This is the blog of Samie Sands, author of Lockdown. There will be many great books and projects reviewed here. For more, check out thelockdown.co.uk.

Monday, 30 July 2018

Through Space and Time by Samie Sands

Through Space and Time by undefined

When nuclear war hit in the year 2039, the fabric of reality was changed forever. A hole opened in time and space, making things possible that no one would've dared dream of before.

Raegan has grown up in these worlds, experiencing chaos, drama, war, and occasionally somewhere's that's actually pleasant, but she only has one goal in mind; to find her father. They were split up as the blast hit and she hasn't given up hope. Nor will she, however hopeless things may seem...

Sunday, 29 July 2018

The Fog Seller: The 4-time Gold Medal Mystery from the Creator of the Emmy Winning Neverwinter Nights by Don Daglow

The Fog Seller: The 4-time Gold Medal Mystery from the Creator of the Emmy Winning Neverwinter Nights by [Daglow, Don]

Gold Medal, Best Mystery of 2016, Readers' Favorite -- Silver Medal: Best Novel of 2016 (Pacific), IPPY Awards -- Gold Medal, Ind. Book Publishers Assn.


A novel with a unique hero, an unlikely love story, and more twists than San Francisco’s Lombard St. It doesn't follow the same old formulas. It's not cozy but it's intimate. It will make you think, with multiple honors both as a mystery and as literary fiction. Its influences include Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. "Compelling, mysterious, tender and moving... The Fog Seller will charm the mind and warm the heart." --IndieReader, March, 2017.

"Rating: 9/10. The intricate plot is ingeniously executed so that all pieces of the puzzle fit together in the end. Twists and turns that at first appear questionable end up working perfectly... The prose is top notch... The book's distinctively original structure moves the story along briskly. Even what seems like extraneous material contributes to the backbone of the novel..." -- The BookLife Prize (Publishers Weekly), September, 2017

Assassinated: The crusading politician who saved hundreds of San Francisco homes from the bulldozers of a big developer.
Accused: A mysterious young loner who speaks his own unique dialect of English and refuses to answer questions.
Unexpected: A woman who will risk her promising future for a man without a past.


"Compelling, mysterious, tender and moving, THE FOG SELLER adds layers of psychological and emotional depth to what would be, on its own, an intriguing mystery story. The author's web of story is deftly woven, unveiling the protagonist's hidden depths along with the mystery, while a host of quirky, lively, vivid minor characters add color to the scene. Beautifully written, a loving ode to San Francisco and the oddballs that make it the marvelous city it is, THE FOG SELLER will charm the mind and warm the heart." -- IndieReader, March, 2017.

When teacher-turned-deckhand Steve Ondelle is framed for the killing of a San Francisco Supervisor he tumbles into a world of billion-dollar deals and bizarre sexual adventures, a world where hard evidence depicts him as a misfit who turns to murder.

To expose these freshly-minted lies Steve must first make peace with a lifetime of painful truths. He travels from the piers of Sausalito to the penthouses of San Francisco, with unlikely allies like Leonard the Human Statue, Eli of the Coral Reef, The Prophet of Market Street.

And Liam the Fog Seller.


Gold Medal: Best Mystery of 2016, Readers’ Favorite Awards

Gold Medal: Best Mystery of 2016, National Indie Excellence Awards

Silver Medal: Best Novel of 2016 (Any Genre -- Pacific Region), Independent Publisher IPPY Awards

Silver Medal: Best Novel of 2016 (Any Genre – Western Region), National Indie Excellence Awards

Silver Medal: Best Mystery of 2016, CLUE Awards

Gold Medal: 2016 Benjamin Franklin Book Awards (Best Fiction Cover), Independent Book Publishers Association

Gold Medal: 2017 Ariana Awards (Best Mystery Cover). Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition

Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter

Thumbnail scroll view image - 1 for  Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men [Kindle in Motion]
“A deeply researched and morbidly fascinating chronicle of one of America’s most notorious female killers.” —The New York Times Book Review
An Amazon Charts bestseller.
In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. She was the rarest of female psychopaths, a woman who engaged in wholesale slaughter, partly out of greed but mostly for the sheer joy of it. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana “murder farm.” Some were hired hands. Others were well-to-do bachelors. All of them vanished without a trace. When their bodies were dug up, they hadn’t merely been poisoned, like victims of other female killers. They’d been butchered.
Hell’s Princess is a riveting account of one of the most sensational killing sprees in the annals of American crime: the shocking series of murders committed by the woman who came to be known as Lady Bluebeard. The only definitive book on this notorious case and the first to reveal previously unknown information about its subject, Harold Schechter’s gripping, suspenseful narrative has all the elements of a classic mystery—and all the gruesome twists of a nightmare.

Friday, 27 July 2018

A Deadly Distance by L.T. Ryan

A Deadly Distance (Jack Noble #2) by [Ryan, L.T.]
37 HOURS...
TO STOP A MADMAN...
HELLBENT ON TEARING NOBLE DOWN.


Jack is back in the second page-turning novel in the USA Today bestselling Jack Noble Thriller Series.

Washington, D.C. Midday. A man waits at a bus stop, his intentions unknown. Two government operatives have been stalking him for days, waiting for him to make his move. Unexpectedly, the man takes off running and heads for a deserted warehouse.

Jack Noble and his partner, Frank Skinner, believe the man to be part of a terrorist organization that is involved in smuggling drugs and guns and men into the country. But it turns out their plan involves far more export than import, and hits a lot closer to home.

As the case unfolds, the man behind it all reaches out to Jack with a simple message... 37 hours.

This fast-paced crime thriller with over 350-5 star reviews by USA Today bestselling author L.T. Ryan will have you burning through the pages as Jack Noble races to stop a madman before he claims Noble's life.

Fans of Tom Clancy, Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne will enjoy the Jack Noble Thriller Series.

Other Books in the Jack Noble Series of Political and Action Thrillers
A Deadly Distance is the second of twelve Jack Noble espionage thriller books. In addition, a recently released prequel, and two series spin-offs are available. The series has earned thousands of five-star reviews, and has been downloaded over two-million times to Kindles around the world.

If you enjoy gripping thrillers loaded with suspense, action, twists & turns, Jack Noble is for you!

Readers say...

"JACK NOBLE IS MY JASON BOURNE!"

"This is an awesome story - so captivating that you'll read it late into the night. Highly recommend.."

"I have really enjoyed reading the Jack Noble series, and this one is no exception, he may have replaced Jack Reacher as a new favorite!"

USA Today Bestseller L.T. Ryan: 3/27/2014, 3/5/2015, 7/7/2016, 12/15/2016, 5/25/2017

Wednesday, 25 July 2018

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

My Sister's Grave (The Tracy Crosswhite Series Book 1) by [Dugoni, Robert]
The first book in the series that has garnered millions of readers across the globe, from New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.
When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger.

Monday, 23 July 2018

Killing Me Softly by Bianca Sloane

Killing Me Softly (Previously published as Live and Let Die) by [Sloane, Bianca]
"Best book I've read in a LONG time!" - Adam Croft, bestselling author of "Her Last Tomorrow." 

A shocking murder. A web of deceit. A twist even Hitchcock wouldn't see coming. 


It starts with a phone call - Sondra Ellis' beautiful baby sister, Tracy, has disappeared during a jog along Chicago's snowy lakefront.She's even more devastated when Tracy's mangled body is found days later, the victim of a mugging gone wrong.

A year later, Sondra continues to struggle with Tracy's death. Her trauma deepens when she discovers series of odd and unsettling cracks in her sister's seemingly perfect life: puzzling messages, inexplicable meetings, and secrets and lies at every turn.

As Sondra continues to dig into the mystery of what happened to her sister, she has no idea she's on her own collision course with life and death.

For fans of Patricia Highsmith, Mary Higgins Clark, and Alfred Hitchcock, Killing Me Softly is a page-turning psychological thriller that will keep you up long past your bedtime.

Download Killing Me Softly today!

Saturday, 21 July 2018

The Sister: A psychological thriller with a brilliant twist you won't see coming by Louise Jensen

The Sister: A psychological thriller with a brilliant twist you won't see coming by [Jensen, Louise]
‘I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me…’

Grace hasn't been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie's last words, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie's. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn't know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie's father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie's sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan's home.

But something isn't right. Things disappear, Dan's acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace's mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie… or was there?

A compelling, gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go, and The Girl With No Past.

What people are saying about The Sister:

‘I was gripped to The Sister from the first page until the very end. I thought I had it all worked out until I was proven sooo wrong.’ Robert Bryndza

I could not put this book down. I neglected all the house work and put off cooking dinner until I was finished… I loved every page.’ Renee Reads

My eyes were racing down the pages… had me guessing right up to the very end and I had tears in my eyes as I relived Charlie's last moments… exceptional… It's an addictive page-turner that begs time and again for just one more chapter until the whole book has been devoured and thoroughly enjoyed.’ The Book Magnet

Wow! What an amazing debut novel! Full of intense twists! Fantastic book to start off summer reading! Highly recommend.’ Loud and Proud Book Junkie, 5 stars

‘I loved this book, it grabbed me right from the beginning.' Beady Jans Books

'I genuinely struggled to put this book down… I can't recommend this book enough, it's made it to my favourites... I can't wait for more books to come from Louise Jensen… A well-deserved five starsfrom me.' Emporio Epidemic

'I couldn't put my Kindle down until I had answers!!… I wasn't sure which characters to trust and which to not trust… a 5 star book that would make a fantastic summer read!' Steph and Chris’ Book Review

'As the skillfully woven web of lies and deceit starts to untangle the author throws in a massive twist that I certainly didn't see coming… a definite must read for all psychological thriller fans and it's one of those books that deserves to be talked about.' The Haphazardous Hippo

'One of those books that you can't stop thinking about even when you're not reading it!!... the tension never seems to drop for one second!… an absolute treat, albeit a scary one, to read!! Highly recommended!' Books and Me!

'Just as I thought the story was wrapping up BANG! I was hit again with another twist. Brilliant! It is chilling and sinister and yet heart-breaking and tragic, and I felt really emotional on finishing it… I can’t wait to read more by Louise.' Bloomin Brilliant Books

'OMG I love this... one corker of a psychological thriller which ticked all the boxes for me giving it an easy 5 stars.' Chelle’s Book Reviews

'Hooked from the first page till the end... A gripping tale for fans of I Let You Go and The Girl on the Train. A must read.' Berlitz Chile

'I was left gaping… You cannot help but speed read through this novel. You have to know what happens.Aloha Reviews

'I was hooked on the story from the word go.Hollie in Wanderlust

Tuesday, 17 July 2018

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

The Life We Bury by [Eskens, Allen]
USA Today bestseller and book club favorite!

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same.

Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory.

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?

Friday, 13 July 2018

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace: A Novel by [Krueger, William Kent]
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
WINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARD
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” 

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.

Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family—which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother—he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.

Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

Meet Clara Andrews by Lacey London

Saturday, 7 July 2018

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things: The bestselling novel you won't want to miss by [Picoult, Jodi]
A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB 2017 PICK 
SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The best books make you see differently. This is one of them. The eye-opening new novel from Jodi Picoult, with the biggest of themes: birth, death, and responsibility.

When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father.

What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.

Small Great Things is about prejudice and power; it is about that which divides and unites us.

It is about opening your eyes.
SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM STARRING VIOLA DAVIS AND JULIA ROBERTS

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace: A Novel by [Krueger, William Kent]
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
WINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARD
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” 

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.

Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family—which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother—he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.

Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

Sunday, 1 July 2018

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

We Were the Lucky Ones by [Hunter, Georgia]

‘Like being swung heart first into history . . . A brave and mesmerising debut’ Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife

From the jazz clubs of Paris and Kraków’s most brutal prison, to the ports of Northern Africa and the farthest reaches of the Siberian gulag, We Were the Lucky Ones expresses how in the darkest of times the human spirit can find a way to survive, and even triumph.

Cincopa Gallery

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