurks behind the walls of the mysterious ghost stations.

Signal Failure was simply a joy to read. It is only 37 pages long but although it is short, it is VERY GOOD. This is great for seasoned readers and ideal as a gateway book for newbie readers. Enjoy this 5 star book which should appeal to everyone, not just Londoners or transport enthusiasts. Oh, and the brilliant ending just hangs with you. Think about that when you spot pedestrians waiting to cross the road at junctions. London can be quite anonymous and now you know why. 

Signal Failure is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2016.

A Rhondda Miscellany by Glyndwr Edwards.

This is a strange little book of just 109 pages, mostly containing only very old black and white photographs. Glyndwr Edwards has produced a very personal photo-book featuring old family members, their stories and very brief descriptions of the history and locations around Rhondda in South Wales.

This book is very much like a family photo album that has suddenly been thrown into the public domain. Remember how years ago families would have printed photographs and on the back of each photo, notes would be handwritten, name, location and date. This is how this book feels to anyone who has not met Glyndwr or his family.

On Goodreads, Glyndwr has written a wonderful blurb for this book. However, the writing in his book is of a far lower quality. The text reads more like a notebook to jog the author’s memory. The details of the locations and people are very brief. There is no structure to this book and it lacks depth. It is not an entertaining read, the presentation is POOR and I do not feel that Glyndwr could hack it as a tour guide. Forget the likes of Brendan Sheerin, the exceptional presenter of Coach Trip on Channel 4 television, Glyndwr is more like the boring old bloke sat on a park bench who tries to catch the attention of passers-by. Glyndwr claims that the explosion at Glynfach Colliery in 1856 with 114 dead, was the worst mining disaster in Britain. However, a quick buzz on the internet shows that the worst mining disaster in Britain was at Senghenydd Colliery in 1913 when 439 miners were killed. For a local man, Glyndwr should be aware of both tragedies as Glynfach is only 13 miles away from Senghenydd across the River Taff.

A Rhondda Miscellany mentions riots in Merthyr Tydfil 1802, Tredegar 1816, Nantyglo 1822 - the Bread and Blood Riots, Merthyr in 1831 and the Tonypandy riots 1910 to 1911 which makes this listing very much like a flyer for Farmfoods, choose any 3 for £5, mix and match for £10 and £2 off if you spend £25.

A Rhondda Miscellany is an example of vanity publishing. It is very light reading and is a coffee table book. This is not a book for readers but for people who want to glance at something. It is a disposable distraction just like the free Aldi shopping magazine. Thankfully I picked up a free copy shortly after it was published and am very glad I did not waste my money on this 1 star novelty.

A Rhondda Miscellany was written in 2015 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Left For Dead by Caroline Mitchell.

This is the third book in the DI Amy Winter series but it can be read as a stand-alone. It is set around London and Essex. DI Amy Winter stumbles across a stunning shop window display featuring a very lifelike mannequin. Then Amy spots blood dripping from it’s mouth. Get ready for another British crime thriller from Caroline Mitchell.

I thought Left For Dead got off to a very exciting start as the posing of the victim was unusual. I liked how there were chapters devoted to the point of view of the bad guy. The moods the bad guy shared with the reader were creepy and very dark. I still can’t get that song out of my head, Push the Button by the Sugababes.

I liked once again how Caroline captured the cultures within the police service, the interview techniques they use and the regulations they must consider like RIPA - Regulation of Investigatory Powers. Once again mention was made of Amy’s pet, Dotty the Pug. 

Sadly Left For Dead follows the format of the second DI Amy Winter book, The Secret Child by switching backwards and forwards in time, letting the reader know a lot more than DI Amy Winter and her team. Yet again the story is bulked out by the appeal of Amy’s birth mother Lillian Grimes. This drags the story down and makes it become a soap opera. I found Left For Dead not as good as her previous books and simply a run of the mill crime drama. From an amazing start Left For Dead became an OKAY read, which I did not enjoy as much as her other books, so it gets a middle score of 3 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

Left For Dead is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2020.

Stranger In The Lake by Kimberly Belle.

Charlotte Keller finds a stranger in the lake, literally. The victim is floating under the dock at the rear of her home alongside Lake Crosby, North Carolina. How did the body get there and why?

I really enjoyed reading this mystery. Unlike other crime thrillers where the focus is generally from the Police point of view, this novel is mostly from the point of view of the person who found the body. I loved the characterisation of Charlotte, a young woman who came from a grubby trailer park on the ugly side of the lake. Charlotte fell in love and married a wealthy widower called Paul and moved into his luxury home alongside Lake Crosby. Only Paul and all the other characters in this mystery are very economical with the truth. Can Charlotte get to the bottom of the mystery of the stranger she found in the lake.

This story asks how much do you know and can trust your partner? Although the questions and doubts come from Charlotte’s point of view, this story will appeal to both genders and it does not matter whether you are in a hetrosexual or same sex relationship.

Finding a body and questioning people’s openness does not make this a grim read. There is some light humour in this tale, for example…

Micah managed one last glare in Jax’s direction before selecting one from the pile. “Please tell me you don’t really listen to this shit. Where’s the Zeppelin? The Skynyrd and Steve Miller? This is some girlie-ass music you got here, dude. Who the hell is Coldplay?”

...Yes, quite right Kimberly. I can’t stand their music either and my worst memory is the tremendous traffic jam they generated when they played at the Principality Stadium, here in Cardiff, UK. Kimberly writes her novel in American English and includes words I am unfamiliar with like hooptie, kook and schlep. British readers will engage and enjoy her book because Kimberly weaves such a depth of atmosphere into her story you can imagine you are there. For example…

We step onto the deck, and the gazes sweep over me and Paul with a disapproving thud. This is Wrangler jeans and baseball-cap kind of crowd, and Paul’s brand of designer casual might as well be a three-piece suit. I scan the row of faces pointed our way, and I recognize every single one. Nobody smiles. Nobody says hi. “Tough crowd,” Paul mutters.

I step to the window and Buddy doesn’t smile, but then again, Buddy never smiles. He lifts a chin in greeting, wiping a hand down his grubby apron. “What do you want?”

“Two heavyweights all the way with strings. Two Cokes.”

He doesn’t have a menu, and only a regular customer would know the lingo for their most popular sandwich, chopped brisket topped with everything but the kitchen sink. The strings are code for french fries.

… I liked how all the characters raised doubts with the reader, each and everyone had motive and opportunity. I think Stranger in the Lake would make a great television drama. I loved this book and think it has international appeal as you can so easily put yourself alongside Lake Crosby. There is a lot of suspense in this novel and as you progress through the chapters, you wonder if Charlotte is safe or if she will become another victim of Lake Crosby. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stranger in the Lake and consider it to be an OUTSTANDING 5 star read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher HQ Digital for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

Stranger in the Lake was written in 2020 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Little Whispers by K. L. Slater.

Janey Markham, her husband Isaac and their son Rowan move a short distance south from their home in Mansfield to a bigger and better house in West Bridgford, just south of the River Trent in Nottingham. Everything is going fine in their new home but then little whispers are spoken and nagging doubts surface.

Little Whispers is the eleventh novel from K. L. Slater but I have not read any of her books before. I believe that each of her books are psychological thrillers and they are all stand-alones. Very early on in Little Whispers the alarm bells are ringing that something is not right. Janey is excited about her new upmarket home but the reader is straight away on guard about her husband Isaac. Slowly Janey develops doubts about everyone in her new social circle plus frustration about the lack of free time Isaac’s new job gives him.

It made me chuckle when I read…

‘It’s just for the first week or so,’ he explains yet again before heading for the shower while I’m still fighting the grogginess of being woken by the evil 5.45 alarm he insists on setting each night before turning his bedside lamp off.

...Oh yes Janey, my wife Gail would love the alarm to go off at 05:45 rather than 02:30 when I am on an early duty! Later on Janey complains when Isaac gets back at 7pm which she considers late! Shift workers will shake their heads in disbelief.

I liked how Little Whispers was told from Janey’s point of view. The writing is of such good quality that men will have no trouble stepping into Janey’s shoes. Whilst Janey is rather trusting of everyone, the reader will have their doubts which makes this such a good psychological thriller. It is not just Janey who feels the tension but the reader too. What a shock both Janey and I got at the swimming pool.

I found the character development very good with each of the school gate mums very different yet extremely interesting. I enjoyed the dynamics and loved the dialogue between the school gate mums and how sharp they can be, especially the trip to the bistro for a coffee.

I found the inclusion of clothes, fashion and shopping amusing and entertaining - clothes that match, oh women - they can be so funny!

I liked the format of this book with it’s short chapters and linear time scale. I liked how this was a very British tale which explored class, cliques and snobbery. None of the characters ventured into Primark although mention was made!

I thought the plot was good and loved how doubts for the reader were thrown our way on every single short chapter. I am impressed and think Little Whispers is an OUTSTANDING read that gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bookouture for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

Little Whispers is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2020.