📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ Scare Me to Death by C J Carver

 

📖 Happy Publication Day 📖 

Bloodhound Books
9 April 2021

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

A homemade bomb exploded mid-air, killing 214 people on board. Thirteen people survived.

Sixteen years later one of the survivors is found brutally bludgeoned to death. It looks like a crime of passion but DC Lucy Davies knows something is wrong. They were trying to find the bombers.

Lucy’s search for the killer brings her into conflict with her long lost father – who has his own secrets. Dangerous secrets which Lucy must expose so she can confront a vicious murderer with only one thing on their mind.

To keep on killing to stop the truth from getting revealed.

My thoughts..

A bomb explodes mid-air killing most of those on board flight EG220 in Morocco, and for the thirteen survivors, life will never be the same again. Sixteen years later one of the survivors is found dead in brutal circumstances which, once again, opens up the air disaster to scrutiny, not just as part of a murder investigation but there are also personal reasons why retired MI5 agent Dan Forrester is involved along with DC Lucy Davies who has been attached to the investigative team in London.

The story moves along at a cracking pace, moving effortlessly, at times, between London and Morocco, with some interesting interludes in between which keep you guessing. There is much to take in and this complex investigation has more than enough twists and turns which help to build up the tension. I enjoyed how the story wasn't all about a murder investigation although that is central to the story there were other sections which explain the complexity of both Lucy and Dan's rather complicated personalities. They are both rather maverick, and more inclined to work better alone rather than part of a team, but this compliments, rather than compromises the way the plot develops.

Those who have read the previous books in the Forrester series will be well acquainted with Forrester and Davies, so their complex relationship will come as no surprise, however, it is perfectly possible to read Scare Me to Death with no prior knowledge of what has gone before but, of course, as with all series, it is far better to start at the beginning in order to understand how the characters have grown and developed their personalities over time.

I have thoroughly enjoyed piecing together all the jigsaw puzzle pieces of Scare Me to Death and was gripped from the beginning as the story only grew stronger and more complex as it progressed. Cleverly crafted and expertly put together Scare Me To Death is an action packed adventure which enthralls from start to finish.

About the Author

C J Carver was lucky enough to win the CWA Debut Dagger for her first novel Blood Junction, which was also shortlisted for the Barry Award. Since then, she has written a further fifteen novels, including Spare Me the Truth which was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award.

She began her writing career as a travel writer and is also an international rally driver (she  drove London to Saigon and London to Cape Town) which means she can write a pretty authentic car chase! Being half a Kiwi, C J Carver used to live in Australia, but now lives just outside of Bath.

Website

Twitter @C_J_Carver

@Bloodhoundbooks

Review ~ Spare Me the Truth by C J Carver

Zaffre Books
2016

Three strangers. Countless secrets. One deadly truth.

Dan Forrester is just an ordinary man out doing the family shop but when he is approached by a woman who looks vaguely familiar, some distant memory is triggered, and when she tells him things about himself, almost against his better judgement, Dan is intrigued.

Lucy Davies, is a bit of a rebel, a police officer who has been banished from the Met to a provincial posting in the North East, where she becomes involved in a series of mysterious killings which seemingly have no motive, but with a point to prove, Lucy sets out to solve the mystery, but at what cost?

Grace Reavey is grieving after the sudden death of her mother, but when shadows of her mother's past start to encroach on Grace's present, she has no choice but to do as she is told, by people who mean her harm.

On the surface these three people have nothing whatsoever in common but in a very cleverly controlled plot, and with a spider’s web of conspiracies and counter plots, the story starts to come together. There is much to take in, as it’s one of those tightly twisted and convoluted stories, so you really have to take notice of what’s being said and done, and look for hidden references which, a few pages down the line start to make sense.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I was really impressed by her ease of storytelling and her ability to draw me into the story from the beginning. The plot is well controlled and there are lots of twists and turns which kept me guessing all the way through, and I really enjoyed trying to puzzle out how all the complicated pieces of the jigsaw fitted together. Overall, there is a genuine edginess to the story which grips tight and which never lets up the pace until the story is dramatically concluded.

Memories shape our world; they make us the people we are, allowing us the comfort of remembering good times whilst at the same time protecting us from the bad. Imagine then, if you have no recollection of times past, and if the only detail you have of yourself, is what your loved ones are telling you.  The idea of suppressed memory and drug altering amnesia is an interesting concept and the author goes a long way to demonstrate just how this rather scary scenario could become a very frightening possibility. 

Best Read With…A bowl of noodles, spicy with chillies and ginger, and a chocolate reindeer…

About the Author

C J Carver is the best selling author of seven crime fiction novels including Blood Junction. She has won the CWA debut dagger and the Barry Award for Best British Crime Fiction.

Find out more on C J Carver's website

Follow on Twitter @C_J_Carver

You can read a guest post by the author here

My thanks to the publishers, Zaffre,  for my review copy of this book.

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Blog Tour ~ Spare Me The Truth by C J Carver

Jaffareadstoo is excited to be part of the 

Spare Me The Truth 

Blog Tour

Zaffre
7th April 2016

I am delighted that the author is sharing the five novels which have inspired her 

Five novels that have inspired me:
by
CJ Carver

1) When the Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith

When I was a kid, I read all my Dad’s books and since he was addicted to thrillers and adventure stories, I guess it was inevitable I would be too. Eric Ambler, John le Carré, Ken Follet, I gobbled them up, but when I fell on Wilbur Smith I thought all my dreams had come true. I didn’t think I’d ever read such an action-packed story. Rampaging through the jungles of East Africa, vanquishing lion and crocodile, falling in love and out was the Courtney family and I loved them all. This trilogy didn’t just get me to Africa, it had a major effect on what I write today. I love writing big action scenes and exploring family conflicts.

2) Odds Against, Dick Francis

Galloping adventure stuff I thoroughly enjoyed as a teen and an adult (you can see a theme developing here) but what I found magical was that Francis’s books were written from the viewpoint of an “ordinary” person thrown into extraordinary circumstances, which is exactly what happens to my character Dan Forrester in Spare Me The Truth.

A lot of people think Francis is lightweight, but his fast plots and authentic backgrounds in my view were outstanding. His books weren’t long, and they introduced me to punchy, no holds-barred storytelling. Now that, I remember thinking, is what I want to write: page turners.

3) I Robot by Isaas Asimov

The fact I enjoy sci-fi movies so much stems from this book. It was like peering into a looking-glass and seeing what the future might hold. I was fascinated by the three laws of robotics, and how a robot could struggle to fulfil each without hurting a human. On hindsight, I see most of my books have a science element in them, something futuristic, and in Spare Me the Truth it’s a memory-erasing drug that isn’t sci-fi but will, one day, become all too real.

4) Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith

This has to be one of the classic thrillers of all time, the quintessence of the genre. Cruz Smith has outstanding style and a unique voice that transported me into a previously unknown world of ice and snow and murder. Amid the pitiless character of the Soviet regime and the grinding poverty is a series of fascinating characters. Nearly everyone we meet dreams of going to the West but not our hero Arkady, who is proudly Russian. I’d always thought of the Russian’s as bad guys, and to empathise with Arkady was a bit of an eye opener at the time.

5. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

This was a turning point for me, reading a detective novel written from the viewpoint of a smart, kick-ass woman. A believable, heartwarming, independent and tough woman. Ye Gods, what a revelation! I’d been reading male authors writing about male heroes for so long I hadn’t considered that of course there were women detectives out there. Women army officers, women fighter pilots, women SIS operatives. Grafton’s character Kinsey Milhone has to be the archetypal woman detective and she showed me what could be done.

© CJ Carver 2016



About the Author

C J Carver is the best selling author of seven crime fiction novels including Blood Junction. She has won the CWA debut dagger and the Barry Award for Best British Crime Fiction.

Find out more on C J Carver's website

Follow on Twitter @C_J_Carver

My thanks to the author for sharing with us the five novels which have inspired her...

Thanks also to Emily Burns at Zaffre for her kind invitation to be pat of this blog tour.

Blog tour runs 4th - 11th April

Do visit the other blog tour hosts for more exciting Blog Tour Content

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