Today is my stop on the blog tour for Without a Trace by Carissa Ann Lynch! Thanks so much to Anne for organising the tour and don't forget to check out the rest of the stops!

Lily’s gone.
Someone took her.
Unless she was she never there…

A little girl has gone missing.
Lily was last seen being tucked into bed by her adoring mother, Nova. But the next morning, the bed is empty except for a creepy toy rabbit.
Has Nova’s abusive ex stolen his “little bunny” back for good?
At first, Officer Ellie James assumes this is a clear custody battle. Until she discovers that there are no pictures of the girl and her drawers are full of unused toys and brand new clothes that have never been worn…
Is Ellie searching for a missing child who doesn’t actually exist?

All it took was a few pages and I knew I was going to love Without a Trace. While a plot around a missing child isn’t new, the way it was approached felt fresh and not like things I’ve read before.
The characters were all well written and the layout of varying perspectives for each chapter really helped to get insights into them. At the start of each chapter it was really clear who was speaking and I didn’t find myself confused or lost at all. I enjoyed reading every single perspective, but I felt that Officer Ellie James’ was the one that I enjoyed most because I felt as though I was learning everything alongside Ellie, and the author made me doubt and question everything in these chapters.
The book was entertaining and had me riveted from the beginning right until the shocking end. I did guess one twist, but if anything, I was more pleased to find out that I had it right! I didn’t come anywhere close to guessing any of the intricate details that made up pieces of the main puzzle though and I really enjoyed the journey to seeing everything come together.
Being vague so that I don’t give too much of the plot away, the themes explored were so important and were handled extremely well by Lynch, with the final few chapters providing plenty to think about.
I’m giving Without a Trace 5 out of 5 and adding it to my five-star favourites shelf! It’s fast-paced, suspenseful and twisty. I really couldn’t fault it!

Carissa Ann Lynch is the USA Today bestselling author of My Sister is Missing, Flocksdales Files trilogy, Horror High series, Searching for Sullivan, Shades and Shadows, Midnight Moss, This Is Not About Love, 13 anthology, Twisted anthology and Without A Trace.
She resides in Floyds Knobs, Indiana with her family and collection of books. With a background in psychology and corrections, she’s always been a little obsessed with the darker areas of the human mind.
 
Website : http://www.carissaannlynchnovels.com/
Twitter : @carissaannlynch

Inspector Maigret receives a series of letters warning of a murder that is going to take place. The letters do not reveal who will die, when it will happen or who will do it. Maigret must trace the letters back to their source before it is too late.

I’ve watched Maigret on television many times but, strangely for me, never actually read the books that it’s based on. So when I received a surprise copy of Maigret Hesitates, along with a note explaining that Penguin were publishing 75 of the books by Georges Simenon with all-new translations, I was really excited to see whether I’d love Inspector Maigret just as much on the page as on screen!
The answer to that is yes, I loved Maigret just as much, if not more! Maigret Hesitates is number 67 in the series, but I managed to read it perfectly well as a standalone. I imagine that the recurring characters would have been even more developed if I’d been reading the books from the very beginning, but as it was, they all came to life on the page. Because of the way that I was able to jump straight in, I think the best thing to do if you want to start this series would be to read some synopses of the books, pick the one that you most like the sound of and start from there!
But back to Maigret Hesitates in particular! At 174 pages, it’s on the shorter side (which in my opinion makes it a great one to start with) and it’s really well paced, drawing you in and then taking you on a journey alongside Maigret to discover the truth about the mysterious letters.
The translation is beautifully done too and Howard Curtis has done a fantastic job bringing Inspector Maigret’s world to life in English.
Overall, I’m giving Maigret Hesitates 4.5 out of 5. It’s sophisticated, vividly written and absorbing. I think I’m going to have to read all of the Inspector Maigret books now!

Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. He is best know in Britain as the author of the Maigret novels and his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Killer You Know by S. R. Masters! Thanks so much to Anne for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

S. R. Masters studied Philosophy at Girton College, Cambridge before working in public health and health behaviour for the NHS. He is a regular contributor to UK short fiction anthology series The Fiction Desk, having won their Writer's Award for his short story Just Kids. His story Desert Walk was included in Penguin Random House USA's Press Start to Play collection and he continues to have short fiction published in a variety of magazines. He grew up around Birmingham but now lives in Oxford with his wife and son.
The Killer You Know is his first novel.
You can find him on Twitter @SRMastersAuthor or on his website http://www.sr-masters.com/​

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Worst Case Scenario by Helen FitzGerald! Thanks so much to Anne for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

Mary Shields is a moody, acerbic probation offer, dealing with some of Glasgow’s worst cases, and her job is on the line.
Imprisoned for murdering his wife, Liam Macdowall has published a series of letters to the dead woman, in a book that has made him an unlikely hero – a poster boy for Men’s Rights Activists.
Liam is released on licence into Mary’s care, but things are far from simple. Mary develops a poisonous obsession with Liam and his world, and when her son and Liam’s daughter form a relationship, Mary will stop at nothing to impose her own brand of justice ... with devastating consequences.

While I watched (and really enjoyed) The Cry when it was on tv, I’ve never actually read anything by Helen FitzGerald before, so I was really excited to get the chance to be on the blog tour for Worst Case Scenario and be able to read my first book by her!
What I really loved about this book was Mary. There’s just something about her which makes her immensely likeable no matter how many questionable decisions she makes. She’s so well developed and memorable and I haven’t read such a character driven book for a while.
Worst Case Scenario is so well written. It’s a short read so I absolutely sped through it, but it’s still got everything important in it. It’s got hilarious dark humour as well as heartbreak and sadness and FitzGerald balances these so brilliantly. It’s also an extremely addictive twisted read and a real rollercoaster ride.
Overall I’m giving Worst Case Scenario 4 out of 5. It’s gritty, dark and outrageously funny. I can’t wait to read more from Helen FitzGerald!

Every marriage has secrets. Everyone has flaws. Your wife isn't perfect - you know that - but then again nor are you.
But now a serial killer is on the loose in your small town, preying on young women. Fear is driving your well-behaved young daughter off the rails, and you find yourself in bed late at night, looking at the woman who lies asleep beside you.
Because you thought you knew the worst about her. The truth is you know nothing at all.

It’s been a little while since I’ve flown through a book as fast as I flew through My Lovely Wife! I was gripped and absolutely raced through it, not wanting to put it down for a second.
It was really riveting and intriguing, giving just enough away to keep me hooked and wanting more. Another thing which kept me reading on was the short chapters which kept the pace fast and unrelenting.
I found it to be a really enjoyable read the whole way through and I was able to completely zone everything out while I was reading and keep my focus solely on the book, which to me indicates a real skill from the author.
I’d usually discuss the main characters a little, but I’m worried I might give too much away if I do, due to the nature of the story. I started reading it after only having read the synopsis and I think that definitely helped me to have a really good experience with this book.
While I did guess the main ‘twist’, this didn’t ruin the book at all and I really enjoyed the lead up to the finale. Furthermore, the final little twist sent my mind spinning and made the book really memorable.
Overall, I’m giving My Lovely Wife 4.5 out of 5. It’s intriguing, suspenseful and has an unrelenting pace. A cracking debut.