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Coming Home to Maple Lodge by Alison Sherlock #Review

  I am delighted to feature the first in Alison Sherlock's new series set in the Corswolds. Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge was published by Boldwood Books on June 20th. A family and hotel in desperate need of help… Maple Tree Lodge has been the home of the Jackson family for over a century. But the hotel has never been a success and, following the sudden loss of his father, architect Ben Jackson soon discovers the hotel is close to financial ruin. Ben has to make some tough decisions if the hotel is to survive and his family are to keep a roof over their heads. With the hotel in urgent need of a renovation, Ben’s sister calls on the talents of her best friend, interior designer Lily Watson. Cash strapped Lily needs a successful project to prove to herself and her high-achieving parents that she can carve a successful career and Maple Tree Lodge sounds like just the place for Lily to showcase her talents. However, Lily’s vision for a cosy, country Cotswolds hotel is the com...

Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver #Review #Giveaway

 

We are back with the impressive Orenda Books today with Will Carver's latest crime fiction, Psychopaths Anonymous which was published on September 25th. I also have the chance for you to win a print copy. Details of how to enter can be found at the foot of this post.

When AA meetings make her want to drink more, alcoholic murderess Maeve sets up a group for psychopaths …

Maeve has everything. A high-powered job, a beautiful home, a string of uncomplicated one-night encounters. She’s also an addict: A functioning alcoholic with a dependence on sex and an insatiable appetite for killing men.

When she can’t find a support group to share her obsession, she creates her own. And Psychopaths Anonymous is born. Friends of Maeve.

Now in a serious relationship, Maeve wants to keep the group a secret. But not everyone in the group adheres to the rules, and when a reckless member raises suspicions with the police, Maeve’s drinking spirals out of control.

She needs to stop killing. She needs to close the group.

But Maeve can’t seem to quit the things that are bad for her, including her new man…

A scathing, violent and darkly funny book about love, connection, obsessions and sex – and the aspects of human nature we’d prefer to hide – Psychopaths Anonymous is also an electrifyingly original, unpredictable thriller that challenges virtually everything.


My Thoughts

You know when you pick up a book by Will Carver, that you are going to be reading a distinctively unsettling story, told with a unique voice, full of the macabre and black humour. Psychopaths Anonymous is not for the faint hearted or those who are easily shocked. It is raw and horrific. The most striking part of it for me is the character of Maeve. You see the story through her eyes and therefore are treated to her own individual way of thinking. Completely lacking empathy or understanding of human relationships, she looks on dispassionately. She is chilling but she is also extremely funny. 

    In previous Will Carver books, I would say that he has led you up to the edge of hell so that you can peep over. Be prepared! In Psychopaths Anonymous, you will take a step over the abyss. This is a story which will shock you. You will see a whole range of debauched characters and in some cases, cold hearted killers. For me, the most striking scene involved the Catholic priest and some terrifying verbal violence which he hears but you largely imagine. Not a blow was struck but you certainly felt the terror of his situation. With a clever structure and a storyline which keeps you guessing, this is a story which holds your attention.

In short:  Human frailty, addiiction make a heady mix.

About the Author


Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study  theatre  and  television  at  King  Alfred’s,  Winchester,  where  he  set  up  a  successful  theatre  company.  He  currently  runs  his  own  fitness  and  nutrition  company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Will’s latest title published by  Orenda  Books,  Hinton  Hollow  Death  Trip  was  longlisted  for  the  Not  the  Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year and for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell. Good Samaritans was a book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the eBook charts.

You can read my review of Good Samaritans here.  Nothing Important Happened Today here, Hinton Hollow Death Trap  here
and The Beresford here.
 
You can follow Will here:  Twitter  |  Facebook

Book link - you can pre-order here: Amazon UK

Thanks to Will Carver, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

                                      Be sure to check out the rest of this tour!

 


Giveaway (UK only) 


 

To win a print copy of Psychopaths Anonymous, just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

Closing date is 1st December 2021 and there is one winner.    
 
*Terms and Conditions –  UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw 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. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

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