Month: August 2025

Geneva by Richard Armitage

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Let’s be honest, a lot of us are a little suspicious when we see a celebrity name on a book. It may not stop us reading them but it may mean we have a different mindset when we start reading, potentially. I was probably the same when I picked up Geneva by Richard Armitage and in doing so discovered that it was a very enjoyable thriller.

This is a thriller that I can see being on the big screen. It has everything that you look for in a traditional thriller and it is brought bang up to date. The usual issue, writing a post that does not contain a spoiler. However, I suppose it is OK to say that this is a thriller that involves pharmacetucal companies, lies, deceit and characters who are possibly never who they seem to be.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints and that certainly kept me reading as you experience what the characters are experiencing, and that adds to the thrill as you may know something that they don’t know. You find yourself hoping that they uncover it soon, otherwise you know what the consequences may be.

The title ‘Geneva’ is very apt as the place is almost a character in this book. You would not have some of the thrills you have without the atmospheric setting of the story. The darkness, the snow and the moutains bring as much of a thrill to the tale as the action does.

In the acknowledgments Richard Armitage thanks Harlan Coben for encouraging him to write this story – and I think we should all be grateful to Harlan Coben for that as it has brought us a thriller with a little of a feel of the stories of the adventure thrillers of the golden age (a real Paul Temple feel), but it is bang up to date. And that vibe and style to the story really added to the enjoyment of the book for me.

However, I think I have to be honest that, since I found out that Richard Armitage and Nicola Walker read the audiobook, that is exactly who the two central characters were in my head when I was reading it. And that is no bad thing – and, I guess, perfect for a possible TV or film adaptation…

Ever After by Amanda Prowse

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was lucky enough to get a place on Tandem Collective UK’s readalong for the new book from the pen of Amanda Prowse – including being gifted a copy of the new book. I was incredibly excited by this opportunity as I was lucky enough to meet Amanda earlier this year at ‘The Book Taster Live’, and she was an absolute joy.

‘Ever After’ was an absolute joy to read. Enya is dealing with the loss of her husband Jonathan, the clear love of her life, when her son throws a curve ball and sends his life down a path that nobody was expecting. This leads to quite some fallout for Enya for a number of reasons, and there is another shock in store for all involved. Alongside this, Enya has met Dominic, but this causes some conflict for Enya as she deeply loved Jonathan and she soon finds out that who Dominic is may not be quite as a straightforward as she thought. I know this may all seem a little secretive as a summary, but I do not want to spoil this book for anyone; we all know I do not read blurbs and, for me, that added to the enjoyment of this book because it meant that every moment and event was a surprise for me – there was even an audible gasp at a couple of points.

I have to give a special mention to Enya: I think she is one of the most wonderful characters I have ever read and she reminded me of Amanda Prowse herself. Enya is such a kind and wise soul, who has so much love for her friends and family – especially her family. But, what really struck me was her quiet strength – and what a role model she would be for anyone who knew her. I just adored her and think she is one of my favourite characters that I have met on the pages of a book.

I have noticed that creating characters is something that is so special in Amanda Prowse’s books. She really seems to see people, their hopes and dreams, their fears and worries and from this she creates such genuine and believable characters. This works alongside the relationships that her characters form, too; they are always so accurate and reflect relationships that many of us may have encountered in our lives. Such a skill for a writer.

Athough I only discovered the books of Amanda Prowse this year, I feel so lucky that I have done, because there is such a backlist of books for me to enjoy, I do not think I will be running out of reading material any time soon – which always makes for a happy bookworm. Alongside this, Amanda’s engagement and support during this readalong has made every one of us feel very special, and added to the joy of being part of this experience.

So, in conclusion, I absolutely adored this book. It was just such an enjoyable read and I loved every moment of it; I could not wait each day to read the pages for the day and see how the story was going to unfold. I will be recommending this to so many people, because I think it is a book that needs to be shared.

The New Neighbours by Claire Douglas

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was very happy that a new book by Claire Douglas was out for us to read this summer season. I was even happier because it still had front doors on the cover – I am actually obsessed with these covers to Clare Douglas’ books and I think if they ever stop being front doors, I may be inconsolable. But I digress, let’s talk about this book (with some difficulty, as it is a thriller – haha).

‘The New Neighbours’ had been picked for the IRL book club and, although I had been unable to attend the last one, I am over the moon that this is what they picked. I started it Sunday afternoon and I had finished it by Monday evening. It had me reading past my bedtime, as well as reading when I should probably have been doing other things. I had some train journeys and it came with me on them because I just had to keep reading it (trains had become Kindle zones because it is just easier – as much as I am still rather anti-Kindle, I am not anti-being able to have multiple books with me on any form of public transport).

This was such a fantastic thriller. And, I will be honest, I did not see where it was going, although in hindsight there were plenty of clues, but I was just so absorbed in the escapism of the story, I do not think my brain was in gear to try and solve it.

Lena meets her new neighbours, Marielle and Henry, who seem charming and just the sort of couple you would like living next door. However, as you would suspect, they are not all they seem to be and Lena ends up with a whole list of suspicions and worries about the new neighbours. This leads us into a pacy thriller where nothing is ever quite as it seems and the ending: ‘oh my’ – I love a slightly creepy ending.

I am afraid that is all I can give you about the story with my no-spoiler policy. However, I can say that this is a well-written page-turner that I am pretty sure will be loved by anyone who enjoys a thriller, but especially by those who love Claire Douglas’ books. I think it could possibly be one of my favourites of her novels.

So, in simple terms: thriller fans, this is the book for you.

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I am sure you will have seen ‘The Safekeep’ around. It won the 2025’s Women’s prize, and I can totally see why. Any book where the title can have multiple meanings in relation to the text is a winner to me – and there are really a number of ways you can interpret the title of this book, as well as the original meaning of the title. Which I am not sure I can tell you, as I think that could well be a little bit of a spoiler for the final part of the book.

This is a beautifully written, well-constructed story. We meet Isa, who is living like a recluse in her childhood home that her family moved into during the war. She has very little contact with the outside world, other than with her two brothers and her regular maid; she is suspicious of the outside world, and feels she needs to keep the home safe. Until the arrival of her brother Louis’ latest girlfriend, who moves in with Isa and turns her life upside down.

Their relationship is explored in detail, as Isa learns more about herself than she has for most of her life. And it also forces her to reflect on her past. But once her houseguest, Eva, leaves, Isa finds out the truth about her famly home – and this forces her to reflect on her family and country’s history.

The safekeep means so much in this book, or as I read it, it does. And I am not sure I should explore them in this blog post, as I fear it may take away from the reading experience for anyone who would like to read it, but it definitely forced me to reflect a little more about this book and not just take it at face value.

This is a good book, and I can see why it is a prize winner. And the final part of the story that brings it all together is excellent, but it is a complex book, and I am not sure how you would categorise it, as it seems to cross a number of genres. I have seen it described as a thriller, but I am not sure I would say that; it has also been seen as historical fiction (with its 1960s setting), but I am not sure I would even call it that. I think it is an excellent piece of literary fiction that needs to be read for anyone to be able to form any kind of judgement about it, because I suspect it is a very different reading experience for each reader.

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Although the good old British public transport system conspired against me and prevented me from being able to attend a recent Holly Jackson event, it did not prevent me from getting my copy of her new book, ‘Not Quite Dead Yet’. Holly Jackson is an autobuy author for me, and as we all know, I do not read blurb, so I had all I knew about this story from the title (very apt) and the cover, but that was enough for me.

I absolutely devoured this book from the moment I picked it up. Holly Jackson writes some really incredible crime/thriller books, and this one did not disappoint. For a first adult fiction book, it was brilliant and did not lose any of the great storytelling that Holly Jackson has given us in YA fiction. It is not a spoiler that this book is about Jet Mason having seven days to solve her own murder (which adds a whole other level of peril to the usual peril you find in these books), and that is exactly what she aims to do.

Jet is a great strong female lead character, who does not let anyone else try to decide her destiny for her, as all she wants is to ensure that the person responsible for her murder is brought to justice. As she does this, it opens a Pandora’s Box of secret and lies about her family and the town she has grown up in. That is about as much as I can give you, as this is a spoiler-free blog. But you will want to read it to find out exactly what it is Jet uncovers as she searches for her murderer.

What I will say about this book is that I am not sure all the secrets were a complete surprise. I was suspicious of one character fairly early on, however, not quite for the right reason. And I love that about a whodunnit: you can make your predictions, you can follow the clues, and you can make your decisions, which may not always be right, but it does all make you reflect on how you got there.

In my humble opinion, Holly Jackson has made the transition from YA to adult fiction successfully, and hopefully this has brought her books to a whole new audience. Although, to be honest, I think many of us adults had read the YA too, but there may be some of you out there who haven’t, so can I suggest you read ‘Not Quite Dead Yet’, because it is definitely worth it.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

‘The Wedding People’ was recommended by Clare Pooley at the last Book Taster Live event – so I knew it was a book I had to read. And when a book buddy suggested that we give it a go for a buddy read, I knew I could not turn down the chance. A book about a woman who ends up as an unexpected guest at quite an ‘extra’ wedding does sound like quite an incredible idea for a book.

I have to be honest, as I started the book, I thought I was not going to like it, and that it was at risk of being a DNF. However, there is a moment after the first few pages where the book just clicks and I struggled to put it down, as I wanted to know what was going to happen next to our cast of characters, or what secret was about to let out into the world next. In fact, as I read this book, I could clearly visualise it as being a film. Some of the humourous scenes are so well written, that I could just see it on the big screen (a moment with a boat and a funeral for a virtual pet was one such moment).

This is a very character-led book, so it was not one that could be read in small speedy chunks. You need to dedicate some reading time to this book and as you read it the time will fly. Alison Espach manages to have every character you could imagine at this wedding, and I am pretty sure you will see people you know in this book. However, it also really successfully tackles topics such as loneliness, even when you are surrounded by people and family relationships of all kinds. It makes it quite a touching read at points, and you really see the characters develop and change as you progress through the book. It is especially fantastic to see Phoebe become who she is at the end of the book, despite the difficult start that she has.

I am not sure that this book was anything that I thought it would be and, although one plot point is fairly obvious, it is still a book that may surprise. This is a piece of contemporary fiction that deserves to be read and I hope many more readers pick it up and enjoy, because it is good fun as a read.

Into the Fire by G. D. Wright

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I spotted ‘Into the Fire’ by G. D. Wright on Bookstagram a number of times and it has a rather attractive cover, so I felt I had to give it a go.

This book starts rather dramatically with our hero (or so we think), Steve, rescuing a baby boy from a house fire. Creating a media frenzy, as you would expect, Steve, the quiet, unassuming family man, is thrown into the spotlight and is the centre of a media circus. This leads to the secrets of Steve’s past coming to light – and the question soon becomes: is Steve a hero or a villain?

Told from multiple perspectives, we see the story unfold, and how it impacts a number of different characters, including the detective (always great to have a strong female detective), who has a connection to the current case and a cold case. This is not so much a whodunnit but a whydunnit: why is Steve both a hero and villain? Why have things about his past stayed hidden for so long? Why does anyone do some of the things that they do – especially the most extreme?

There is also a clear study of multiple relationships – family, friend, perpetrator and victim; professional, police and public. And the idea of trust is considered throughout the book: who do we trust and why do we trust them?

A moment at the very end of the book is a twist I was not expecting, although the author resvisits the clues for you and, actually, other readers may have picked it up, but I did not. I was not sure this twist was needed as it happened but, as I finished the book, I could understand this decision and why it was as it was, and actually what it brought to the story. Even if in the moment it was a little bit of a shock, and felt as though it might be there just for shock factor.

It always seems strange to say that I enjoyed a book with some dark subjects and events, but this was a good read; I would advise that maybe you should check the trigger warnings before you read this, as, for some people, it may be a slightly more difficult read.

I would certainly read more G. D. Wright books, and have already looked up what else has been written – because, as we know, you can never have enough books.