Two days ago, I was in a car accident with my sister-in-law, Torrie. Before she slipped into a coma, she asked my husband and me to care for her four-month-old son, Levi.
Yesterday, a woman claiming to be Torrie’s estranged sister knocked on our door. But Torrie has no siblings . . . or so she said. She and my brother were only together a short time before he left, and Torrie has clearly been keeping secrets.
Today, another of Torrie’s “sisters” has come to town. Both say the other is lying about who they are.
Neither of them is telling the truth.
Both of them want Levi.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erik Therme
Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature. Join Erik’s mailing list to be notified of new releases and author giveaways: Mailing List
After a car accident causes serious injuries to her sister-in-law, Torrie, Tess and her husband Josh begin taking care of their nephew, Levi. They are almost immediately besieged by Torrie’s two sisters, who have conflicting stories. Put in a situation where she does not know who to trust, Tess tries to figure out the truth. She is also still dealing with a marriage at the breaking point, as well as an obsession with Brady Becker, the man who killed her five-year-old daughter.
This is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing. The plot is riveting and the characters are full of intrigue. The reader literally never knows who to trust. Manipulation, secrets, and lies seem to underscore most of Tess’s relationships, and I was glued to the page, trying to figure out who was being deceptive. Tess, the grieving mother, is easy to connect with. The other characters are somewhat in shadow, but they are all part of the expertly crafted plot, which keeps you in suspense until a mastermind suddenly emerges. Captivating, mournful, and thrilling, this book will not let you go until the end.
If She Wakes is Book 2 in the Harlow series by Erik Therme. It can be read as a standalone. However, reading Book 1, If She Dies, would be beneficial.
Elizabeth McCreary’s mother Lillian Frankl was a child of the Kindertransport – but she refuses to speak of the past. Determined to learn more, Elizabeth flies to Vienna at the start of a life-changing journey.
At home in London, her lawyer husband Anthony is facing disgrace. Vast sums have been siphoned off from his firm’s client account to support the far-right British Independent Party of which his father, William, is Treasurer. William’s close links with the Crediton Trust in Devon, a pharmaceutical company of prestige and power, are helping to make his political ambitions a reality. However, behind the big-business façade of Crediton lies a dark past rooted in Nazi Germany, of theft and the sinister use to which its drugs were put during World War Two.
For the McCrearys, one astounding revelation follows another. Nothing can ever be the same – and all roads lead inexorably back to Vienna.
EXCERPT
Elizabeth stopped at a park bench and searched for the main religion in Austria on her mobile phone, coming up with Catholic as she’d expected. It was all very well that Lise had married the Nazi officer, but she didn’t know exactly when that was. Elizabeth assumed that Theo had met her several years earlier.
With nothing conclusive to go on, the first step was to look for the existence of a marriage certificate to substantiate Gideon Halevi’s assertions.
Recalling that the Vienna municipal archives only originated in 1938, she took a chance and looked up where records of Catholic marriages were held before that time, and saw they were located at the Erzbischöfliches Ordinariat, the Archbishop’s Palace in the city centre.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in North London in 1952, John still lives in the city with his wife and three children. Privately educated, John left school after ‘A’ levels and completed a business diploma in what is now the University of Westminster, before entering banking.
He started training as an accountant but did not complete the course, choosing a position in his family’s furniture manufacturing business instead. John started his own mergers and acquisitions business in 1987, which he ran for almost 20 years before quitting to become a full-time writer in 2007.
John has co-written and produced comedies for the stage and has created a series of books for children. “Previously, I had only been interested in comedy and finally started to write down the things I said or thought of. That led me to co-write and produce a play, In the Balance, and then W for Banker – which appeared at the New End Theatre, Hampstead. It was then I decided to quit the world of business in favor of writing full-time, and move toward more serious subjects. My first novel has taken two years to write and is the first in a series of books I am calling the ‘Steinberg Stories’.”
Married to a leading medical consultant, with a fabulous career, two amazing children, and a beautiful house in the suburbs of Galway City.
Everything is perfect – or is it?
Because Amanda hides a secret.
One she has lived with for years. A secret so terrible she has no doubt it will destroy her life if ever it is revealed.
And this is exactly what happens, starting with a note pinned to her car, on it just four words: I Know Your Secret.
Who knows her secret? Who does she turn to? Who does she trust?
Amanda’s worst nightmare has just begun.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(In his own words) I’ve been writing all my life and have an M.Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin. However, I never really had the confidence, or focus, to pursue it properly until relatively recently. I am a civilian employee of the Irish police, An Garda Síochána. Since 2014 I have written six novels, three published by Bookouture. More recently, I Know Your Secret, a domestic psychological thriller, will be published by Question Mark Press on November 1 next. I also like to play guitar, write the odd ditty, and sing American country songs.
This is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you turning the page. The reader will be taken on a dark and dangerous adventure where mind games are in play. The characters are well developed, and there are shocking twists, turns, and surprises. The main character, Amanda, is surrounded by deceit and terror, and nothing is certain as danger draws ever closer. Fans of thrillers will want to try this compelling and mind-bending read. As a warning, readers should be aware of a rape in the main character’s past.
I received a free copy of this book from Question Mark Press via Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
It was the most anticipated summer break of their young lives.
For Bran Lampshire, that summer of 1986 would be far different. The lure of a wilderness adventure sends him and his friends on a troublesome journey that would see them far from home and into the isolated shadows of the Sleathton Estate. In a forgotten land where nature thrives, an unexplained mist settles upon the shaded grounds. And stories were told of events so chilling, they were forcibly buried over time.
Lose yourself beneath the endless trees. And discover that legends are sometimes so much more than ghost stories.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.L. Rayner
Born and bred in the county of Staffordshire. Matt is a keen reader of classical, horror and fantasy literature and enjoys writing in the style of traditional ghost stories. During his working life, Matt joined the ambulance service in 2009, transporting critically ill patients all over the UK. After writing his first novel, Matt was welcomed into the family of Question Mark Press publishing and now dedicates his time on future releases. His hobbies include genealogy and hiking, and he enjoys spending time with his wife, Emma, his children, and his family.
Bran and his friend Marcus are going on an adventurous trek from their town of Bonhil Dale into the wilderness surrounding the mysterious Sleathton Estate. Marcus has planned a 9-day hike and decides to also bring along Jack, an odd new boy in town, much to Bran’s displeasure. The three boys hike into the woods and meet an old man, Gregory, who takes them to his house for the night. When one of the boys disappears, Gregory begins to tell a story of children disappearing in the swamps and mists of the forest. Blended into the novel in separate chapters is the story of a missing girl, Olivia, who is chasing a ghostly voice through the same forest.
Amongst the Mists is a clever mix of paranormal and horror fiction with a heavy dose of folklore and sprinklings of the crime/thriller genre. M.L. Rayner perfectly blends ghostly figures, mythical creatures, and mysterious characters into a hair-raising but clever tale. The mystery will keep you guessing until the end, and the cliffhangers between chapters raise the alarm level even more. The fates of the children collide and the ending is surprising and unexpected. The author’s note at the end is not to be missed as he tells of myths and legends that influenced this book. Fans of horror and the paranormal, bring your imagination and a flashlight, and be prepared for some terror, because we are about to travel into the Mists.
I received a free copy of this book via Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
*Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can read the ebook for free.
Q&A WITH AUTHOR M.L. RAYNER
Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself we might not know after reading your bio.
I love comic cons and collecting signed memorabilia. I usually attend these conventions three or four times a year.
You mention your inspiration for Amongst the Mists in your author’s note at the end. Could you share a little of that inspiration for our readers?
Many local stories can just get lost in time. I think there are so many tales of myths and ghosts that many don’t realise there is an element of truth to them. For Amongst the Mists I wanted to capture a little bit of old story telling.
As a reader, I find that genres cross many lines. While some classify your books as horror, I would classify them also as paranormal/magical realism. This one has some of the crime/thriller genre in it as well. How would you classify it?
I would agree with you. Although I set out to purely write a short story of *something* in the woods, it exploded into something much more. The idea I had for this book was horror. But yes, you’re quite right. There is a good slice of Paranormal and crime involved. If I had to pick I would lean towards Paranormal
This is something I’ve always wanted to ask a writer of paranormal/ghost stories: These stories are supposed to be a little scary. Do you ever scare yourself while writing these stories?
I can get Goosebumps from time to time. Its all down to the image you create in your head. You have to translate that to paper and hope the reader envisions the same.
I have read your previous book, Echoes of Home, as well as this one. Tell our readers about your previous work and what you might be working on next.
Echoes of home is written in the style of a classic ghost story, and as clean as I could make it. After reading plenty of horror novels I wanted to write something based on not just ghosts but the unsettling sense of isolation. My first book is very special to me and includes a very powerful, yet true backstory.
What’s up next – I am currently writing my first YA horror book which will be part of the new Question Mark Horror series. I believe it is due for release around March next year.
As your writing journey continues, what are some things you have learned that you can share with other authors?
Help is always at hand. I am involved with a very supportive group of authors and admins that all support each other. Try and share your work to gain feedback and don’t be put down by advice.
In the dying days of the old asylums, three paths intersect.
Henry was only a boy when he waved goodbye to his glamorous grown-up sister; approaching sixty, his life is still on hold as he awaits her return.
As a high-society hostess renowned for her recitals, Matty’s burden weighs heavily upon her, but she bears it with fortitude and grace.
Janice, a young social worker, wants to set the world to rights, but she needs to tackle challenges closer to home.
A brother and sister separated by decades of deceit. Will truth prevail over bigotry, or will the buried secret keep family apart?
In this, her third novel, Anne Goodwin has drawn on the language and landscapes of her native Cumbria and on the culture of long-stay psychiatric hospitals where she began her clinical psychology career.
Anne Goodwin writes entertaining fiction about identity, mental health and social justice. She is the author of three novels and a short story collection published by a small independent press, Inspired Quill.
Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, about a woman who has kept her past identity a secret for thirty years, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize.
Her new novel, Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home, which has been featured on BBC Radio Cumbria, is inspired by her previous incarnation as a clinical psychologist in a long-stay psychiatric hospital.
Subscribers to her newsletter can download a free e-book of prize-winning short stories.
Bonnie Reads and Writes 
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