Thorn in the Flesh: psychological thriller

Psychological thriller Thorn in the Flesh has just been republished today at Amazon with a delightful new cover, that I absolutely love!

Kate Harris, a lecturer in her late thirties, is attacked in her home and left for dead. The assault and the hate letters she starts to receive bring to light the past she longs to leave behind, a past which includes the son she chose to give away.

What happens to Kate also affects the people she counts as friends and colleagues. She has loved her best friend, Nicky, for a long time but Nicky is happily married with two young children, and Kate is determined never to damage the lives of those she cares for.

However, when she makes the decision to contact the father of her son, Kate sets in motion a series of terrifying events she has no control over. Can she save herself and those she loves from the menacing enemy who stalks them?

Thorn in the Flesh was longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Awards 2006.

Reviews:

"Thorn in the Flesh is emotionally stirring, dealing with circumstances that most of us will never understand ... Despite never having been in Kate's circumstances, the story made me think about my own life and where I am currently. I recommend the book to everyone." (Open Book Society Reviews)

"Thorn in the Flesh is a slow burning mystery woven into the ordinary lives of a close-knit group of friends. This is a great choice for readers who prefer to get to know characters well before the plot heats up. The payoff at the end is well worth the initial emotional investment!" (Long and Short Reviews)

I hope you enjoy the read!

Anne Brooke Books
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy

Happy Valentine Weekend: FREE Book Friday!

Happy Valentine Weekend to all, however you're spending your time! This week for Free Book Friday, it's the turn of quirky crime novel The Gangster's Wife which is FREE at Amazon today and tomorrow only!

When 53-year-old Elise Walker returns home after a day at the office to find her husband Gerald dead of a heart attack, she doesn’t expect a visit from the police with revelations about Gerald’s secret life. 

Soon, however, her own life takes a distinctive turn for the surreal, with missing loot, online crime and curious neighbours the least of her problems. Not to mention trying to deal with never-ending funeral arrangements and stay on top of her job. 

Thank goodness then for the support of her ever-reliable boss, Hugh. But will even he turn against her when she decides to contact Gerald’s former gang members to find out more? And what is the real significance of the note Gerald left her? Most important of all, if Elise ever finds the money, will she be able to keep it? 

Reviews:

"I loved the character developments in this story, and the character of Elise is exciting as well. I was engrossed in this one from start to finish, and would definitely recommend it." (From a 5-star review at Amazon UK)

"an excellent novel that keeps the reader entertained." (From a 5-star review at Amazon UK)

"I absolutely loved this book because it was engrossing, fast, and very realistic." (From a 5-star review at Amazon US)


Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Anne Brooke Books
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy

FREE crime novel: The Gangster's Wife

Quirky crime novel The Gangster's Wife is now FREE at Amazon!

When 53-year-old Elise Walker returns home after a day at the office to find her husband Gerald dead of a heart attack, she doesn’t expect a visit from the police with revelations about Gerald’s secret life. 

Soon, however, her own life takes a distinctive turn for the surreal, with missing loot, online crime and curious neighbours the least of her problems. Not to mention trying to deal with never-ending funeral arrangements and stay on top of her job. 

Thank goodness then for the support of her ever-reliable boss, Hugh. But will even he turn against her when she decides to contact Gerald’s former gang members to find out more? And what is the real significance of the note Gerald left her? Most important of all, if Elise ever finds the money, will she be able to keep it? 

So hurry along and download YOUR copy for FREE today!

Anne Brooke Books
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK

Bleeding Hearts by Jack Harvey (Ian Rankin): long-winded thriller

A TV reporter is murdered with a single bullet wound to the heart. The twist in the tale is that, this time, it's the man who fired the bullet who's asking all the questions. Michael Weston wants to know why the police were on his tail so quickly. His first task is to find the writer of his pay cheque, the second is to make sure he doesn't get caught. Because one thing's for certain: the longer he sticks around to find out, the bigger the risk of making mistakes, revealing his cover and maybe losing his life.

Goodness me, this is a too long and too wearisome crime thriller. There’s a lot of pursuing the criminals and running away from the good guys, or running away from the criminals and pursuing the good guys, depending on whose point of view you’re in at the time. Not that anyone is really good at all, by any measure. There are two leads – the private detective and the hit man – but neither is hero or villain. This of course is a very realistic approach to take, but it does mean that the reader roots for neither – or possibly both, but for me it was neither as I didn’t find either of them likeable or interesting.

I did quite enjoy the fact that the hit man was a haemophiliac though as that was a nice twist. But that’s as about as good as it got – though I do accept I’m probably not the prime target for this novel. It’s best classed as a boys-with-toys thriller. Because there are a lot of guns in all sorts of different scenarios and it was exhausting trying to keep up with the technicalities of them all. So in the end I didn’t bother. I didn’t bother much with the plot either as it was very clichéd and had – again – lots of different groups in different countries up to no good and running around a great deal. Sigh.

Really, by about a quarter of the way through, I was just glancing over the bare outlines of what might have been going on, and trying to finish the pesky beast as quickly as I could. There’s a girl (who is far more boring than she ought to be as the female lead) and a dead father, a journalist or several, various gun suppliers and some police. Please add your own plot as you expect it to be and you won’t be far wrong.

That said, Spike’s niece, Jazz, was great fun and I wished for more of her, but it was not to be, alas. To cap it all, the ending is the ultimate cliché to end all clichés and not worth the getting there.

2 stars. Disappointing.

Anne Brooke Books

The Gathandrian Trilogy

Gay Reads UK