Publication Day – JO LAMBERT

Author Promotion, Bookouture, Crime Thriller, Madison Harper, Publication Day, Writing

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO WENDY DRANFIELD. CATCH HER DEATH – DETECTIVE MADISON HARPER BOOK 5 – IS OUT TODAY

Posted on September 9, 2022September 6, 2022 by Jo Lambert - Author

Catch Her Death (Detective Madison Harper book 5)

Available in ebook, audiobook, paperback and on Kindle Unlimited.

As snow falls on the small town of Lost Creek, Colorado, a three-year-old boy is found playing quietly in his car seat, his mother, cold as ice, slumped against the steering wheel in front. Tearing herself away from reconnecting with her special agent father who abandoned her for his career, Detective Madison Harper is haunted by the fear in the boy’s sky-blue eyes, and vows to find justice for this innocent child, left motherless just days before Christmas.

Madison works around the clock on her only clue: a perfect circle of clean glass found on the car’s rear window. But she’s stopped in her tracks the moment another mother is found dead outside a church during Midnight Mass, her young boy left sucking his thumb on the frozen ground beside her. It can’t be a coincidence.

The need to spare the children might hint to the suspect being a woman, but the deeper Madison digs, the closer she gets to a serial killer her own father spent a lifetime chasing. Has the killer followed her father here? Could Madison, single mother to a son herself, be next?

As a blizzard closes in, wreaking havoc on the investigation, Madison hits the same dead ends her father did all those years ago. But when her closest friend goes missing, Madison must dive into the mind of this twisted soul and risk it all to stop another heart-shattering tragedy. But will she make it in time?

Amazon link: http://viewbook.at/CatchHerDeath

Author bio

Wendy is the bestselling author of the Detective Madison Harper crime series.

She is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who writes a mixture of standalone thrillers, crime series and short stories. Some of her books have been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions and awards, including the Mslexia novel competition and the International Thriller Writer Awards.

You can find more information on her website: wendydranfield.co.uk

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

MY REVIEW

This is the fifth book in the Detective Madison Harper series and is every bit as gripping as the previous four. It begins with a killer who murders a woman in a parking lot but leaves her small son alive. Straight away the story plunges you into the investigation, with Madison determined to find the perpetrator. When a second woman is murdered under similar circumstances, she begins to wonder whether a serial killer is operating in Shadow Falls.

All the familiar faces are there: Madison and her team, her son Owen, father Bill who has recently returned from Alaska, as well as Nate Monroe and his dog Brody.

It’s a complex plot. Nothing is as it seems. It’s well written, with the usual twists and turns and red herrings which predictably take you in the wrong direction. One thing I love about Wendy’s writing is the detail. It gives an authenticity that leaves the reader feeling they are actually there with Madison. Bill and Nate’s sub plots dovetail in well to the main story, which as usual, ends with a situation that tells us Madison will be back. It’s Wendy Dranfield at her best – another great five star read!

My thanks to Wendy, Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of Catch Her Death in exchange for an honest review.

Author Promotion, Crime Thriller, Dean Matheson, Murder, Publication Day, Ruby Fiction, Writing

It’s Publication Day for Won’t You Save Me by Wendy Dranfield

Posted on January 29, 2020January 24, 2020 by Jo Lambert - Author

Won’t You Save Me

Detective Dean Matheson has returned to his hometown to begin his new job and put the traumatic events of his past behind him – but his fresh start won’t last long when the local area is hit by a series of strange disappearances and twisted killings …
A nameless girl badly beaten and dumped in front of the mysterious new church. A shocking murder scene discovered in the apartment over the diner. A child missing without a trace.
These are the crimes Dean Matheson is confronted with in his first week as detective. Are they isolated events, or is something altogether more disturbing happening in Maple Valley now that Dean’s back in town?

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon (universal link): http://viewbook.at/WontYouSaveMe

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/won-t-you-save-me

Apple books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/wont-you-save-me/id1491011391

GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Wendy_Dranfield_Won_t_You_Save_Me?id=3dLIDwAAQBAJ

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wont-you-save-me-wendy-dranfield/1135469398

Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband. As well as the Dean Matheson crime series and the YA crime novel – The Girl Who Died – Wendy has several short stories published in UK and US anthologies. She has also been shortlisted and longlisted for various competitions, including the Mslexia Novel Competition.

You can catch up with Wendy on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

OTHER BOOKS IN THE DEAN MATHESON SERIES…

A series of suspicious suicides may be the work of a crafty serial killer in this debut thriller novel featuring Officer Dean Matheson.
When the body of an unidentified woman is found hanging from a tree in the woods of Maple Valley, it looks like a clear case of suicide. But Officer Dean Matheson is unconvinced. Maybe he’s just looking for that big case that will help him make detective. Maybe he’s just trying to avoid his rocky marriage. Or maybe he’s really on to something. Because the closer Matheson looks at the facts of the case, the less they add up.

Then more apparent suicides start cropping up. The victims are all women living on the fringes of society—addicts and criminals nobody would miss. Does anyone really care if they die? Matheson is making it his business to care, and that’s about to make him a target . . .

A gripping thriller you won’t want to miss this Autumn
“You want to know what I’ve learnt after living in Lone Creek all my life? I know the snow bleeds here …”
Former police officer Dean Matheson has been playing it safe since the case that cost him almost everything. But working as a PI doesn’t quite cut it, that is until a British woman walks into his office with a job that Dean can’t resist.
The woman’s daughter, Hannah Walker, and her friend Jodie have gone missing whilst working at a ski resort in Colorado. It’s clear there’s something sinister about the girls’ disappearance, but then why are the local police department being so unhelpful?
So begins Dean’s journey to Lone Creek on the trail of the missing girls – and he’ll soon find out that in Lone Creek, everyone has something to hide …

Author Promotion, Crime Thriller, Dean Matheson, Murder, Psychological Thriller, Publication Day, Ruby Fiction, Writing

It’s publication day for Where the Snow Bleeds by Wendy Dranfield

Posted on July 30, 2019July 27, 2019 by Jo Lambert - Author

where the snow bleeds cover

“You want to know what I’ve learnt after living in Lone Creek all my life? I know the snow bleeds here …”

Former police officer Dean Matheson has been playing it safe since the case that cost him almost everything. But working as a PI doesn’t quite cut it, that is until a British woman walks into his office with a job that Dean can’t resist.
The woman’s daughter, Hannah Walker, and her friend Jodie have gone missing whilst working at a ski resort in Colorado. It’s clear there’s something sinister about the girls’ disappearance, but then why are the local police department being so unhelpful?
So begins Dean’s journey to Lone Creek on the trail of the missing girls – and he’ll soon find out that in Lone Creek, everyone has something to hide …

Book trailer: https://youtu.be/Wq_3DounAQM

Amazon (universal link): http://viewbook.at/WhereTheSnowBleeds

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/where-the-snow-bleeds

Apple books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/where-the-snow-bleeds/id1466771293

GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Wendy_Dranfield_Where_the_Snow_Bleeds?id=WGSbDwAAQBAJ

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-the-snow-bleeds-wendy-dranfield/1131939239?ean=2940161429013

ABOUT WENDY

Wendy is a former Coroner’s Assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband.

Who Cares If They Die and Where the Snow Bleeds are the first two books in the Dean Matheson series, with more on the way. As well as her crime thriller series, Wendy has written a YA crime novel – The Girl Who Died – and she has several short stories published in UK and US anthologies. She has also been shortlisted and longlisted for various competitions, including the Mslexia Novel Competition.

For behind the scenes gossip and updates on her books (or photos of her cats), follow her on social media!

My website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyDranfield1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7g8miK6akDG2pFqgGeLFAw?view_as=subscriber

Choc Lit, Contemporary Romance, Paris, Publication Day, Romance, Writing

Today is publication day for Marie Laval’s latest novel A Paris Fairy Tale

Posted on July 23, 2019July 22, 2019 by Jo Lambert - Author

A PARIS FAIRYTALE

A wonderful new book from the author of the best selling novel, Little Pink Taxi
Is Paris the city of happily ever afters?
Workaholic art historian Aurora Black doesn’t have time for fairy tales or Prince Charmings, even in the most romantic city in the world. She has recently been hired by a Parisian auction house for a job that could make or break her career. Unfortunately, daredevil journalist Cédric Castel seems intent on disrupting Aurora’s routine.
As Aurora and Cédric embark on a journey across France, they get more than they bargained for as they find themselves battling rogue antiques dealers and personal demons, not to mention a growing attraction to each other.
But with the help of a fairy godmother or two, could they both find their happily ever afters?

A PARIS FAIRY TALE is available as a ebook and audiobook on Amazon and various other platforms here.

ABOUT MARIE

AUTHOR PIC Originally from Lyon in France, Marie has lived in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire for the past few years. She writes both contemporary and historical romance, as well as short stories, always with ‘a French twist’. A SPELL IN PROVENCE, her debut contemporary romantic suspense, and historical romances ANGEL HEART, THE LION’S EMBRACE and DANCING FOR THE DEVIL, are published by Accent Press. Her latest contemporary romance, LITTLE PINK TAXI, is published by Choc Lit, and watch out for A PARIS FAIRY TALE, soon to be released by Choc Lit!

MARIE’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/marielavalauthor/) or

Twitter (https://twitter.com/MarieLaval1).

You can also find on Pinterest the many beautiful photos of Paris and illuminated manuscripts which inspired the writing of A Paris Fairy Tale. (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/laval0232/)

Choc Lit, Historical Romance, Publication Day, Writing

It’s publication day for Sharon Ibbotson’s latest historical romance A Game of Desire…

Posted on June 25, 2019June 23, 2019 by Jo Lambert - Author

GAME OF DESIRE COVER

The Queen of Diamonds never loses …

Felicity Fox is a rarity for a woman living in the early 1800s. Not only does she frequent the ‘gambling hells’ where most ladies would not dare to tread, she can also beat any man at his own game. It’s no wonder she’s gained notoriety as the ‘Queen of Diamonds’.

Edward, Earl of Addington, despises gambling and is not exactly enamoured of Felicity Fox either, especially after she tried to swindle his family. Except now the Earl requires assistance from the Queen of Diamonds – and there’s everything to play for. But with Edward will Felicity find she’s involved in a more dangerous game than she’s ever played before?

SHARON IBBOTSON

Sharon was born in Sydney, Australia but now lives in London, UK with her husband, two small children and two black cats named for desserts. She started writing ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ fanfic aged fifteen, which eventually turned into the historical romance novels she writes today. You can follow Sharon at http://www.sharonibbotson.com or on twitter @seibbotson

Choc Lit Dark, Cornwall, Publication Day, Writing

A Cornish Affair…Only days away now…

Posted on June 14, 2019June 13, 2019 by Jo Lambert - Author

A CORNISH AFFAIR

Even in your hometown, you can feel like an outsider …

In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.
The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …

Coming soon… a modern saga set in a Cornish seaside town with family drama, a hint of mystery and romance.

Available for pre-order on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Qe2vhS

Author Promotion, Publication Day, Writing

AUTHOR PROMOTION: HAPPY PUBICATION DAY FOR BURIED TREASURE by GILLI ALLAN

Posted on June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 by Jo Lambert - Author

Untitled

Their backgrounds could hardly be further apart, their expectations in life more different. And there is nothing in the first meeting between the conference planner and the university lecturer which suggests they should expect or even want to connect again. But they have more in common than they could ever have imagined. Both have unresolved issues from the past which have marked them; both have an archaeological puzzle they want to solve. Their stories intertwine and they discover together that treasure isn’t always what it seems.

BURIED TREASURE: mybook.to/BURIEDTREASURE (universal)

Extract from BURIED TREASURE

Jane and her friend and associate, Emma, are driving away from Lancaster College. They’ve been scoping it out as the possible venue for a conference Jane is organising. Twice they have come into contact with a white-haired academic. Not many words have passed between them, but Jane has read disdain in his manner and tone, particularly when she admired the gothic detail of the Banqueting Hall, assuming it was original.

‘Bastard!’ Jane hits the brake as the car in front of her suddenly slows.

‘It’s the traffic ahead that’s stopped!’

‘I don’t mean…! That bloody man, back at Lancaster. The one with the white hair.’

‘Well…’ Emma demurs. The mood of excitement and independence which had infused Jane when they set out this morning has drained away. The cold wind and gathering cloud made the decision about closing the car roof a no-brainer. Now she feels tired, irritated and defensive.

‘What do you mean … we – ell?’

‘He didn’t say much. He wasn’t rude.’

‘Depends on your definition. He kept staring at my feet.’

‘Your feet? Perhaps he was admiring your sandals.’

‘Don’t think so…. Bloody hell! If we’d left when I planned to…!’ she adds, when the traffic ahead inexplicably slows again. ‘Did you not see him sneer. How should I know the Banqueting Hall isn’t the real deal?’

‘I suppose it must be on the website.’

‘When I originally did the research, I was concentrating on the conference facilities. The detail of the history passed me by. Of course, I clicked through the images, but the reality of the hall eclipsed my expectations.’

‘No one would guess it’s Victorian,’ Emma reassures her.

‘And those tourists loved it. They didn’t care whether it’s a hundred or five hundred years old. What really appeals to me is the irony of a conference on modern urban planning held amongst all those ancient cloisters and courts and half-timbered elevations. The fact that not all of it is quite as old as it looks is not going to put me off recommending Lancaster to my client.’

‘I should think not!’

‘Professor what’s-his-face may think it’s a travesty, but who cares. It’s not as if we’re likely ever to see him again.’

‘Although….’ Emma says, slowly, ‘he’s quite fit. I wouldn’t throw him out of bed.’

‘What? For God sake Emma! You’re always on the look-out for potential boyfriends. First Aaron, now Professor … I don’t know.’ She shakes her head in exasperation. ‘Plum! He’s old!’

Emma laughs. ‘Be fair, Jane, he’s not old.’

‘His hair is whiter than my grandfather’s!’

‘But there’s plenty of it, and it wasn’t, like, really white. It was more, like, silver. He must be one of those people whose hair goes grey prematurely. I thought it was an attractive combo.’

‘Well, I hope I never see him again. And there’s no reason to.’ Jane says, with an emphatic slap down on the indicator, to exit on the slip road. ‘Our conference is absolutely nothing to do with him…. So why did he have to make me feel small?’

‘Look, I didn’t take to the man! I just happened to notice he’s nice looking. He’s one of those brains-on-legs, too grand to interact on a human level with the hoi polloi.’

‘Exactly. An upper-class fogey, existing in a rarefied atmosphere, without the faintest clue how the rest of the world lives.’ Jane’s dismissiveness masks her real lack of confidence. It’s far too easy to undermine her, too easy to make her feel inadequate and ill-educated. Even Lew, who was so disparaging of graduates, who always said how proud he was of her initiative, her spirit and her natural intelligence, had ultimately played her for a fool and made her feel like the lowest of the low.

Also by Gilli Allan:

LIFE CLASS: http://myBook.to/LifeClass
FLY OR FALL: myBook.to/GilliAllan
TORN: MyBook.to/gilliallansTORN Trailer: http://youtu.be/u2eIP16ERcI

Biography

P1010802 - Copy (2) Gilli Allan began to write in childhood – a hobby pursued throughout her teenage. Writing was only abandoned when she left home, and real life supplanted the fiction.
After a few false starts she worked longest and most happily as a commercial artist, and only began writing again when she became a mother.
Living in Gloucestershire with her husband Geoff, Gilli is still a keen artist. She draws and paints and has now moved into book illustration.
She is published by Accent Press and each of her books, TORN, LIFE CLASS and FLY or FALL has won a ‘Chill with a Book’ award.
Following in the family tradition, her son, historian Thomas Williams, is also a writer. His most recent work, published by William Collins, is ‘Viking Britain’.

Gilli’s Social Media Links

https://accentpressbooks.com/collections/gilli-allan

http://twitter.com/gilliallan (@gilliallan)
https://www.facebook.com/GilliAllan.AUTHOR
http://gilliallan.blogspot.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1027644.Gilli_Allan

Gilli Allan

Crime Thriller, Life Playlists, Publication Day, Writing

Life Playlists is back and today my guest author Wendy Dranfield is choosing her five all time favourites…

Posted on June 11, 2019June 10, 2019 by Jo Lambert - Author

I’m Wendy Dranfield, British writer of crime fiction, avid reader, Twitter addict and owner of 3 rescue cats. When Jo asked me to join Life Tracks I thought it would be easy to come up with 5 songs. How wrong I was! It actually made me realise how many songs have been the soundtrack to my life and it’s hard to leave out so many and choose just 5. I enjoy a wide range of music but I’ve realised through doing this that the best music of my life was definitely from the nineties/early noughties. I guess that’s because I was young! Well, and because we had the best music in the nineties…
I think these 5 are my stand-out tracks:

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
It would be tempting to pick all Nirvana songs for this exercise, and this one is an obvious choice, but I’ve chosen Smells Like Teen Spirit because it introduced me to Nirvana when I was a teenager and I’ve loved them ever since. Thanks to them, grunge music became an important part of my life and Kurt Cobain really was the voice of our generation. Of course, this made it so much harder when he took his own life and that affected me deeply. My initial enthusiasm when listening to their tracks now turns to sadness at what we lost. Nirvana are the band my husband and I share a special fondness for and what we originally bonded over.

Bryan Adams – Everything I Do (1991)
I know, I know! Everyone was sick of this song in the nineties but I absolutely loved it! It’s VERY different to the grunge I was just starting to get into, but it was the soundtrack to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. This was the first film I ever saw at the cinema, even though I was mid-teens (we were poor and couldn’t afford luxuries like cinema tickets, so I saved up as soon as I got a paper round). It was a great experience and I’ve loved going to the cinema ever since. This is still one of my guilty pleasure films that I’ll watch if it comes on TV as it reminds me of a summer spent being young and (almost) carefree, growing up in Hampshire. I started listening to Bryan Adams a lot after this and the first album I ever bought was his So Far, So Good, on CD. It was £1 in a car boot sale with a broken case and a scratch down the middle. Man alive, I wore that album out!

The Offspring – The Kids Aren’t Alright (1998)
The Offspring are my second favourite band after Nirvana and the band my husband and I listen to on every single road trip – such great car music. It’s probably the only band I don’t get sick of listening to (Nirvana can be a little depressing after a while!). When this song came out, I was working full-time at a large college but I also worked nights at Rock City in Nottingham. I heard a lot of great music working there and this song came on all the time. I used to get home from my night shift at 4am and then get up for my day job at 6am. I didn’t sleep much during that time but my life had an awesome soundtrack!

System of a Down – Chop Suey (2001)
Although this song was released in 2001, I wasn’t introduced to System of a Down until 2003. That was when I moved myself and my younger brother to Cornwall. My brother introduced me to System and Rage Against the Machine and we spent a lot of time working hard, partying hard and living a surfer’s lifestyle opposite the beach. This was also the time I met my husband, who happened to own all the same System/Rage albums as my brother, and he was impressed at my musical knowledge (thanks bro!). That summer my now-husband introduced me to Richard cheese who does ‘lounge’ versions of classics such as Chop Suey. If you’ve never listened to Richard Cheese, give him a try. He’s a musical genius!

Feeder – Just A Day (2001)
I saw Feeder live at Glastonbury 1998 and loved them. Just A Day came out in 2001 and has one of the best music videos ever because it contains the fans – if you’ve never watched it, give it a try. It’ll make you laugh! Listening to this song makes me smile because it reminds me of the friends I had at the time and the grunge nightclub (Harvey’s) we used to go to after work. They were the days I could drink on a week night and still function at work the next day…

This was so much fun. Thanks Jo!

ABOUT WENDY

Wendy is a former Coroner’s Assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband. She’s been writing ever since she was a child, but only found the confidence to submit her work to publishers when she was in her thirties.

Who Cares If They Die and Where the Snow Bleeds are the first two books in the Dean Matheson series, with more on the way. As well as her crime thriller series, Wendy has written a YA crime novel – The Girl Who Died – and she has several short stories published in UK and US anthologies. She has also been shortlisted and longlisted for various competitions, including the Mslexia Novel Competition.

For behind the scenes gossip and updates on her books (or photos of her cats), follow her on social media!
Website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/
Twitter: @WendyDranfield
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyDranfield1/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7g8miK6akDG2pFqgGeLFAw

Her second crime novel is being released on 30th July 2019 by Ruby Fiction. It’s the sequel to Who Cares If They Die, which was released last autumn. She has also just finished writing the third in the series! They follow Dean Matheson (and his wannabe police dog, Rocky) on his journey to becoming a homicide detective.

Where the Snow Bleeds

“You want to know what I’ve learnt after living in Lone Creek all my life? I know the snow bleeds here …”

The woman’s daughter, Hannah Walker, and her friend Jodie have gone missing whilst working at a ski resort in Colorado. It’s clear there’s something sinister about the girls’ disappearance, but then why are the local police department being so unhelpful?

So begins Dean’s journey to Lone Creek on the trail of the missing girls – and he’ll soon find out that in Lone Creek, everyone has something to hide …