Book Review: PayBack by R.C Bridgestock

 
Today's post is a belated book review as part of the blog tour for the newly released Payback by R.C Bridgestock. I haven't taken part in a book blog tour for a while as I've been in such an awful reading slump for the past three or so months but thankfully my reading is far better already in 2020! Follow me on GoodReads to find out what I'm currently reading and ratings for all of the books I've read since January 2017.

*Payback by R.C Bridgestock (323 pages) ★★★

The author duo of R.C Bridgestock have a wealth of police experience between them and have a selection of books already related within the crime, mystery and thriller genres. I have such an eclectic taste in books so I'm always reading from wide range of genres, particularly fantasy and non-fiction but I haven't read a mystery, crime or thriller focused book for a while! The last mystery thriller that I loved is probably a tie between Wychwood by George Mann and Lethal White by J.K Rowling.

Payback is the first in a new series (the DI Charley Mann series) that was released recently by The Dome Press (I reviewed two of their books previously and enjoyed both - reviews here). Within Payback we follow Charley Mann, who has travelled back to her home region of Yorkshire, as the areas first young female DI as a brutal murder is discovered which makes the new DI question everything.

I loved the premise and the setting as well as the main character. It seems very rare, in my somewhat limited experience, to come across a crime/police centred read that has a young woman as the focus. I thought her character was very believable, realistic and impactful. I liked how detailed and informative the investigative aspects of the book were which you'd think I'd expect from a book written by two individuals with years of experience in the police force...

I haven't read a crime or investigation focused read for what seems like forever so it was a refreshing and compelling change from my unusual non-fiction and fantasy reads. It did take me a while to get into the book and the proof copy has teeny tiny text (which always pits me off a book) but it was definitely an interesting read and has made me want to look into more police, crime and mystery focused books - when I finally get my TBR down to a more manageable size! If you like detective and investigative reads then definitely pick up this newly released read!

Have you read this book? What are you currently reading? 

*Gifted

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Blog Tour + Q+A: Beautiful Star by Andrew Swanston

One of my reading goals for 2017 was to read more diversely which sadly I didn't achieve but I hope to read a little mow diversely in terms of genre, characters and format in 2018. I do read historical fiction, it's one of my favourite genres but I haven't read a historical fiction short story collection, until now. I was very kindly sent an early copy of Beautiful Star & Other Stories from The Dome Press and I was also able to have a few of my questions answered by the author, Andrew Swanston.

*Beautiful Star & Other Stories by Andrew Swanston (256 pages - available now) ★★★ (3.5)

The blurb of this book features monks, kings, crime, battles and swashbuckling adventures instantly intrigued me as well as the gorgeous cover! Also it's historical fiction and it is relatively short at under 300 pages so I knew I'd enjoy it.

There are seven short stories within the collection, of varying lengths, topics and characters, all of which I liked but my favourites from the collection have to include: Beautiful Star, The Flying Monk, The Tree and A Witch and A Bitch, the latter focuses on witchcraft accusations which is one of the most interesting aspects of history, for me at least!

I loved the range of time periods, topics and focuses of the stories as it means that there's something new in each story as well as a new adventure and characters. I love the setting of the stories and it has just reinforced my love for historical fiction and history in general.

I've read The Incendium Plot by Andrew Swanston (which I rated 4/5 stars) last year and I loved it so I knew I'd love this collection. The authors writing is rich, detailed and paints a truly vivid image of the scene, characters and their emotions even within a very short story. If you are looking for an immersive read filled with historical events but you don't want to commit to a full length historical fiction novel then definitely check out this fantastic short story collection!

Q&A

1. Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring writers?

When I was a wee lad of thirteen my headmaster asked me what I wanted to do in life. I told him I wanted to be a writer. Fifty years later my first book (The King’s Spy) was published. So my advice to aspiring writers of any age is NEVER GIVE UP.

2. What are your top five books that you'd recommend to everyone?

A terribly difficult question but I will plump (in no particular order) for the following because I have either read them more than once or would like to read them again: The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho, Samuel Pepys - The Unequalled Self: Claire Tomalin, The Aeneid: Publius Virgilius Maro (Virgil), His Dark Materials Trilogy: Philip Pullman and The Jeeves Omnibus (2 vols): P G Wodehouse.

3. Who are your favourite authors? Any lesser know authors that you love?

In addition to the above: Rose Tremain, Robert Hughes, Jared Diamond, Ben Macintyre, Michael Lewis, Anthony Beevor, Tom Holland and John Boyne. All their books are ‘must reads’. I cannot offer any ‘lesser knowns’ but instead recommend two authors who set me to reading: Conan Doyle and C S Forester.  Sherlock Holmes and Horatio Hornblower are my two great fictional heros.

4. Are there any books that have inspired your work or influenced you as a writer?

P G Wodehouse for his dialogue and economy of words, Philip Pullman for his wonderful story telling skills, P D James for her elegant style and Anthony Beevor for making history come alive.

Are you a fan of historical fiction? Have you or will you be reading this book? 

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Blog Tour: Juliet and Romeo by David Hewson

As most students in England, I've studied some of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, one of which was Romeo and Juliet. While Shakespeare's plays and sonnets were a little too advanced for a teenager, I did like the overall story of Romeo and Juliet so I was interested to read a retelling in the form of a romantic thriller(esque) novel. It's just over 350 pages and it is published by The Dome Press (thanks for the arc!).

*Juliet & Romeo by David Hewson (352 pages - blog tour: 24th May) ★★★

Within this retelling we follow Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague who are part of rival families living in sunkissed Italy during a time of change and disease. Juliet is a headstrong (somewhat) character who wants read and study rather than go through with an arranged marriage with a handsome, accomplished rich man but he isn't for Juliet. Meanwhile Romeo is an aspiring poet and romantic who is in the throws of infatuation but everything changes when a few Montague cousins, including Romeo, gatecrash a Capulet party.

We all know the general story of the star-crossed and ultimately tragic relationship between Romeo and Juliet and this story follows in the same vein although I wish the story didn't follow the general storyline of original as it made the story predictable but I did enjoy this read. The main positives of this read for me have to include the novel format, the historical fiction genre (I've becoming more and more in love with historical fiction recently) and the setting of Italy which made for a perfect summer read, especially as it's such as quick, easy read.

Author Q&A 

Did you study Shakespeare at school? Will you be picking up this retelling?

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