Blog Tour ~ The Alibi by Jaime Raven

 Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting


Day One of The Alibi Blog Tour 


with a guest post from the author

Jaime Raven

My worst New Year hangover

Guest post by Jaime Raven, author of The Alibi

‘You need a convincing alibi, Jaime,’ my friend Megan said to me. ‘Otherwise you’re going to be in the doghouse for months.’

It was New Year ’s Day a few years ago and I’d woken up on the floor of her bedroom. I had the mother of all hangovers, and my head was pounding like a drum. 

I knew I was going to be in trouble because I wasn’t where I should have been – which was at home in my own bed. Instead I was two miles away in my friend’s flat trying to remember why I’d ended up there. It took a while for the memories to filter through the fog in my brain. 

My partner and I were staging a New Year’s Eve party at our house in Southampton. My own daughters were going to be there along with some of our pals. Everyone knew I’d be late because I was travelling back from London.

And everything was going swimmingly until I met my old mate Megan on the train. She told me how miserable she was because she’d just got divorced and this was her first New Year’s Eve by herself.

I invited her to the party but she said she was too sad to mix with other people. But she wanted me to have a drink with her.

Well one drink led to another and then another. We ended up visiting three pubs and I got so smashed that I didn’t make it to the party.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I decided to lie through my teeth and tell my partner that I met Megan on the train and she was so distressed that I didn’t want to leave her alone. So I went to her flat and we shared a bottle of wine and lost track of time. Before I knew it we both fell asleep. 

But the hole I had already dug for myself got a lot deeper as soon as I called home and belted out my fake alibi. 

What I should have done was check the phone first because then I would have seen the photos I’d sent to my partner throughout the previous evening. There were a couple of ghastly selfies, Megan and I welcoming in the New Year with paper hats on our heads, and Megan being sick in the gutter. 

Not to mention the text messages I’d fired off in my drunken state: ‘I love you honey,’ ‘It’s too late to come home,’ ‘Tell everyone I’m sorry,’ ‘Please forgive me,’ ‘Promise I’ll make it up to you,’ ‘Happy nude year!’

Needless to say I had no recollection of sending any of them or of ignoring phone calls from my partner, my daughters and my friends.

Oops!

Thankfully my partner saw the funny side of it and we went on to get married two years later. But ever since then I’ve been on my best behaviour on New Year’s Eve and I always avoid drinking too much.

About the Book...

Crime reporter Beth Chambers is committed to uncovering the truth – and she’s not afraid of bending the rules to get there. When troubled soap star Megan Fuller is found stabbed to death in her South London home, all eyes are on her ex-husband – the notorious gangster, Danny Shapiro. 

Determined to expose Danny as a cold-blooded killer, Beth obsessively pursues him. But in her hunt for the truth, her family are set to pay the ultimate price… 

Secrets, lies and revenge brim to the top in this gritty thriller. 

Perfect for fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers.

Published December 2016 by Avon Books

Follow on Twitter #WhatsYourAlibi?

 ~***~

Review ~ The Madam by Jaime Raven

AvonMay 2016

A bit of book blurb..

Scars might fade but the memories don't…

Three years and eleven months. That's how long Lizzie Wells was banged up inside Holloway prison for, serving time for a crime she didn’t commit. 

Six months. That's how long it took Lizzie to fall in love with a woman inside the prison. Scar, who might just have reason for her name.

Now Lizzie is finally free, the duo embark on a search to find those who framed Lizzie and sent her down for cold blooded murder.

My thoughts ..

On her release from prison, Lizzie Wells hits the ground running as she is determined to discover just who framed her for a murder she didn't commit, and more importantly why the perpetrators have been allowed to cover their tracks so convincingly. Armed with nothing more than the occasional knife, and their determination, Lizzie and her feisty companion Scar, delve into the murky world of the Southampton's criminal elite. It's a dark and dangerous world of deals and subterfuge, places where murder, loyalty and vengeance go hand in hand, and where getting on the wrong side of someone can lead to untold disaster.

I found The Madam all quite believable and even though there were times when I wanted Lizzie to slow down and think a little more carefully, I think part of the excitement, for me, came from never knowing what she was going to do next. Scar is the perfect calm counterfoil to Lizzie's impetuousness and together they make a great couple.

The plot develops really quickly and it’s very easy to go along with the story as it unfolds. Both Lizzie and Scar are exciting characters; they each have their own faults and failings but each have an undeniable strength and courage when it comes to facing down their enemies. The plot is fast and furious with never a dull moment and there's a gritty, realistic edge which is so essential to a dark and dirty crime story. There is swearing and graphic violence, so if this type of story upsets you, then it's not going to appeal.  I think this author’s works sits comfortably alongside the likes of Julie Shaw, Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole, so if you’re a fan of gritty crime, then this will, probably, appeal to you.

Overall, the author has written a believable story and has given the characters great personalities. I even liked some of the bad guys. The twist in the tale is plausible and in a way, I think that the ending lends itself to a continuation, and maybe even a series, as I can well imagine Lizzie and Scar getting inadvertently drawn into more dark and gritty investigations.

Best read with...A glass of champagne and... a packet of cheese and onion crisps...

More about The Madam here 

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing The Madam with me.

~***~