I am so happy to welcome you to this stop on the blog tour for Michael J Malone's After He Died. I have a great Giveaway for you to enter- details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
You need to know who your husband really was…
When Paula Gadd’s husband of almost thirty years dies, just
days away from the seventh anniversary of their son Christopher’s death, her
world falls apart. Grieving and bereft, she is stunned when a young woman
approaches her at the funeral service, and slips something into her pocket. A
note suggesting that Paula’s husband was not all that he seemed… When the two
women eventually meet, a series of revelations challenges everything Paula
thought she knew, and it becomes immediately clear that both women’s lives are
in very real danger.
Both a dark, twisty slice of domestic noir and taut,
explosive psychological thriller, After He Died is also a chilling reminder
that the people we trust the most can harbour the deadliest secrets…
My Thoughts
This is a great page turner- the kind of book which carries you along through every twisty- turney moment. It begins at Paula's husbands' funeral and from this slightly claustrophobic opening scene, the mystery begins to unwind. Trying to get through the day through medication, Paula can barely make sense of what is happening and that is how the reader feels as well. You start from a very fuzzy beginning and slowly begin to make sense of what you know.
A striking feature of the novel is the very restricted number of characters who appear in the story. You begin to realise that all the answers are going to lie within Paula's family and friends. Nevertheless, there are plenty of surprises and revelations to unravel. It is Paula's journey through her grief which dominates the story as she gradually realises the truth about the people she thought she knew. There is also an interesting story strand running throughout, centred around the class divide and the lack of choice and opportunity open to some people.
In short: Domestic noir - do you know your partner?
About the Author
Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was
born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200
poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland,
Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the
Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. Other published work
includes: Carnegie’s Call; A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond
the Rage; The Bad Samaritan and Dog Fight. His psychological thriller, A
Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House
of Spines soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber &
Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller.
You can read my review of House of Spines here.
Thanks to Michael Malone, and Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Follow the rest of the tour!
Giveaway ( Worldwide)
To win a copy of After He Died just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings . Closing Date is 30th September 2018 and there is one winner. Good luck!
Thanks so much for the continued Blog Tour support Pam x
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