ARC REVIEW: CHAINED BIRDS: A TRUE CRIME MEMOIR | CARLA CONTI

CHAINED BIRDS: A True Crime Memoir by Carla Conti
My rating: ✨✨✨✨

True crime has long been an interest of mine. From watching documentaries with my mum as a kid, to discovering a massive interest in serial killers in my teens, and then developing a wider interest in all areas of criminality as I've grown up, it's always been in me to find intrigue in the illegal. Hell, even my job is in criminal justice...so it all goes without saying that Chained Birds was undoubtedly going to scratch a scandalous itch.

Following the ten year advocation for Kevin Sanders, a federal inmate in America's prison system, Chained Birds exposes flaws, danger, and mistreatment on multiple levels. Horrific conditions are detailed, and the fight to help get Kevin back into society eventually culminates in the closure of an experimental program at FCI Lewisburg in Pennsylvania.

ARC REVIEW: I BET YOU'D LOOK GOOD IN A COFFIN | KATY BRENT

I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent
My rating: ✨✨✨✨✨

Kitty Collins is back! What better way to celebrate spooky season than with a bad bitch who completely justifiably murders awful men? This highly anticipated sequel sees the return of my favourite antiheroine, and this time she's gone international.

I accidentally stumbled upon Kitty's first outing in How to Kill Men and Get Away With It last spring and have been wanting more from her ever since. Katy Brent's second novel - The Murder After the Night Before - was my first review of this year, and she's quickly become an author that I will jump at when news comes of further releases. If there was a Guinness Record for fastest NetGalley request I would be the holder purely for the speed with which I submitted my request for this one.

ARC REVIEW: WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS | GRADY HENDRIX

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When it comes to modern horror writers, Grady Hendrix is pretty high up there on my list of go-to authors and every book I've read by him so far has been thoroughly enjoyable. Seeing that Witchcraft For Wayward Girls had become available had me smashing the request button like an impatient boomer on a hotel reception bell.

I went in completely blind to this book with absolutely zero clue about what the plot might be, where it'd be set, or what kind of characters I'd meet along the way. In my mind I had a vague inkling that it might be centred around a school for witches, so I guess I was just a little off on that score.

BOOK CLUB 10: HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER? | NICCI FRENCH 🎧

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

October's pick of Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? piqued my interest immediately. Instead of reading I plumped for the option of listening along on Spotify, and I finished it within two days!

Laid out in a Then and Now setting, the book happens across three parts, and I couldn't help but imagine each one as a standalone TV episode. I'm unsure if this notion was enhanced with it being listened to rather than read, but it was a book that was brilliantly brought to life full of genuine intrigue. The scenery was beautifully descriptive, the characters were well fleshed-out, and the air of mystery ran along a strong undercurrent throughout.

ARC REVIEW: COSTANZA | RACHEL BLACKMORE

Costanza by Rachel Blackmore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Continuing on with my current obsession with historical fiction, I saw the cover for Costanza and was immediately drawn to it. Then I read the blurb and I was enthralled. What's one more ARC review to add to the already-massive pile?!

Set in 17th century Rome, Costanza is based on the real story of Costanza Piccolomini, who's been long-forgotten by history. She was a strong-willed feminist icon, a sinner, a temptress, and Costanza tells her story...

ARC REVIEW: A GOOD PLACE TO HIDE A BODY | LAURA MARSHALL

A Good Place to Hide a Body by Laura Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't looking for tips or anything, but I did do a bombastic side-eye when A Good Place to Hide a Body cropped up in my NetGalley recommendations. Unfortunately, far from being a manual it's actually Laura Marshall's fifth novel. Less-unfortunately it's a brilliant thriller that I finished within six hours. 

A Good Place to Hide a Body follows Penny and her family as they navigate their way through a life-altering, infuriating scenario at the hands of a stranger named Cooper who'll remind absolutely all of you of your very worst ex.

ARC REVIEW: TEDDY | EMILY DUNLAY

Teddy by Emily Dunlay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The premise of Teddy drew me in, then the cover sealed the deal. A book that promised 1960s glamour, travel, and a peek into the rich world of an American girl in decadent Europe was not one I wanted to miss.