Today I am delighted to join in the Blog Tour for A Hollow Sky by M. Sean Coleman, which is the second book in the Alex Ripley Mystery Series. I reviewed the first in the series, The Cuckoo Wood, here. There is also a great Giveaway to enter- details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
A SUSPENSEFUL, ATMOSPHERIC THRILLER.
Jane Hewitt had been miraculously healed—cured of a terminal
cancer that had been eating away at her body for months. After one meeting with
an incredible young woman, Jane rose from her wheelchair and walked out, believing
that her lifetime of devoted faith had been rewarded.
The next day, Jane died in her husband's arms, devastated
that her God had deserted her. Her husband, Ian, blames her hastened death on
the faith healer she visited. But that faith healer is a teenage girl called
Megan, who has been in a coma for five years, and has no say over how her gift
is used.
When Ian is arrested after being accused of breaking in to
Megan's house and trying to tamper with her life support, he turns to the only
person he knows can help clear his name, and stop this family deceiving any
other victims—Dr Alex Ripley, the so called Miracle Detective.
Fascinated by Megan's case, and needing a distraction,
Ripley finds herself on Holy Island, off the coast of North Wales, caught up in
an investigation that will prove more sinister and dangerous than she could
have imagined. Ian is not the first person to complain about Megan and her
supporters, but he seems to be the only one left alive. For now.
A Hollow Sky is the second Alex Ripley Mystery
My Thoughts
The second book in the Alex Ripley series does not disappoint as it seems to pick up from where the first without missing a beat. It can be read as a standalone, as it does fill in details about Alex which we learned in the first book. The central character of Alex is a great creation- intelligent and perceptive with a certain doggedness to find out the truth.
Faith healing and the apparent abuse of the innocent Megan adds another dimension to the mystery. You cannot really like any of the villagers who collude to perpetuate her power to cure those who are terminally ill. The whole village seems to be complicit in the exploitation of the desperate although there are some red herrings there too. Some of them may just not be fully aware and want a comfortable life. There seem to be echoes of the way the villagers in The Cuckoo Wood were in thrall to the church and closed ranks against strangers. With a twisty plot and bags of atmosphere and a superb setting, this is another brilliant read. Bring on number 3!
In short: A village closes ranks against the inquisitive Alex Ripley.
About the Author
Born in the UK and raised in South Africa, M. Sean Coleman
developed a love for reading and writing novels in his early teens, thanks to
two incredibly passionate English teachers who infected him with their love of
words and stories. Over the intervening years, he has written film and
television drama, cross-platform series, an interactive children’s storybook
and a graphic novel series.
He finally found his niche as a thriller writer when he was
asked to write a novel as part of the cross-platform project, Netwars. His
first book, The Code, was published six months later, with the sequel, Down
Time, hot on its heels. There was no going back.
He is obsessed with crime, mystery and thriller stories,
especially those with a fresh or surprising angle. He writes novels from his
home in The Cotswolds, where he lives with his husband and their three red
dogs.
Be sure to check out these great bloggers
Giveaway (International)
To win paperback copies of The Cuckoo Wood and A
Hollow Sky, a cool tote bag with book quote from the publisher, a branded
bookmark and some chocolates (Open INT), just follow the link below and good luck!
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries
welcome. Please enter using the
Rafflecopter box below. The winner will
be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be
notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then
I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged
18 or over. Any personal data given as
part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be
shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This
will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the
prize, after which time I will delete the data.
I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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