Book Review: Blind Pursuit By Rob Sinclair
I am absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Rob Sinclair to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his new book, Blind Pursuit.
Callum Murphy thought he was happily married to a corporate consultant…
But when police show up at Callum’s work site, informing him of his wife Lea’s death – his world starts to crumble. And it turns out, her death was just the beginning…
Within a few hours, Callum is told that Lea was, in fact, an MI6 agent who was killed because of intelligence only she had, strangers with guns break into his home and he’s forced to run for his life. Thrust into a terrifying chase across Europe, Callum has to dodge British police and shadowy MI6 operatives who believe he knows more than he’s letting on. All the while trying to piece together the truth about his wife’s final mission.
But the deeper he digs, the more dangerous his situation becomes, forcing him to ask the ultimate question: Who did he marry, and can he trust anything she ever said to him?
*****
Callum loves his wife, Lea. However, when he is told she’s been killed overseas on what he believed to be a business trip, his world starts to unravel quickly. He soon learns that the woman he loved was someone he didn’t really know at all.
I was delighted to be welcomed onto the blog tour for Blind Pursuit, the latest novel by Rob Sinclair. Having not had a chance to read any of his previous books, I didn’t fully know what to expect. All I knew was that the premise sounded very engaging. And boy was it.
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Novel Kicks Book Club: A Song of You and Me By Mike Gayle
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Book Club.
Not only am I excited to be saying hello to March, I want to say how happy I am that you’re joining me for another exciting book pick.
This month’s novel is A Song of You and Me by Mike Gayle.
I have been a fan of this author since I was lent a copy of Mr Commitment back in the early 2000’s. I will always be so grateful for the friend who introduced me to this wonderful author. If you’ve never read any of his novels before, you’re in for a real treat or maybe you’re already a fan? Either way, welcome.
So, how does our Book Club work?
Whether you’re going to be reading this book for the first time or have read it before and want to chat about it, anyone can join, at any point in the month. I’ve put a question in the comments to get the discussion rolling.
See you there.
About A Song of You and Me –
Helen and Ben parted as heartbroken 18-year-olds and went their very separate ways.
by Book Review: The End of the Sahara By Saïd Khatibi
On an early autumn morning in 1988, on the outskirts of an Algerian city on the edge of the desert, a shepherd stumbles upon the lifeless body of Zakia Zaghouani, the stunning nightclub singer at the Sahara Hotel. Suspicion immediately falls on her lover, who is thrown into prison.
The incompetent Inspector Hamid begins an investigation. So does the defense lawyer of the main suspect. Family, friends, and close ones give their testimonies, finding themselves confronted with their past. Secrets, betrayals, grudges, but also dreams and hopes shed light on their connection to the victim.
Each person harbours, for one reason or another, the desire to take revenge on her. So, who really killed Zakia? And what if, behind this woman’s murder, lie secrets so unbearable they could tear an entire community apart?
*****
What starts as a normal morning for an Algerian Shephard ends up being anything but when he finds the body of a young woman. Later identified as Zakia Zaghouani, a singer at the Sahara Hotel, an investigation begins to find her killer.
The premise of this novel was intriguing – a fictional murder mystery set against the real backdrop of the 1988 October Riots in Algeria.
It didn’t take the author long to get me right into the thick of the story. Although it’s main focus is the murder of Zakia, I could feel the rumbles of the riots simmering all the way through the novel. There’s something within the undertones of every description and piece of dialogue. It really did pull me into the situation and gave me a small idea of what it must have been like at that time for the characters in this story.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Titles and Acknowledgements
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.
Today, it’s all about titles and acknowledgements.
Have you been stuck when it comes to beginning your work? Are you in the middle of writing it and have maybe hit a block? This activity could be a fun thing to do to get out of the writing rut or simply give you five minutes away from your WIP for a break.
First, let’s look at titles –
Set a timer for five minutes (even if you already have a title for your WIP),
Write down as many words or titles you can think of when you think about your WIP.
Once this is done, pick the title you like the most or go with the original title you had if you didn’t find one you preferred.
Now put your mind to the time where you’re at the stage where your book is finished and you’re about to publish. The only thing you have to do is to write your acknowledgments. If you’d like, you could also write some pretend endorsements from other writers.
If you’ve been struggling to write, I hope this exercise makes you feel better about your WIP.
Have fun.
by A Moment With… Colin Garrow
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Colin Garrow to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest novel, Overkill.
Edinburgh, Christmas Eve, 1936. A gruesome double murder. A white-faced killer. A mysterious stranger…
Still haunted by his recent past, Professor Finlay MacBeth is called in to assist the police following an horrific double murder. Traces of greasepaint and white cotton lead MacBeth and Inspector Callaghan to the Christmas Circus, but while they search for clues, someone else is watching them.
Meanwhile, bent cop Kilmartin still has MacBeth in his sights…
In this thriller series set in Edinburgh, Overkill is book #2 in the Finlay MacBeth series.
To talk to us about creating a series, it’s over to you, Colin.
Creating a new series is a bit of a challenge for any author – not only must you come up with a bunch of brand-new characters, but you also need to know where they live, what work they do and any interesting pasts they’ve had before appearing fully-formed in a new adventure. I’m not a plotter so never have any kind of outline to work from before I start writing. However, I do need to have a clear idea of the main character. With Metropolis, book one in the Finlay MacBeth series, I spent a lot of time working out who MacBeth might be, where he came from, what skills he might have and what (if any) issues might continue to throw up problems for him (such as being continually haunted by a dead man).
by Book Club
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