Bantam Press Archives

Book reviews: Irish intrigue with Andrea Mara

August 14, 20263 min read

I recently received a little gift box, including two books… promising some Irish intrigue from Andrea Mara. Mara is new to me as an author and I’m always happy to find a new author with a good backlist. I’m interested to know more about them though as both books here are similarly themed around children going missing… as is All Her Fault, a miniseries I recently watched, based on Mara’s book of the same name. I think the whole not having kids myself and not relating to parenting stuff means I’m less into books about that as it’s not a fear I’ve had to deal with IRL…

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

March 17, 20242 min read

I love it when a book takes me by surprise. One minute I’m opening it, expecting something that will entertain me for a few hours, and the next I find I don’t want to put it down and am seriously invested in the plot as if the whole thing is unfolding in front of me in real life. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera was that kind of book. We’re not necessarily meant to like the prickly Lucy Chase – who most assumed killed her best friend five years earlier. Yet, she’s incredibly disarming and I was most certainly on her side… particularly when those who should give her the benefit of the doubt, aren’t.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: The Dare by Lesley Kara

February 25, 20213 min read

I haven’t read Lesley Kara’s well-received 2018 release, The Rumour but I did enjoy Who Did You Tell, published in early 2020. Now I’ve read her latest book it’s obvious she’s drawn to themes reflecting hidden pasts and long-buried secrets.

The Dare is a twisty read that lures readers into a false sense of complacency before throwing our trust back in our faces. It has us questioning how well we (actually) know some of the lead characters.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara

January 1, 20203 min read

Astrid’s mother named her Hilary because (when she was born) she had such a sunny disposition. Hilary became Astrid as soon as she was able believing it to be the antithesis of her birth name and almost two decades later, it’s set the scene for the rebellious and unsettled life she’s led since.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen

October 1, 20193 min read

So… it has to be said, The Shape of Night is quite a departure from the Tess Gerritsen novel I was expecting.

It dips into gothic otherworldly ghostly stuff which is a genre I don’t read and struggle to engage (with), so I confess my review is tainted by that. I did, however, finish the book which I guess says something about the fact that I realised there was some good ol’ crime fiction buried in there and wanted some sort of closure for our flawed but likeable protagonist.

VIEW the POST

Share

Book review: Clear My Name by Paula Daly

August 13, 20193 min read

I’ve read a few of Paula Daly’s books now (four according to Goodreads, including last year’s Open Your Eyes) so received emails from her UK and US publishers about her latest release, Clear My Name.

I really liked the lead character in this book and would ‘love’ for Tess to feature in a series. In some ways she’s kind-of an unlikely narrator… in her 40s and someone who didn’t quite achieve all they wanted. And though she’s settled into a job she enjoys, there’s a sense she’s biding time. (And worryingly I could kinda relate!)

VIEW the POST

Share