Book Review: The Strange Book of Jacob Boyce

The Strange Book of Jacob Boyce by Tom Gillespie is very well named as it takes readers on a journey which is mystical, magical, weird, obsessive, twisted and compelling – but above all, strange!

Following Jacob Boyce as he tries to find his missing wife, Ella, while unravelling the mysteries surrounding a painting he is convinced contains answers to scientific questions, the reader is swept into a dark labyrinth of misdirection, madness and obsession.

Tom Gillespie weaves so many layers into this novel that it is impossible to cover them all without spoilers. Suffice to say I haven’t read another book like this and doubt I will again. The fluid writing, complex plot and incredible (in all senses of the word) characters make this a superb read.

The use of Spanish was fine for me as I live in Spain, but I did wonder if it might cause an issue for other readers.


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D.I. Sterling Gains a New Fan

I love it when a review starts with a comment such as this: Thank Christ for Lorraine Mace and D. I. Sterling!!

This is what the reviewer had to say about Retriever of Souls, the first in the D.I. Sterling Thriller Series.

With the world being as it is right now... and with my hay fever making my life a misery... sleeping at night is almost an impossibility. This is where Lorraine Mace has been keeping me sane.

From the opening pages of this book, you are thrown headfirst into gore, intrigue and shenanigans! I like my crime novels to be pretty graphic, and Lorraine delivers that in shedloads in this book - the first I have read of hers. Throw in some deliciously flawed characters, interesting relationships and you've got a corker right there!

Rather than merely concentrate on the main characters, Lorraine takes the time to build the associated "cast" - which many authors fail to do. I liked trying to guess who the killer was - and of course I got it wrong. But the journey of discovery was superb.

Highly recommended.

Read the review on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/33450349

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I Could be You #review

I Could be You by Sheila Bugler grabs the reader from the opening pages – a dead woman and a missing child! From this point on the twists keep coming – just when I thought I knew something, the plot takes a turn in a totally different direction. 

Dee, the character we follow in the present day, used to be a top journalist but then various events, including the breakdown of her marriage and her mother’s death, cause her to become something of a recluse. 

However, she opens up a little to her tenant Katie and falls in love with Katie’s young son Jake. After finding the dead woman, who has clearly been the victim of a deliberate hit and run, Dee uses her journalistic skills to try to track down Jake, discovering along the way

that everything she thought she knew about her friend proves wrong.

Interspersed with the present day theme are flashbacks to another character. I won’t say more as I don’t want to include spoilers, but suffice it to say I found it hard to put the book down! Thank you to NetGalley, Sheila Bugler and Canelo for allowing me an advance copy.

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