Tropical Girl Reads

Title:- Homicide and Halo-Halo

Author:- Mia P. Manansala

Date published:- February 8th 2022

Publisher:- Berkley

No. of pages:- 299 pages

Genre:- Asian American Fiction

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 stars

Writing:- 4/5 stars

Overall rating:- 4 / 5 stars

Death at a beauty pageant turns Tita Rosie’s Kitchen upside down in the latest entry of this witty and humorous cozy mystery series by Mia P. Manansala.

Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can’t bring herself to open her new café after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt’s Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.

To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila’s little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago—a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case—because it looks like one of them might be next.

This is the second book of the Tita Rosie series. I think you would have to read the first book, Arsenic and Adobo before reading the second book.

Now in this book, Lila, the main protagonist is opening up a cafe with her best friend Adeena and Adeena’s girlfriend Elena. Detective Parks visits Lila and tells her about a letter that they received regarding the beauty pageant that is held in Shady Palms every year–in which Lila was also a part of the contest many years ago. Lila joins in the pagent as a judge. Then one of the judges, Rob Thompson was murdered and Lila is set to find out who is responsible for the murder.

This was not as good as the first book, though the descriptions of Filipino cuisne made my mouth water. There were some funny parts in the book which will make you laugh out loud and I do really like the plot and the setting of the story. The story is mainly told from Lila’s perspective. I do like how Lila works out to find out who the killer is and this time she was sort of helping Detective Park especially when her cousin, Bernadette was questioned about Rob Thompson. Overall, I actually enjoyed reading the book, though the mention of the food and the recipes at the back of the book made my mouth water.

With that said, I cannot wait to read the third book and couldn’t see what Lila’s next adventure will be.

Title:- The Other Guest

Author:- Helen Cooper

Date published:- will be published on 16th June 2022

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

No. of pages:- 338 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4.5/5 stars

Writing:- 4/5 stars

Overall rating:- 4.5/5 stars

One year ago, Leah’s twenty-one-year-old niece, Amy, mysteriously drowned near her family-owned luxury resort on the shores of Lake Garda.

Now, returning to Italy for the first time since Amy’s death, Leah is shocked to find her family seem to have erased all reminders of Amy. Despite the murky circumstances, they insist her death was an accident but Leah knows she must look deeper if she is to uncover the truth.

Meanwhile, in Derby, university counsellor Joanna is recovering from a surprising break-up when she is swept off her feet by a handsome bartender. But after she invites him into her home, Joanna is forced to accept that she doesn’t know him as well as she thought.

What follows is a propulsive game of cat-and mouse as both women begin to realise that appearances can be deceptive – and that the darkest secrets often lie closest to home.

Leah’s niece, Amy was drowned in the lake, near the villa in Italy where Amy’s parents own. Leah then moves to Italy and to the villa one year after her niece died. But to her surprise, Amy’s parents and Leah’s niece Olivia seemed to have erased off memories of Amy. The Leah meets Amy’s friend Francesca who gives her a SIM card, where she tells her that Amy before dying had called her. As Leah listened to the voice message, Leah realizes that there are some secrets that are lying in the villa.

Meanwhile in Derby, Joanna a university councillor is dealing with a student’s suicide. While at the bar she meets a handsome stranger who introduces himself as Callum. When Callum gets into the accident, and Joanna agrees to look after him. But soon, she realises that she doesn’t really know Callum much who might be running away from the past.

The story is told from the perspectives of three women–Leah, Joanne and Amy, hours before the sunset, the time when she drowned in the lake. From start to finish, I was engrossed into the book. In the beginning, you wonder what does Joanne got to do with Leah and Amy though towards the middle, you feel the connection between the three women through one man. The story is fast paced though not much twists and turns. Despite the lack of twists and turns, the story is unputdownable and a page turner in my opinion. However, the ending was a bit predictable but then overall, I actually enjoyed reading this thriller based in northern Italy. The descriptions of northern Italy made me feel like I was in Italy. I also like the slightly family drama mentioned in the book, Amy’s relationship with the bartender Nate and the mention of how Olivia may have been sexually abused by one of the guests all made a juicy unputdownable thriller.

If you like a thriller baded in a holiday villa, then this book is one for you. Looking forward to read more books from this author. Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Helen Cooper is a writer of psychological thrillers from Derby, England.

She has taught English and Academic Writing in both Further and Higher Education and was Head of Learning Enhancement at the University of Birmingham. She has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University and has been published in Writers’ Forum, Mslexia, the Lincolnshire Echo and Derbyshire Life. She was shortlisted for the Bath Short Story Prize in 2014 and came third in the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize in 2018. The Downstairs Neighbour is her first novel.

Helen has also co-authored two books on academic writing for university students, ‘Where’s Your Argument?’ and ‘Using Feedback to Boost Your Grades’, published by Macmillan International and written in collaboration with Michael Shoolbred.

Title:- The Woman In The Library

Author:- Sulari Gentill

Date published:- will be published on 7th June 2022

Publisher:- Poisoned Pen Press

No. of pages:- 288 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5 stars

Writing:- 4/5 stars

Character:- 3.5/ 5 stars

Overall rating:-

In every person’s story, there is something to hide…

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

A thriller/mystery set inside a library? A dead body inside a library? Sign me up!

Winifred known as Freddie is an aspiring novelist trying to write her novel inside Boston Public Library. While in the library, she meets Cain, Marigold and Whit, three fellow novelists and while they were getting to know each other, they heard a woman screaming. Few minutes later, they find out that a woman was murdered and the woman’s name is Caroline. The police suspect Cain as the murderer as he had a prison record and that Caroline’s father was the judge at his hearing. Freddie who is in love with Cain is the only one who believes in innocence while the rest of them thinks Cain is capable of murder.

To my huge utter suprise–I actually enjoyed reading this book and this book is actually quite unputdownable! From start to finish, I actually was literally hooked into the story. The writing was spot on, with those twist and thrills that you wouldn’t even expect. And as the story progresses, you actually wonder–is Cain the real murderer or is someone framing him? Or is Freddie that naive? Really love the thrill concept of this novel!

I do like the setting and the plot of the story. I also like the fact that Freddie is an Australian and is getting used to the American accent–something which I can also relate with Freddie during my own stay in the United States (I had a British accent when I spoke in English that time). I really also think this was a unique sort of story which I actually enjoyed very much and I like how one meeting could really bring the people together, creating lifelong friend (or enemy)

I also wonder–maybe it’s just me the letters addressed to Hannah written by Leo at the end of each chapter–truly I am slightly confused but then towards the middle I kind of beginning to start those letters. Overall, I enjoyed this book so much that I couldn’t even put the book down!

If you like a book based inside a library with a thriller setting, this book is one for you–worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Title:- Lying Beside You (Cyrus Haven series Book 3)

Author:- Michael Robotham

Date published:- will be published on June 23rd 2022

Publisher:- Sphere

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4.5/5 stars

Writing:- 4.5/5 stars

Character:- 4/5 stars

Overall Rating:-

Twenty years ago, Cyrus Haven’s family was murdered and only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he was the killer.

Now Elias is being released from a secure psychiatric hospital and Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, must decide if he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood.

As he prepares for the homecoming, Cyrus is called to a crime scene in Nottingham. A man is dead and his daughter, Maya, is missing. Then a second woman is abducted. The only witness is Evie Cormac, a troubled teenager with a gift for knowing when people are lying.

Both missing women have dark secrets that Cyrus must unravel to find them – and he and Evie know how the past can come back to haunt you . . .

This is the third book of the Cyrus Haven and the first time I am reading the series. And I have to say, I think I am going to be addictedto this series–it was really gripping and good!

In this book, we are going to get a small insight of Cyrus life when he almost experienced a near death incident–his older brother Elvis murdered their parents and their twin sisters brutally years ago and was sent to a mental asylum. Now years later, Elvis was found sane to be released into the environment and was taken under Cyrus’s care. Meanwhile, an elderly man was brutally killed and his daughter Maya Kirk goes missing. The police are clueless if Maya ran away or was being held hostage somewhere. Evie, a troubled teenager starts working in a bar and then she sees a woman named Daniela getting into a car and was never seen again. Daniela also has some ties with Maya. No one believes in Evie except Cyrus and…maybe the killer.

The story is told from Cyrus and Evie’s point of view, with Evie trying to make Cyrus meet someone and Cyrus was the only person that Evie seemed to trust. The book itself was fast paced, with twists and turns that will make you feel like you are on the edge of the seat. I was literally hooked into the book from start to finish and the author’s writing was really great! What got me more interested is towards the end of the book, when the climax starts to build with secrets of the women who were being abducted revealed. Overall, it was as if I was watching some action movie and that the ending was whopping mind blowing!

Overall, if you like a fast paced thriller and a page turner thriller, this book is one for you. Worth complete five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Two-times Gold Dagger winner (2015 and 2020), twice Edgar best novel finalist (2016 and 2020) and winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (2021), Michael Robotham began his writing career as an investigative journalist working across Britain, Australia and America. Later he became a ghostwriter, collaborating on 15 ‘autobiographies’ for politician, pop stars, soldiers and adventurers. Twelve of these books became Sunday Times bestsellers.

Michael’s psychological thrillers have been translated into twenty-five languages and his Joe O’Loughlin series is are currently in development for TV by World Productions. A six-part TV series based upon his standalone novel THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS was aired on BBC1 in 2020.

Michael has twice won the prestigious Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger for GOOD GIRL BAD GIRL (2020) and LIFE OR DEATH (2015). He has twice been shortlisted for the Edgar Award for best crime fiction novel in the US, and twice won the Ned Kelly Award for Australia’s Crime Novel of the Year. Having twice been shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, he won the thriller prize with WHEN SHE WAS GOOD (2021).

Michael lives in Sydney with his wife and a diminishing number of dependent daughters.

Title:- The Lost Ones (Detective Jackie Cook series Book 1)

Author:- Marnie Riches

Date published:- will be published on June 7th 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 338 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Plot rating:- 4.5/5 stars

Writing rating:- 4/5 stars

Character rating:- 4.5/5 stars

Overall rating:- 4.5 /5 stars

The girl is sitting upright, her dark brown hair arranged over her shoulders and her blue, blue eyes staring into the distance. She looks almost peaceful. But her gaze is vacant, and her skin is cold…

When Detective Jackie Cooke is called to the murder scene, she has to choke back tears. Missing teenager Chloe Smedley has finally been found – her body left in a cold back yard, carefully posed with her bright blue eyes still open. Jackie lays a protective hand on the baby in her belly, who seems to kick out in anguish, and vows to find the brutal monster who stole Chloe’s future.

Breaking the news to Chloe’s mother is heartbreaking, and Jackie is haunted by the woman’s cries. She knows too well the terrible pain of losing a loved one: her own brother went missing as a child, the case never solved. Determined to get justice for Chloe and her family, Jackie sets to work, finding footage of the girl waving at someone the day she disappeared. Did Chloe know her killer?

But then a second body is found on the side of a busy motorway, lit up by passing cars. The only link with Chloe is the shocking way the victim has been posed, and the mutilated body convinces Jackie she is searching for a disturbed and dangerous predator. Someone has been hunting missing and vulnerable people for decades, and only Jackie seems to see that they were never lost. They were taken.

Jackie’s boss refuses to believe a serial killer is on the loose and threatens to take her off the case. But then Jackie returns home to find a brightly coloured bracelet on her kitchen counter and her blood turns to ice. It’s the same one her brother was wearing when he vanished. Could his disappearance be connected to the murders? Jackie will stop at nothing to catch her killer… unless he finds her first…

This is the first book of the Detective Jackie Cooke series.

The story starts with the discovery of a body of a girl named Chloe who was mutilated. Chloe was suffering from Down’s Syndrome and when Chloe’s mother cried over the death of her daughter, Jackie was determined to bring justice. But then a second body was found, murdered in the similar fashion and Jackie thinks she is dealing with a serial killer. Meanwhile, her boss threatens to cut her off from the case as she refused to believe that there’s a killer on loose.

The writing was spot on! The author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story and making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. The story is fast paced though in my opinion not much of twists and turns that I would like to see in a psychological thriller. Nonetheless, what I really liked about this book is the diverse cast of characters–Jackie’s partners Dave who is I supposed is Chinese and Shazia who is a Muslim so I do like the diversity in the book. Besides solving the crimes, I do like the personal life of Jackie–how her husband left her for another woman and how she was dealing with her pregnancy while solving and chasing after a killer. It was, in my opinion a unique thing in the book. Overall, though the ending was predictable, I liked the ending.

If you are looking for a start of a detective series, then I will recommend this series–worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Marnie Riches grew up on a rough estate in north Manchester. Exchanging the spires of nearby Strangeways prison for those of Cambridge University, she gained a Masters in German & Dutch. She has been a punk, a trainee rock star, a pretend artist and professional fundraiser.

Her best-selling, award-winning George McKenzie crime thrillers, tackling the subject of trans-national trafficking, were inspired by her own time spent in The Netherlands. Dubbed the Martina Cole of the North, she is also the author of Born Bad and The Cover-Up – the critically acclaimed hit series about Manchester’s notorious gangland.

Tightrope is the start of a brand new series, set mainly in the famous footballer-belt of Hale, Cheshire, and introducing flawed but fearless northern PI, Bev Saunders who risks everything to fight the corner of her vulnerable client. A second Bev Saunders novel will follow in early 2020. So far, Marnie has sold an impressive 250,000 books and counting…

When she isn’t writing gritty, twisty crime-thrillers, Marnie also regularly appears on BBC Radio Manchester, commenting about social media trends and discussing the world of

Title:- The Gosling Girl

Author:- Jacqueline Roy

Date published:- January 20th 2022

Publisher:- Simon and Schuster

No. of pages:- 397 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller/Black American Fiction

Content Warning:- Child Murder, Abuse, Racism

Plot rating:- 4/5 stars

Writing rating:- 4.5/5 stars

Characters rating:- 4/5 stars

OVERALL RATING:- 4/ 5 STARS

Monster?                    Murderer?
 
Child?                         Victim?
 
Michelle Cameron’s name is associated with the most abhorrent of crimes. A child who lured a younger child away from her parents and to her death, she is known as the black girl who murdered a little white girl; evil incarnate according to the media. As the book opens, she has done her time, and has been released as a young woman with a new identity to start her life again. 
 
When another shocking death occurs, Michelle is the first in the frame. Brought into the police station to answer questions around a suspicious death, it is only a matter of time until the press find out who she is now and where she lives and set about destroying her all over again.
 
Natalie Tyler is the officer brought in to investigate the murder. A black detective constable, she has been ostracised from her family and often feels she is in the wrong job. But when she meets Michelle, she feels a complicated need to protect her, whatever she might have done.
 
The Gosling Girl is a moving, powerful account of systemic, institutional and internalised racism, and of how the marginalised fight back. It delves into the psychological after-effects of a crime committed in childhood, exploring intersections between race and class as Michelle’s story is co-opted and controlled by those around her. Jacqueline writes with a cool restraint and The Gosling Girl is a raw and powerful novel that will stay with the reader long after they have turned the last page.

I listened to this as an audiobook. The story somewhat left some thoughts that greatly upset me.

In the story, we were first introduced to a character named Michelle Cameron, who was released from the prison. She was in prison for the murder of a four year old Carrie Gosling, which she committed when she was just ten years old. Now an adult, Michelle is living under the name Samantha and is friends with a girl named Lucy, whom she met while they were both in prison. Then Lucy was found murdered and Michelle was the prime suspect and her past came back haunting her.

What I like about the book is how realistic this book. Though it’s a work of fiction, you can see the reality of the whole story. Michelle was half-white half Black and throughout her entire life, she will be known as the “black” girl who lured the “white” girl and murdered her. The story basically focuses on Michelle’s life after prison, and how she still had to live under the shadows. In this book, we question about racism in the society and how the society is able to quickly judge and pinpoint the blame on the minority instead of blaming on the majority “white” population. We also learn in the story through Michelle’s account that a “white” girl named Jessie was also present when Carrie was murdered and that she too had a role in the murder, though Jessie was never charged, which brings us question as to how fair the justice system actually works. In real life, this is really true as we see how many black or minority people were sent to prison and blamed easily for the crimes they would have or wouldn’t have committed.

Here along with Michelle we were introduced two more characters–Natalie Tyler a cop and a black cop who is assigned to be Michelle’s parole officer and Zoe, a white woman who wants to write a book about Michelle, hearing her side of the story. We see Natalie’s struggle as a black cop, adjusting to the justice system. Overtime, towards the end, we see some development of friendship between Michelle and Natalie. Zoe, in my opinion was a mistrusting character–though we see that she was adamant that she wanted to write Michelle’s side of the opinion, we wouldn’t know what her true intentions were.

As for Lucy’s murder, I am not sure if it was solved–I am not sure if I actually missed that part. We see how Michelle slowly try to adjust a normal life but every time someone gets to know her past, Michelle was forced to move from place to place. You could actually see all the emotional struggles Michelle was going through as she actually had no real or trustworty friends she could turn to, even after her boyfriend, Ryan betrayed her by telling about her past to one of his friends Amber.

The writing was spot on–excellent as the writer manages to take the reader into the story. All the character, particularly Michelle Cameron is a very complex character that despite the crime she committed, as a reader you actually feel sorry for her. Overall, if you like heartbreaking and emotional thrillers, The Gosling Girl might be for you. Overall, worth four stars.

Jacqueline Roy was born and raised in London. Her father was Jamaican and her mother was English. She lectured in English at Manchester Metropolitan University for many years, teaching Postcolonial Literatures and Creative Writing. She writes fiction for both adults and children.

Title:- Birthday Girl

Author:- Niko Wolf

Date published:- will be published on 7th June 2022

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

No. of pages:- 307 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Jonathan’s wife disappeared more than twenty years ago. Now he’s seeing her everywhere . . .

New York in the 1990s – impoverished writer Jonathan Dainty takes his wife Maddie out to the beach for her birthday. Hours later he finds himself at the local police precinct trying to explain how on earth he let his wife get into a stranger’s car, and allowed it to drive her away.

More than twenty years later, Maddie is presumed dead and Jonathan has channelled his grief into a best-selling series of crime novels. As far as he can, he is living the perfect life.

Then one day he catches a glimpse of his dead wife, moving through a throng of people. Is Maddie alive? Has she come back? And why does no one believe him? As Jonathan attempts to uncover the truth, it soon becomes clear that the people closest to him are hiding something, something that could change everything . . .

The propulsive thriller from debut talent Niko Wolf, perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Blood Orange

In the 1990’s, Jonathan is a struggling writer and Maddie, his wife is an aspiring actress. Then one day, Maddie gets into the stranger’s car and disappears. Jonathan was trying to explain the police about his wife’s disapperance and soon comes to term that his wife maybe is dead. Many years later, Jonathan is now a sucessful writer. One day, among the throng of people, he spotted Maddie. He believed that she was still alive but was not sure why she was avoiding him. No one else seemed to believe that Maddie was alive but soon find that his closest friends might be hiding something.

I do like the plot but then I found this slightly boring. The story shifts between present and past–the past his life with Maddie, the time of her disappearance and how he ended up becoming a successful author. This wasn’t much fast paced and not much twists and turns you would normally expect in a thriller. But then it wasn’t really bad either–the writing was great and the plot was good as I mentioned before. The ending, well, in my opinion or maybe it was just me was slightly confusing.

Overall, it my opinion, it was an OK thriller and worth three stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Title:- Six Graves (DI Kim Stones series Book 16)

Author:- Angela Marsons

No. of pages:- 424 pages

Date published:- will be published on May 17th 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

It’s a typical teenage bedroom with posters covering the walls and clothes littering the floor. But the girl lying on her bed, wearing a delicate chain around her neck, is lifeless. A circle of red stains her white vest top. How had the girl’s mother looked down at her sleeping child and pulled the trigger?

When Detective Kim Stone rushes to the scene of a house fire, she’s shocked to discover it’s claimed the lives of two teenage children and their parents. But this tragedy is not quite as it seems. Each body is marked by a gunshot wound and the mother, Helen Daynes, is holding the gun.

The case sparks painful childhood memories for Kim who suffered at the hands of her own abusive mother, but it just makes her more determined to uncover the truth. As Kim untangles Helen’s past, she finds a history of clinical depression. But did it drive Helen to murder her loved ones?

Then Kim uncovers a tiny, vital clue in Helen’s bedroom that throws the investigation wide open. Could someone else have killed the Daynes family?

Just as Kim feels she’s making progress, a deadly threat is made to her own life by a dangerous psychopath from her past. Biting back her fear, she keeps digging. And when Kim hits upon a shocking secret that changes everything she thought she knew about Helen, she realises that the remaining family members are in grave danger.

Kim is under pressure like never before, and the monster circling her is getting ever closer. Four bodies already. Four graves fresh in the ground. Who will be next? Can Kim find the killer and save herself before it’s too late?

This is the first time I started reading Detective Kim Stone series and I have to say, this has become one of my favorite series even though I started from Book 16!

Kim Stone rushes to a crime scene where a house is on fire and two teenagers were found dead. The police suspect that Helen Deyner, the mother who has been suffering from clinical depression was responsible for the fire and deaths as the gun that was used was found in her hands. But when they find a clue, they believe that someone else was responsible for the murders. Meanwhile, a ruthless person from Kim’s past comes back, determined to pay revenge on Kim…

From start to finish, I was literally hooked into the story. I can understand why this series became so popular. It was fast paced with twists and thrills that you didn’t expect and the author has done a good job putting the reader at the edge of the seat. I felt like I was watching some sort of thriller movie on the TV and felt like going on a roller coaster ride while reading the book. The ending…the ending was completely unexpected–I did not expect that type of ending at all!! The book was really awesome and Detective Kim Stone has become one of my favorite detectives. Now I am literally looking forward to read more of Detective KIm Stone series.

Overall, if you like fast paced thrillers with a female police officer as a main character, then this book is one for you. Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 5 million in 7 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.