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.

Friday, 30 November 2018

Walking with Shadows by Luke Romyn

Walking with Shadows by [Romyn, Luke]

#1 BEST SELLING ACTION & ADVENTURE ON AMAZON!


"This is one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. I highly recommend it." -- Vigilant Reader Book Reviews






From USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author, Luke Romyn, comes a compelling tale of survival and companionship.

A plane crashes in the midst of the Amazon rainforest, leaving only two survivors: Jonas Drake, a wealthy award-winning author, and a terrified young boy named Jeremy.

Jonas must find the strength to lead Jeremy through an army hunting them for ransom, predatory beasts, and all manner of perils not found in the concrete jungle he usually calls home. To keep Jeremy calm, Jonas shares extraordinary stories involving magical characters, tales from his early days as an author. Unfortunately, neither of them know what to do when these creations start to come alive in the jungle surrounding them.

Filled with profound characters, this stunning adventure journeys into the heart of a man turned cold by a world he barely recognizes, who slowly thaws while learning to care for someone other than himself. 


Wednesday, 28 November 2018

An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt

An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard Series Book 1) by [Pratt, Scott]
An Amazon Top 10 bestseller.

A preacher is found brutally murdered in a Tennessee motel room.

A beautiful, mysterious young girl is accused.

In this bestselling debut, criminal defense lawyer Joe Dillard has become jaded over the years as he's tried to balance his career against his conscience. Savvy but cynical, Dillard wants to quit doing criminal defense, but he can't resist the chance to represent someone who might actually be innocent. His drug-addicted sister has just been released from prison and his mother is succumbing to Alzheimer's, but Dillard's commitment to the case never wavers despite the personal troubles and professional demands that threaten to destroy him.

"Pratt's richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a facade of vulnerability in this brilliantly executed debut." -- Publisher's Weekly

"It's Scott Turow and Grisham... The opening chapter is maybe the most compelling I've read in a decade." - Ken Bruen

Smart and sophisticated, with a plot twist that will leave you shaking your head in wonder, "An Innocent Client" -- the first in the acclaimed Joe Dillard series -- will also leave you begging for more.

Monday, 26 November 2018

Be Possessed by Samie Sands

Be Possessed by [Sands, Samie]
What do you love most about horror?

Twisted tales that leave your head spinning? Spooky spectres that chill you to the bone? The undead threatening to tear all the skin from your body? Or is it simply the fear of being possessed by something inhuman? Something you don't understand?

This eclectic collection of short stories by Samie Sands contains 23 stories, so why not Be Possessed...

Thursday, 22 November 2018

Perfect Ten: A powerful novel about one woman's search for revenge by Jacqueline Ward

Perfect Ten: A powerful novel about one woman's search for revenge by [Ward, Jacqueline]
An explosive debut thriller about one woman's search for revenge - and the dangerous chain of events she sets in motion...
'Hugely engrossing - a dark delight.' Catherine Ryan Howard
Caroline Atkinson is powerless and angry. She has lost more than most - her marriage, her reputation, even her children. Then one day, she receives an unusual delivery: lost luggage belonging to the very man who is responsible, her estranged husband Jack.
In a leather holdall, Caroline unearths a dark secret, one that finally confirms her worst suspicions. Jack has kept a detailed diary of all his affairs; every name, every meeting, every lie is recorded. He even marks the women out of ten.
Caroline decides it's time to even the score. She will make this man pay, even if it means risking everything...

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson

The Day We Disappeared by [Robinson, Lucy]
'Fans of Marian Keyes will love Lucy Robinson's giggle-inducing humour and relatable characters. With a twist that will leave you speechless, The Day We Disappeared is a must' Glamour
Annie has a secret. But if she's not going to tell, we won't either. It's a heart-breaking secret she wishes she didn't have - yet Annie isn't broken, not quite yet. Especially now there's someone out there who seems determined to fix her.
Kate has run away. But she's not going to tell us why - that would defeat the point of running, wouldn't it? It's proving difficult to reinvent herself, however, with one person always on her mind.
Scratch beneath the surface and nobody is really who they seem. Even Annie and Kate, two old friends, aren't entirely sure who they are any more. Perhaps you can work it out, before their pasts catch up with them for good . . .

'What a book! Fabulous charactersdark secrets and a clever, compulsive plot that will take you completely by surprise. Read it!' Lucy Diamond
'BrilliantHeat, Top Five Books
'I couldn't put this book down: a fabulously original love story that swoops and twists and wraps you in its big-hearted, funny yet dark-edged world' Lucy Dillon
'Enthralling from the get-go and packed with an irresistible blend of brilliant charactersintriguing drama and a plot twist that will slam-dunk your brain into the middle of next week, this is a novel you'll be talking about for a very long time' Isabelle Broom
'Intriguing and uplifting - a real page-turner full of humour and mystery, with a pair of heroines you'll welcome into your heart' Julie Cohen
'We love a book with a twist and this doesn't disappoint' Now Magazine

Sunday, 18 November 2018

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Where the Red Fern Grows by [Rawls, Wilson]
A beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend.

Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he’s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own—Old Dan and Little Ann—he’s ecstatic. It doesn’t matter that times are tough; together they’ll roam the hills of the Ozarks.

Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan’s brawn, Little Ann’s brains, and Billy’s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters—now friends—and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.
 
Praise for Where the Red Fern Grows

A Top 100 Children’s Novel, School Library Journal's A Fuse #8 Production
A Must-Read for Kids 9 to 14, NPR
Winner of Multiple State Awards
Over 7 million copies in print!

“Very touching.” —The New York Times Book Review

“One of the great classics of children’s literature . . . Any child who doesn’t get to read this beloved and powerfully emotional book has missed out on an important piece of childhood for the last 40-plus years.” —Common Sense Media

“An exciting tale of love and adventure you’ll never forget.” —School Library Journal
 
“A book of unadorned naturalness.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Written with so much feeling and sentiment that adults as well as children are drawn [in] with a passion.” —Arizona Daily Star

“It’s a story about a young boy and his two hunting dogs and . . . I can’t even go on without getting a little misty.” —The Huffington Post
 
“We tear up just thinking about it.” —Time on the film adaptation

Friday, 16 November 2018

One in a Million: The no 1 bestseller and the perfect romance for autumn 2018 by Lindsey Kelk

One in a Million: The no 1 bestseller and the perfect romance for autumn 2018 by [Kelk, Lindsey]

‘A corker…hilarious!’ Giovanna Fletcher

'Full of heart and very, very funny' Paige Toon

Everyone wants that special someone….
Annie Higgins has one goal this year: to get her tiny business off the ground. But – infuriated by the advertising agency across the hall making fun of her job – Annie is goaded into accepting their crazy challenge: to make a random stranger Instagram-famous in just thirty days.
And even when they choose Dr Samuel Page PhD, historian and hater of social media, as her target, Annie’s determined to win the bet – whether Sam likes it or not.
But getting to know Sam means getting to know more about herself. And before the thirty days are out, Annie has to make a decision about what’s really important…
Funny, real and heart-meltingly romantic, Annie and Sam’s story is My Fair Lady for the social media age – and the perfect feel-good read.

The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker

The Ragged Edge of Night by [Hawker, Olivia]
For fans of All the Light We Cannot SeeBeneath a Scarlet Sky, and The Nightingale comes an emotionally gripping, beautifully written historical novel about extraordinary hope, redemption, and one man’s search for light during the darkest times of World War II.
Germany, 1942. Franciscan friar Anton Starzmann is stripped of his place in the world when his school is seized by the Nazis. He relocates to a small German hamlet to wed Elisabeth Herter, a widow who seeks a marriage—in name only—to a man who can help raise her three children. Anton seeks something too—atonement for failing to protect his young students from the wrath of the Nazis. But neither he nor Elisabeth expects their lives to be shaken once again by the inescapable rumble of war.
As Anton struggles to adapt to the roles of husband and father, he learns of the Red Orchestra, an underground network of resisters plotting to assassinate Hitler. Despite Elisabeth’s reservations, Anton joins this army of shadows. But when the SS discovers his schemes, Anton will embark on a final act of defiance that may cost him his life—even if it means saying goodbye to the family he has come to love more than he ever believed possible.

Wednesday, 14 November 2018

Snap: The Sunday Times Bestseller by Belinda Bauer

Snap: The Sunday Times Bestseller by [Bauer, Belinda]
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2018. As heard on BBC Radio 4 Front Row
'The best crime novel I've read in a very long time.' VAL MCDERMID
SNAP DECISIONS CAN BE DANGEROUS . . .
On a stifling summer's day, eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters sit in their broken-down car, waiting for their mother to come back and rescue them. Jack's in charge, she'd said. I won't be long.
But she doesn't come back. She never comes back. And life as the children know it is changed for ever.
Three years later, Jack is still in charge - of his sisters, of supporting them all, of making sure nobody knows they're alone in the house, and - quite suddenly - of finding out the truth about what happened to his mother. . .
'Snap is the best kind of crime novel. It gives you chills, it makes you think and it touches your heart. I loved it!' SARAH PINBOROUGH, No.1 bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes
'Original, pacy and thoroughly entertaining . . . a cracking read.' CLARE MACKINTOSH, bestselling author of I Let You Go
'No one writes crime novels like Belinda Bauer, with a rare blend of darkness, humour and heart. She's a crime writing genius.' C. L. TAYLOR, bestselling author of The Missing
'Intelligent entertainment that keeps you guessing.' Sunday Times Crime Club
'Edgy, original and beautifully written, this suspenseful story is dazzlingly good.' Sunday Mirror
'Belinda Bauer's plots are never anything less than original and unsettling, and Snap is no exception.' Sunday Times
'Spine-chilling, tension-packed gripper.' Woman and Home

'The opening of Snap is one of the most vividly unnerving I have read . . . razor-sharp observation.' Guardian

'Belinda Bauer's fiction teems with life . . . Kate Atkinson used to be the undisputed master of this sort of mixture of the serious, the exciting and the anarchic, but Bauer is now firmly in her class.' Daily Telegraph

Monday, 12 November 2018

Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter

Shadow and Ice (Gods of War) by [Showalter, Gena]
“I love this world…this is Gena Showalter at her best!”—J.R. Ward, #1 New York Timesbestselling author

“The Gods of War series is my new obsession.”—Christine Feehan, #1 
New York Timesbestselling author

Gena Showalter, the 
New York Times bestselling author who brought you the Lords of the Underworld, introduces a scorching new paranormal romance series…Gods of War

Knox of Iviland, the most ruthless warrior in All War history, has spent his life fighting others to the death, winning new realms for his king. Now the stakes are higher than ever. If he prevails in the battle for Earth, his slave bands will be removed. Victory is his sole focus…until he meets her.

On an arctic getaway with her foster sister, street tough but vulnerable Vale London is shocked to stumble upon a cave filled with ancient gods waging epic combat. When she is inadvertently drawn into their war, she is forced to team up with an unlikely ally—the sexy god who makes her burn with desire.

Though Vale is his enemy, Knox is consumed with lust and a fierce need to protect her. But only one combatant can triumph, and he will have to choose: live for freedom, or die for love.

Saturday, 10 November 2018

Tales Of Horror On Halloween Night

Tales Of Horror On Halloween Night by [Sands, Samie, Hall, Kevin, Suscheck Jr., Dave, Price, Georgina, Boving, Nicholas, Finn, K, Pugliese, Anthony, Harper, James, Lockwood, Andy, Pacini, Amy]
It doesn't have to be Halloween for you to be chilled to the bone...

Trick ‘n’ Treats Emporium by Rob Shepherd
Girl in a Graveyard by Victoria Pagac
Ill Literate by Rick Eddy
Just One Last Time by Linda Jenkinson
Ghost by Kyle Flak
The Inferno by R.M. Gibson
October Moon by Linda Jenkinson
Root of My Fears by Brandon Swarrow
Like Father by Justin Coke
Haunted House by Kyle Flak
The Dark That Covered The Town by Kevin S. Hall
Witch Hunt—Ninette by Linda Jenkinson
Autumn Air by Rick Eddy
Fried Frieda: A Campfire Tale by Dean Kuch
All Night Diner by Kyle Flak
718 Fox Hill Way by Dave J. Suscheck, Jr.
In the Flesh by Rick Eddy
Aliens by Samie Sands
The Witch’s Bite by Linda Jenkinson
Brenton: Village of the Damned by Georgina Price
A Kind Of Solution by Nicholas Boving
I Was Made To Love Him by K.C. Finn
The Dinner Date by Linda Jenkinson
Curio by Anthony V. Pugliese
Return of the Caledonians by James Harper
Johnny Angel and the Nain Rouge Incident by Andy Lockwood
Cinderella Shocker by Linda Jenkinson
Thrills & Chills by Amy S. Pacini
Funeral by Samie Sands
Zombie Visit by Linda Jenkinson
The Building Across The Road by James Bryant
The Principle of Hate by Cecilia H. Doldan
A Halloween Carol by Alex Winck
Ground Zero by Magus Tor

Thursday, 8 November 2018

13 Night Terrors

13 Night Terrors: An Anthology Of Horror And Dark Fiction (Thirteen Series) by [Roach, D.A., Roderick, Elizabeth, Lee, Erin, Sonnenberg, Jackie, Loring, Jennifer, Macmillan, Joshua, Jacques, Kristin, Farrar, Marissa, Mills, Nykki, Sands, Samie, Schoen, Sara, Henderson, Taylor, Flowers, Thomas S., Limitless Publishing]
They’re watching you. They see the way you clutch your blanket. They smell the sweat trickling down your back. They hear the fear pulsing through your veins…and they love it.

This is a collection of stories about what really hides beneath your bed, watching, waiting, listening to every breath you take. It’s about the creatures that come out to play on the full moon, and the things that wake at the devil’s hour.

Are you ready to find out what really goes bump in the night? The true reason behind your midnight tremors?

You’d better be.

13 is back—and it’s brought Night Terrors.

Tuesday, 6 November 2018

Carnival Of Fear

Carnival Of Fear (Creepiest Show On Earth Book 1) by [Norris, A.J., White, Aaron, Clay, Chris P., Roach, D.A., Glaser, Dale W., Lee, Erin, Sonnenberg, Jackie, Jacques, Kristin, Swanson, Luke, Mills, Nykki]
Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!

Step right up to the darkest carnival you’ve ever seen.

Do you like puppets? Well, we have a marvelous one. This poor little thing was left all alone to die, only to wake up with a taste for revenge.

If smiling, red-nosed clowns bore you, you’ve come to the right place. Just follow the bloody path of mutilated clowns, and it will lead you to a room filled with gruesome revelations.

But that’s not all.

Ready for a mind-bending experience? Wonderful! Our contortionist won’t just showcase her extreme flexibility, she’ll also shock you with her insatiable appetite. Want to know her secret?

She’s cursed—but shhhhhh, don’t tell.

So grab your friends and join us as we create the most bone-chilling atmosphere.

Because we’re coming to your town…

…and we’re bringing the Carnival of Fear.

Sunday, 4 November 2018

13 Déjà Vu

13 Déjà Vu: An Anthology Of Horror And Dark Fiction (Thirteen Series Book 2) by [Nave, Bradon, Roderick, Elizabeth, Lynch, Carissa Ann, Schoen, Sara, Farrar, Marissa, Flowers, Thomas S., Valentine, S., Lee, Erin, Sonnenberg, Jackie, Sands, Samie, Swanson, Luke, Roach, D.A., Taylor Henderson]
13 came for you once. Are you ready to face it again?

Evil can be fought. Ghosts can be hunted. But darkness can never be defeated. It only retreats, lurking in the shadows, waiting for you to let your guard down.

You might think you’re free, but once it has its eyes set on you, there’s no escaping it. Whether today, tomorrow, or next week—it will strike. No matter where you run, where you hide, it will find you, and it will make your worst nightmares come true.

13 chilling stories are about to test the limits of your fear, ready to show you the daunting truth of what lies beneath…

The family with buried secrets. An old factory hiding shadows within its walls. A serial killer honing his deadly skills. It’s all here, about to prove that nothing is ever as it seems. Think twice before you switch off the lights, before you close your eyes and say goodnight.

It’s happening again. 13 is coming for you.

So get ready…

It’s Déjà Vu

Friday, 2 November 2018

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words by [Sands, Samie, Eddy, Rick, Stone, Max, Suscheck Jr., Dave, Ehsani, Vered, Michele, J, Jones, Michele, Wachter, Lizzie, Jenkinson, Linda, Surbeck, Kally]
It started with a writing challenge - 1,000 words based on a random image. 18 authors took on the task all in aid of PKDcharity.org.uk and here are the results!

From demons to lost loves, from unsolved mysteries to spooky supernatural happenings read what came out of the imaginations of Jaclyn Ann Lee, Lila L. Pinord, Rob Shepherd, Andy Lockwood, L.H. Davis, James Bryant, Anthony V. Pugliese, Kevin S. Hall, Rick Eddy, Max E. Stone, Dave J. Suscheck Jr., Vered Ehsani, J. Cornell Michel, Michele Jones, Lizzie Wachter, Linda Jenkinson, Kally Jo Surbeck and Samie Sands.

Never will you find such an eclectic collection of stories in one book, but which such a varying collection of writers, what did you expect? All the pictures that inspired these stories can be found at samiesands.com/pictures. Buying this book will not only entertain and amuse you, it will support a hard working charity and might even lead you to discover your new favourite author!

Cincopa Gallery

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