I'm reviewing 'Letting Go' ...

... by Maria Thompson Corley …

I had the pleasure of interviewing Maria earlier in the year and you can read the resulting post here.  As a result of that interview, Maria sent me a free copy of her story in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Letting Go is essentially a romance – which is not my usual choice of book to read.  However, I’m always open to reading outside my usual genres.  The story is primarily told from Cecile’s point of view, the female lead character.  I really liked her.  She’s driven, ambitious, and where her feelings are concerned, like most of us, confused at times.  I liked her sense of humour and humour is something that can be difficult to put across – but not in this case.  She’s a really well drawn character and I found I was able to identify with her from the outset.

Langston, the male lead character, is also fascinating.  Unfortunately, he is from the ‘wrong part of town’.  So, the well-run conflict of different class is here to be explored, and Maria pulls this off.  It’s hard to bring new life and energy to an issue that we are all familiar with, but Maria has done just that and at no time did I find myself thinking that I’d heard it all before.

During the course of the story there are other familiar issues that are explored, racism, family loyalty, personal ambitions.  All of which are handled sensitively and the points being well, and subtly made.  At no time did I feel lectured and there were moments when I did put the book down so that I could consider the issue raised.  And in my view, that’s a bonus if an author can cause you to do that with a book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story immensely.  The chemistry between the central characters is there and fair sizzles on the page!  The narrative voice is easy and carries you along throughout.  However, Maria also uses diary entries, letters and emails to tell the story.  At first, I found that this caused the pace of the novel to drop, but further into the story I had stopped noticing that – my interest in the individual points of view became much more paramount.  There are musical references throughout, which I found interesting but, when I got to the end I did wonder if it might have been a bit too much.  My only other misgiving on reaching the end, was that I thought the book was overly long. 

Despite the minor gripes above, I think this is great book, entertaining, thought-provoking and a thoroughly enjoyable read and it has certainly earned its star rating.

You can find Maria's book on Amazon

Please welcome, friend and author...

...Eli Carros.  Thanks for taking time out from your busy schedule to be on my blog today, Eli. Book launches are intensive, to say the least! So, let's get to the questions and what is your current release?

EC   The Watcher, my debut crime thriller, releases on June 21^st by Crooked Cat Books.  It’s a dark, twisted, psychological thriller that takes you right into the mind of a psychopath, and shows how he became the way he became. 

It’s a novel about sexual obsession, emotional abuse, and vengeance, and if you like a book that keeps you guessing right until the end, you might enjoy this one.  When I was writing this book I attempted to answer a question that I had often wondered about, which is, are psychopaths born or are they made?

AW   What first got you into writing and why?

EC   I’ve always told stories, even before I actually started writing anything down.  My English teacher at High School was absolutely fantastic, he really made books come alive whenever we used to discuss and dissect them.

The way he read ‘Lord of The Flies’ was magnificent, and even to this day, it’s one of my favourite books.  I wish I could have the insight and the perception of writer’s like William Golding.

AW   Me too! I really love his work and my collection of first editions of his books sits right where I can reach them from my desk so I can have a quick fix of Golding prose wherever I need one.

EC   If I had to pick a tipping point, where I absolutely knew I had to write, it was probably when I was studying Journalism, and got my first taste as a professional writer, as an intern at the Daily Mirror.  Though I wasn’t writing fiction, the experience really convinced me that I wanted to make a job out of this profession of words, so I became a professional copywriter, then, a couple of years later, after dabbling a bit, decided to write a novel.

I procrastinated for ages first though, and wish I hadn’t waited so long. 

AW  You write crime thrillers.  Is it all imagination or do you also undertake research?

EC   I do undertake some research yes, for certain little details pertaining to correct police procedure etc…  However, my book is not a standard police procedural by any means, more a psychological exploration of a deviant and malignant mind, so I gave myself a hefty dose of artistic license with it too.

I did do another kind of research too, because I actually lived in London while writing ‘The Watcher’, and the book is set there.  So I went to a lot of the places that inspired scenes in the book, to get a real feel for the atmosphere.  One of the café scenes in the novel was actually written in Patisserie Valerie in Old Compton Street, Soho.

AW  I know it well!

EC   I find London very inspiring in general, some people don’t like it I know, but I love all the bustle and life. 

Cover Art for Eli's book

AW  And what about other types of writing?  Have you ever dabbled with short stories, for instance, or other genres?

EC   I wrote short stories and novellas before I ever wrote a full-length novel actually, I have quite a few of them now, sitting on my computer, unpublished.  I never tried to publish any of them, I don’t really know why, I suppose I didn’t really know what to do with them.  They are in all kinds of genres, as short form is a great way to experiment, isn’t it?

AW   Absolutely!

EC   I have post-apocalyptic, horror, crime, all sorts.  Readers can try three of my darker shorts if they like as I’m giving them away if you’d like to join my mailing list.

AW  Famous authors, such as Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas, had a special space for writing.  Do you have a writing ‘shed’ of your own?

EC   Honestly, no, I usually do it wherever I can find the time in the nearest comfortable place.  I do like a glass of wine to get me into the zone while I write, though I have to be careful how much, as contrary to the popular myth that writers are all gin soaked, becoming too inebriated actually really impairs your work.

AW  Finally, if you had a whole afternoon to yourself and could choose to spend it with any one individual, living or dead or a character from a book, who would it be, and what would you want to discuss?

EC   It would have to be Kurt Cobain, the late front man of the rock group Nirvana, to ask him what inspired his music and to find out what truly happened, was it murder, or suicide?

A mysterious Eli Carros!

...about the author... Eli Carros is a crime fiction and thriller author from London, England.  His debut novel, 'The Watcher', was inspired by London, and by what can happen when sexual obsession, violence, emotional neglect, and madness collide.  It takes you behind the eyes of a murderous stalker with a secret past, and into the mind of the harried detective who must stop him. 

Eli loves reading crime, fantasy, and mystery suspense, and is an ardent admirer of authors Steven King, Mark Billingham, Harlan Coben, and Patricia Cornwell.

A strong supporter of causes that promote equality for all, in his spare time Eli loves sailing, camping, hiking, and sketching, and detests getting up in the morning without a strong percolated coffee.

Stay updated on Eli Carros’s latest author news, release info, and promotions on his website or on Facebook and link up with him on Twitter

Please welcome, friend and author...

...Katharine Johnson to my blog this week...

AW   I know how busy you are, so tell me all about your current release...
KJ   The Silence has just been published (June 8th).  It's a psychological/coming of age story, set partly in Tuscany.  The villa and the village are entirely fictional but inspired by many of the mountain villages of north Tuscany.


AW   What first got you into writing and why?
KJ   I've always enjoyed writing as a hobby.  My granny encouraged me to write and I saved up my pocket money to buy a red plastic Corgi typewriter when I was nine to write my first book.

AW   You write crime fiction.  Is it all imagination or do you also undertake research?
KJ   The Silence is about a long-held secret and is about a crime but it isn't a procedural/detective novel so it didn't need a lot of research.  I had it read by a speech therapist and GP and I also spoke about certain sections to a hypnotherapist and a firearms expert to make sure it was plausible.

AW   And what about other types of writing?  Have you ever dabbled with short stories, for instance, or other genres?
KJ   Yes, I've dabbled with various genres - romance is the one I find hardest.  I've written a few short stories which have been published in magazines and started writing a children's book with my son.  I assumed he'd lost interest but he was asking about it the other day so we may go back to it.

The view from... well I won't specify...

AW   Famous authors, such as Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas, had a special space for writing.  Do you have a writing ‘shed’ of your own?
KJ   I wish!  I have an office in the house but my desk gets used by everyone.  I rather like George Bernard's Shaw's revolving summer house.  This is the view from my ideal writing room in a Ligurian fishing village (although it's actually the view from a toilet!)

AW   Finally, if you had a whole afternoon to yourself and could choose to spend it with any one individual, living or dead or a character from a book, who would it be, and what would you want to discuss?
KJ   Oh that's hard! I'd hate to be disappointed and find myself wishing they'd leave after ten minutes - but I think Oscar Wilde would be fascinating and fun.  Thank you so much Angela for inviting me onto your blog.
AW   It's been a pleasure and good luck with the book!

about the author…Katharine Johnson is a journalist with a passion for crime novels, old houses and all things Italian (except tiramisu).  She grew up in Bristol and has lived in Italy.  She currently lives in Berkshire with her husband, three children and a madcap spaniel.  She plays netball badly and is a National Trust room guide.

about the book...Can you ever truly escape the past?  Doctor Abby Fenton has a rewarding career, a loving family, an enviable lifestyle - and a secret that could destroy everything.  When human remains are discovered in the grounds of an idyllic Tuscan holiday home she is forced to confront the memories she has suppressed until now and relive the summer she spent at the villa in 1992.  A summer that ended in tragedy.  The nearer she gets to the truth the closer she comes to losing her sanity.  In order to hold onto the people she loves most, she must make sure they never discover what she did.  But the reappearance of someone else from that summer threatens to blow her secret wide open.

Buy The Silence here Amazon - The Silence

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Jacques Forêt returns to talk about his new case…

A typical cévenol village

... and perhaps to give away one or two juicy pieces of info about what has been happening in the village of Messandrierre since we last saw him…

  

AW  Welcome back Jacques, and you’re not in uniform I see.

JF  Yes, that’s right.  I’ve left the rural gendarme service and I now work in investigation Mende.

AW  So, just to recap on your career thus far.  You joined the police force in Paris as a detective until you were injured whilst on duty and then came to Messandrierre as a rural gendarme. 

JF   That’s correct.  It was after I recovered that I came here.

AW  So why the further change?

JF  I found I missed the intricacies of handling major investigations along with the thrill of solving such complex crimes.  My last case in Paris involved breaking a drugs cartel and I’ve worked on cases involving people trafficking.  All very testing with many and varied leads to follow.  My current case means that I can use those skills again.

AW  And can you tell us anything about your new case?

JF  It’s very different from my previous cases and involves commercial sabotage, but some the evidence is pointing to other types of crime.  The more I delve the more complex this case is becoming.

AW  How interesting.  Any suspects yet or dead bodies?

JF   It’s early days yet.  I only picked up the investigation a week ago, but there are a number of suspects that need to be narrowed down.  There are also some lines of enquiry that are leading me to believe that there are other malpractices that need to be investigated which might mean a fraud is also to be uncovered.  There are no dead bodies at the moment but… if the evidence does lead me where I think it might, then yes, someone might have the motive to commit such a serious crime.  Naturally I will do all I can to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Old City of Mende

AW  Of course.  Working in Mende, has that meant many changes for you here in the village?

JF  Not really.  I’m still the Policeman from Paris to everyone living here and I still seem to be the first person they come to when there’s trouble.  Gendarme Thibault Clergue has taken my post here in the gendarmerie.  I don’t want to tread on his toes so we work on things together when necessary.

AW  Back working in investigation, does that mean you’re working with Magistrate Bruno Pelletier again?

JF  Not at the moment. I do sometimes bump into Bruno in the city, but if my case develops as I think it might, then I may need to involve him.  And I will do that as appropriate.

AW  When we first met I seem remember you saying that you would like to ‘have ‘someone to share your life with.’  Those were your precise words, I think.

JF  Ahh, I was wondering when you would get around to that!

AW  And you can tell us… what?  The Readers do need to know, Jacques.

JF   I also remember telling you that it was complicated.  It still is… But I know what I want… Beth just has to make the right decision for her.  Moving to another country requires a lot of consideration.

The Cévennes, the setting for Merle

AW  Are you saying that you’ve asked-

JF  Non!  And before you ask, I didn’t say that I was moving to England either.  What I am saying is that, if Beth and I are to move forward then we both need to consider very carefully how we achieve that.

AW  Well, you may no longer wear uniform, Jacques, but you are ever the policeman!

JF   Perhaps

AW   And that smile of yours tells me everything.  Thank you, Jacques, for being here today.

You can read more about Jacques’ new case, the village and Beth in Merle 
Book 2 in the Jacques Forêt mystery series (available for pre-order using the link above) is published on July 5^th