Review: ‘Impostor’ by L.J. Ross

Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory is renowned for being able to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden in the darkest of minds and, very quickly, he finds himself drawn into a murder investigation.

A killer is on the loose in County Mayo, Ireland and panic has taken hold on the rural community. The Garda are running out of time. Despite swearing to follow a quiet life, Gregory finds it impossible to turn down their desperate request for assistance.

Regular readers of this blog will know I’m a big fan of L.J. Ross’s DCI Ryan series so it was with some excitement that I picked up ‘Impostor‘, the first book in the Alexander Gregory series. 

Despite having insane success with the DCI Ryan series, L.J. Ross has shown she isn’t afraid to take risks by embarking on a new series set in a new location. Ross has clearly done her research into psychological profilers – her portrayal of Gregory demonstrates her depth of knowledge. However, the story doesn’t lose its pace or get bogged down in unnecessary detail. It’s a real skill that Ross has honed – balancing backstory with pace. 

The characters in ‘Impostor‘ are well-drawn with hidden depths. Gregory’s backstory is intriguing and I like how Ross manages to create three-dimensional characters who contribute to the narrative throughout.

Setting ‘Impostor‘ in Ireland gives Ross plenty of beautiful scenery to draw on and she does so with aplomb. L.J. Ross uses the countryside to create an atmosphere that contributes to the tense narrative. 

As usual, L.J. Ross ensures that the reader is kept guessing until the very end. I was convinced I knew who the perpetrator was, only to be blind-sided by the big reveal. 

I’m looking forward to reading ‘Hysteria‘, the next in the series. 

Vic x

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Review: ‘The Rave’ by Nicky Black

It’s 1989, the second Summer of Love, and Tommy Collins is doing what he does best: organising all-night raves on a shoestring, and playing a game of cat and mouse with the police. But his adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Peach, is closing in on him, and his dreams of a better life are beginning to slip through his fingers.

DCI Peach finds it all a waste of his force’s time until his teenage daughter is found unconscious at one of Tommy’s raves. Then the issue becomes personal, and Peach’s need to make Tommy pay becomes an obsession.

Set in Newcastle upon Tyne, during a moral panic, ‘The Rave‘ is a fast-paced, gritty portrayal of life on the edges of society at the end of a decade that changed Britain forever.

As with Nicky Black’s previous novel ‘The Prodigal‘, ‘The Rave‘ is set on the fictional Valley Park estate. Nicky Black captures the essence of the characters that reside within this community perfectly. They’re funny, offensive and complex – and they don’t hold back. Black uses her characters to bring light and shade to her story, showing that even the grimmest of circumstances have a vein of humour. 

Black’s narrative voice is strong, with the reader’s attention grabbed from the prologue. As a native Geordie, I loved the setting and found I could imagine ‘The Rave‘ on TV. Black has captured not only the location but also the era very well with her strong eye for detail. As the end of the book approaches and the stakes increase, so does the pace.

With an original plot and setting, as well as compelling characters, ‘The Rave‘ delivers on all fronts. 

Vic x

**Sky’s the Limit Blog Tour**

Looking for a feel-good summer read this weekend? Check out ‘Sky’s the Limit‘ by Janie Millman. 

I’m delighted to be taking part in Janie’s blog tour today. She’s kindly agreed to answer my questions so that we can get to know her better. My thanks to Janie and Dome Press for allowing me to be involved. 

Vic x

Tell us about your books, what inspired them?
We went on holiday to Marrakech and fell in love with the place. We met some amazing characters, stayed in a fabulously quirky riad with a beautiful but eccentric owner and gradually the germ of Sky’s the Limit was born.

I live in South West France in a town called Castillon La Bataille.  We are in the middle of one of the most famous wine regions of the world, so I guess it was only a matter of time before I incorporated that into a book too.

Where do you get your ideas from?
Locations inspire me. I love discovering new places and meeting new people. I guess subconsciously I am always thinking about stories and characters. They just seem to pop into my head – I’ve always had a very vivid imagination – sometimes too vivid for my own good!

I am also co-owner of Chez Castillon – we host writing & painting courses and retreats and when we are not hosting those we take in wedding guests from a nearby chateau – I have enough ammunition from the characters that pass through our door for the next ten novels!

Do you have a favourite story / character / scene you’ve written?
I don’t really have a favourite character – I really love Elf in Sky’s the Limit and I loved George and Drew – aka Miss Honey Berry – in my first novel Life’s A Drag.

Are you a plotter or a pantster?
If by ‘pantster’ you mean flying by the seat of my pants then a bit of both really. 

I do have a rough idea of the plot. I like to know where the story is going, but I also like to be flexible – I like it when things suddenly happen – when new characters suddenly emerge and take me in a different direction.

Can you read when you’re working on a piece of writing?
Yes, I can read when I am writing but I usually choose something that is a million miles away from what I am working on – unless of course I am reading for research.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given and who was it from?
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given is: ‘you cannot edit a blank page.’ I cannot actually remember for certain who told me that, but I think it may have been the lovely author Jane Wenham-Jones.

What can readers expect from your books?
They can certainly expect the unexpected! 

I hope that readers will love my characters, and I hope they find themselves experiencing new locations, new sounds, smells and tastes.  

I hope they lose themselves in the plot, and I very much hope that they don’t want the book to end and that the stories and cast stay with them for a long while.

I want them to laugh and cry and I want them to think.

Have you got any advice for aspiring writers?
Just Write. Get words on the page – don’t be frightened – you need to enjoy the whole experience.

What do you like and dislike about writing?
I love it when the story starts to come together; I love it when the unexpected happens; I also love it when the characters misbehave  – although not too much!

I don’t like the solitude, the doubts that creep in and the frustration when the words don’t flow and the characters appear one-dimensional. But that passes…. usually!

Are you writing anything at the moment?
Yes I have just finished my third book – well the first draft, so we are still some way from the finishing line. It is another dual location novel, set in Cambridge and Crete.

What’s your favourite writing-related moment?
When I wrote The End to my fist novel Life’s A Drag. I finished it in Bordeaux station when on our way to Arcachon for a few days holiday.

I remember crying because it was the first book I had ever written and I hadn’t really known if I could do it. My husband bought champagne and I spent the holiday dreaming of bestsellers and films… though, that was before the reality set in!

Sky’s the Limit:
Review.

Sky is devastated when she finds that her husband is in love with her oldest friend Nick. Believing she has lost the two most important people in her life, she travels to Marrakesh on her own. During the trip, Sky meets up with Gail who’s on a mission to track down the father of her child. 

Sky’s the Limit is a great summer read. It takes readers to Morocco and France with an interesting cast of characters who jump off the page. Throughout the story, the vivid characters experience joys they didn’t expect to find which makes this a heart-warming read. 

The description of the places is evocative and atmospheric, and the Moroccan heat seeps out of every line. Millman’s descriptions are rich and her attention to detail is very strong. 

Sky’s the Limit is a light read that’s perfect for the beach. Even if you don’t have a beach, read this novel and prepare to be transported. 

Getting to Know You: Matthew Crow

Today, I’m delighted to have fellow Geordie writer, Matthew Crow, on the blog. His latest novel, ‘Another Place‘ was published by Little Brown earlier this month. Thanks to Matthew for taking the time to chat to us. 

Vic x

Tell us about your novel.
Another Place book is about a girl, Claudette, who is released back into her hometown after being hospitalised due to depression. It’s the story of her recovery and re-acquaintance with her old life, whilst an investigation into a missing schoolgirl rages on in the background, and Claudette’s slow determination to help find out what happened to her friend, despite its negative impact on her own mental health.

What inspired it?
Location, to a large degree. The title is taken from Gormley’s sculpture – Another Place – with the cast iron bodies staring out to sea, which I think is one of the greatest works of all time. I wanted to write about the sad, strange beauty of a fallen seaside town. Depression has always been an interest of mine, as it’s been something I’ve long lived with, and am fascinated by how it affects other people. In terms of literary influence, I suppose it was all those great novels that are ostensibly mysteries and yet seem to envelope and expose the communities in which they’re set – Donna Tartt’s oeuvre, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, In Cold Blood, To Kill a Mockingbird etc.

Where do you get your ideas from?
Characters. People. I could never start with an idea of a theme or a narrative. It seems too huge to me. I always start with a character and a voice and the rest sort of builds from there. So Claudette came first, then came Sarah and their mutual stories emerged later.

Do you have a favourite story / character / scene you’ve written?
In this book? Probably anything between Claudette and Donna, her best friend. There’s a scene in Young Adult, one of my favourite films, where Mavis – the Charlize Theron character – overhears two girls chatting and rushes back to ‘repurpose’ their dialogue for her own literary endeavours, as the encounter has broken her writer’s block. I totally get that. I think there is something so glorious about two girls chatting away – the wit and wisdom and potted histories and shrouded resentments etc – that to capture it accurately, even to a degree, always works well in text. I enjoyed writing those passages and I enjoy reading them back, too.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever been given and who it was from?
Probably from Broo, my agent, who said ‘Just fucking finish it’ or something to that degree. The world at large is not waiting for your next book. In the first instance, you’re writing only to do the best you can, so fannying on and getting hung up on the minutia is redundant. Do not talk about how hard writing is. Do not tweet your progress. Do not assume that yours is a heavy cross to bear. Nobody asked you to do this. Write because you love it, finish it quickly, and edit it slowly. Nobody can do anything with a blank page so the first hurdle is your own.

What can readers expect from your books?
Wank jokes and Geordie idioms. Strong characters with flaws. Humour. Heart. Darkness.

Have you got any advice for aspiring writers?
Stop banging on about it and get it done.

What do you like and dislike about writing?
I don’t dislike anything about writing and don’t understand those that seem so constantly focused on its difficulty and awfulness. If I don’t enjoy something I stop doing it, and fortunately writing has never been anything but a pleasure to me. It’s where I’m happiest. I like the sense of control, and the sense of showmanship. As someone who never excelled at sports or anything like that, the fact that I can sit at my kitchen table and turn a tidy one-liner which can make a whole day feel like a success is a total joy and one I hope I never tire of.

Are you writing anything at the moment?
At the moment I’m editing a book that is coming out next year called Baxter’s Requiem. It’s set between Heaton, in Newcastle, Tynemouth, and France. And I’m very excited about this one.

What’s your favourite writing-related moment?
It’s the little things. Writing is just rearranging, really. It’s taking a ‘fact’ and titillating it into something equally true but also, hopefully, beautiful. To happen upon a sentence or a passage that hits its mark without losing anything in the process is a total thrill. Every book feels like your first, I find. So to get a passing break where you realise that you’re in charge and know your shit is priceless.