Recommended Reads for April

Phew...thanks to a two week break in India I managed to get a LOT of reading done this month. Here's my pick of books published this month.

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The Language of Birds - Jill Dawson

In the summer of 1974, Mandy River arrives in London to make a fresh start and begins working as nanny to the children of one Lady Morven. She quickly finds herself in the midst of a bitter custody battle and the house under siege: Lord Morven is having his wife watched. According to Lady Morven, her estranged husband also has a violent streak, yet she doesn't seem the most reliable witness. Should Mandy believe her?

As Mandy tries to shield her young charges from harm, her friend Rosemary watches from the wings - an odd girl with her own painful past and a rare gift. This time, though, she misreads the signs.

Beautifully written, I found this novel particularly intriguing, as it's based on the events surrounding the disappearance of Lord Lucan. Knowing that the events covered really happened in real life adds an extra dimension to the story, and I found myself gripped. Set in the 70s, it is senstivitely written with a real sense of time - you feel completely immersed in that era. This is the second book I've read recently based on these events, and this one was most enjoyable. 

You can get it here: Amazon

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 The Innocent Ones - Neil White

Three lives cut short. Two decades of silence. One evil secret.

By day, the park rings with the sound of children’s excited laughter. But in the early hours of the morning, the isolated playground is cloaked in shadows – the perfect hiding place to conceal a brutal murder.

When London journalist, Mark Roberts, is found battered to death, the police quickly arrest petty thief, Nick Connor. Criminal defence lawyer, Dan Grant, along with investigator Jayne Brett, are called to represent him – but with bloody footprints and a stolen wallet linking him to the scene, this is one case they’re unlikely to win.

Until help comes from an unlikely source…when the murder victim’s mother says that Connor is innocent, begging Dan and Jayne to find the real perpetrator.

Unravelling the complex case means finding the connection between Mark’s death and a series of child murders in Yorkshire over twenty years ago. Father of two, Rodney Walker, has spent years in prison after being convicted of killing of 6-year-old William and 7-year-old Ruby back in 1997.

The last in the Dan Grant/Jane Brett trilogy, I found myself racing through the pages to get to the finale of this twisty, gripping story. Neil White has a talent for bringing the most incredible characters to life, and when you add that to his excellently crafted plotlines, you're on to a winner. It's a shame this book marks the end of the trilogy, (does it though, Neil? Does it have to be a trilogy? Surely Liz B can persuade you otherwise...) as I would love to see more of these two. 

You can get it here: Amazon

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The Evidence Against You - Gillian McAllister

It's the day Izzy's father will be released from jail.

She has every reason to feel conflicted - he's the man who gave her a childhood filled with happy memories.

But he has also just served seventeen years for the murder of her mother.

Now, Izzy's father sends her a letter. He wants to talk, to defend himself against each piece of evidence from his trial.

But should she give him the benefit of the doubt?

Or is her father guilty as charged, and luring her into a trap?

I always feel madly envious when I read a Gillian McAllister novel, as her writing is so tightly plotted and complex, every part cleverly woven together to leave the reader reeling by the end and this is no exception. Filled with suspense, this is a gripping, emotional read, one that kept me up far too late at night. 

You can get it here: Amazon

Others I have read and loved this month include:

Meet Me at  Number Five - Lisa Hill. Get it here: Amazon

A Book of Bones - John Connolly. Get it here: Amazon

One More Lie - Amy Lloyd. Get it here: Amazon