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.

Thursday 30 January 2020

Hard Shot by J. B. Turner

Hard Shot (A Jon Reznick Thriller Book 7) by [Turner, J. B.]
Jon Reznick will protect New York City or die trying.
When a group of homegrown attackers takes aim at cops outside a Fourth of July baseball game, black-ops specialist Jon Reznick and his daughter, Lauren, are caught in the cross fire. Jon hunts down two of the gunmen. But the last member of the group is at large and about to launch a fresh killing spree across the city. Cops are under fire, and Jon must stop this madman before more people are killed.
But Jon’s renegade tactics and vigilante justice are starting to ruffle some feathers, and his friends in high places might not be able to help him anymore. With leaks inside the FBI and resistance from the NYPD, Reznick doesn’t know whom to trust.
He knows one thing: he won’t watch the city he loves be torn apart, especially not with his daughter in the crosshairs. But can he get to her in time?

Friday 24 January 2020

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey

Unspeakable Things by [Lourey, Jess]
Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.
Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.
All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.
One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

Wednesday 22 January 2020

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The Dutch House: A Novel by [Patchett, Ann]
A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth and State of Wonder, comes Ann Patchett’s most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are.
At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.
Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

Monday 20 January 2020

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK PICK

"The most provocative page-turner of the year." --Entertainment Weekly

"A great way to kick off 2020." --Washington Post

"I urge you to read Such a Fun Age." --NPR

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.


Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family," and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times.

Buck Wild by Lauren Landish

Buck Wild (Bennett Boys Ranch Book 1) by [Landish, Lauren]
From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Landish comes a hard-riding romance of cowboys who run wild—and the women who tame them…
Bull rider James Bennett lives for those eight seconds of exhilaration. A rodeo cowboy in his prime, all he wants out of life is something to straddle. That’s why James is feeling a little restless, spending his summer off working his family’s ranch. That is, until a spirited and gorgeous veterinarian-in-training shows up and puts the cocky wild boy—and his ego—in place. Though she’s a feisty one, James is always up for a challenge.
Sophie Stone has to admit it: James Bennett is a checklist of cowboy hotness—ruggedly handsome with piercing blue eyes, a hard-muscled body, and just enough swagger to make her toes curl. She thought she was done with her bad-boy phase, but exceptions must be made.
How can Sophie possibly say no to a man who makes her heart buck like a bronco? And when their summer fling comes to an end, how can she possibly say goodbye?

Saturday 18 January 2020

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

The Giver of Stars: A Novel by [Moyes, Jojo]
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

“I’ve been a huge Jojo Moyes fan. Her characters are so compelling. . . It’s such a great narrative about personal strength and really captures how books bring communities together.” –Reese Witherspoon

From the author of Me Before You, set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond.


Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England.  But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.

The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.

What happens to them--and to the men they love--becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.

Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic--a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!

Thursday 16 January 2020

Last Day by Luanne Rice

Last Day by [Rice, Luanne]
From celebrated New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice comes a riveting story of a seaside community shaken by a violent crime and a tragic loss.
Years ago, Beth Lathrop and her sister Kate suffered what they thought would be the worst tragedy of their lives the night both the famous painting Moonlight and their mother were taken. The detective assigned to the case, Conor Reid, swore to protect the sisters from then on.
Beth moved on, throwing herself fully into the art world, running the family gallery, and raising a beautiful daughter with her husband Pete. Kate, instead, retreated into herself and took to the skies as a pilot, always on the run. When Beth is found strangled in her home, and Moonlight goes missing again, Detective Reid can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
Reid immediately suspects Beth’s husband, whose affair is a poorly kept secret. He has an airtight alibi—but he also has a motive, and the evidence seems to point to him. Kate and Reid, along with the sisters’ closest childhood friends, struggle to make sense of Beth’s death, but they only find more questions: Who else would have wanted Beth dead? What’s the significance of Moonlight?
Twenty years ago, Reid vowed to protect Beth and Kate—and he’s failed. Now solving the case is turning into an obsession . . .

The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher by [Sapkowski, Andrzej]
Now a Netflix original series!
Geralt the Witcher -- revered and hated -- holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures in the NYT bestselling series that inspired the blockbuster video games.
Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
Andrzej Sapkowski, winner of the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement award, started an international phenomenon with his Witcher series. The Last Wish short story collection is the perfect introduction to this one of a kind fantasy world.
Witcher collectionsThe Last WishSword of Destiny
Witcher novelsBlood of Elves
The Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire 
The Tower of SwallowsLady of the LakeSeason of Storms
The Malady and Other Stories: An Andrzej Sapkowski Sampler (e-only)

Translated from original Polish by Danusia Stok

Friday 10 January 2020

Fancy a freebie?

Fancy a freebie? Click here:

 
 

Four words I’ve waited my whole life to hear. Four words I was sure would change my life forever…and they did. Just not in the way I expected.

Finding out my extremely gorgeous rock star boyfriend was about to propose had the complete opposite effect I thought it would. Rather than catapult me into a future I’ve always wanted, it plunged me back to a past I tried to forget.

Now I can’t get him out of my head. I can’t help but wonder what could have been, how our lives would have ended up if he didn’t leave me behind, a shattered mess.

All these memories are dangerous. They’re bringing my past back to ruin my future. And worst of all, they’re taking me right back to him, my childhood sweetheart, my first love…my biggest regret.

Wednesday 8 January 2020

The Dancing Girls: An absolutely gripping crime thriller with nail-biting suspense by M.M. Chouinard

The Dancing Girls: An absolutely gripping crime thriller with nail-biting suspense (A Detective Jo Fournier Novel Book 1) by [Chouinard, M.M.]
"‘Wow, what a book!! I don't think I drew a full breath for the entire time I was reading… I took it everywhere I went… I needed to read it at every opportunity!… Unbelievably twisty… I loved every word of it!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jo pulled together the victims’ pictures. In all cases their arms were askew, in a way that looked like—what? It was like they were freeze-framed in the middle of some action. It was like they were dancing.

When loving wife Jeanine Hammond is found dead in a small leafy town in Massachusetts, newly promoted Detective Jo Fournier is shocked to her core. Why leave her body posed like a ballerina? Why steal her wedding band and nothing else? Hungry for answers, Jo questions Jeanine’s husband, but the heart-breaking pain written on his face threatens to tear open Jo’s old wounds. It’s the same pain she felt when her boyfriend was cruelly shot dead by a gang in their hometown of New Orleans. She couldn’t get justice for him, but she’s determined to get justice for Jeanine’s devastated family.

But before Jo can get answers, another woman is found, wedding ring stolen, body posed in the same ritualistic way.

Digging through old files, Jo makes a terrifying link to a series of cold cases. She knows a serial killer is on the loose, but nobody will listen to the truth – not her bosses, nor the FBI. Still, Jo won’t let her superiors keep her from stopping the murderer in his tracks, even if it means the end of her career.

Just as she is beginning to lose hope, she finds messages on the victims’ computers that feel like the crucial missing link. But she knows the murderer is moments away from selecting his next victim. Will she be able to take down the most twisted killer of her career before another innocent life is lost?

An absolutely unputdownable and brilliant new crime thriller series that fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Regan and Melinda Leigh will devour in one sitting.

Discover more Detective Jo Fournier thrillers. Each book can be read as a standalone:


    1. The Dancing Girls

    1. Taken to the Grave

    1. Her Daughter’s Cry


Read what everyone is saying about The Dancing Girls:


Loved it, loved it, loved it!!... If I could give it 6 stars I would! In this current climate of ‘twists you will never see coming’ – believe me... you will never see this coming!... Cannot wait for the next book!... Best book I have read for some time.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Holy Freaking Hell when is the next book out?! From start to finish this book is just WOW!… Keeps you on the edge of your seat… full of twists and turns… Talk about mind-blowing… Want to shout about it from the rooftops… I cannot recommend this book enough.’ Baker’s Not So Secret Blog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was just blown away by its climax, wandering around going OMG… Found it totally gripping… impossible to put down.’ Muse Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow, Wow, Wow… the most exciting new author I have read for a long time… Extremely addictive and left me wanting more. This book has everything… and a huge unexpected twist you will not see coming. I can't emphasise enough how much enjoyment I got from reading this Well-deserved 5 stars – Wow.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow squared!... A gem of a book and a truly wonderful start of a new series… Left me with an OMG feeling… A brilliant read and I want more. 5 stars.’ B for Bookreview ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘An unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a Snakes & Ladders board… I felt as though I had been punched in the gut and they left me breathless. Ginger Book Geek ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monday 6 January 2020

The Price of Time by Tim Tigner

The Price of Time by [Tigner, Tim]
Would your character change ...
if you had all the money in the world?
And all the time?
Would you become a better person?
Or worse?


Imagine Agatha Christie meets Michael Crichton in a fast-paced, philosophical mystery thriller.
_______________________________________

There’s a secret in Silicon Valley. A discovery. An invention. One so startling and surprisingly sinister that it needs to be concealed—at any price.

Tim Tigner takes a step back from his bestselling Kyle Achilles series to introduce Zachary Chase and Skylar Fawkes in a fresh standalone novel that’s bound to keep you glued and guessing. With secluded meetings, sudden disappearances and strange murders; secret agents, skillful assassins and sexy locations; The Price of Time is packed with fast-paced action and first-class intellectual intrigue.

Propelling the thrills and perched at the middle of the mystery is one of humanity’s great questions: Would finding the Fountain of Youth be a blessing?

Prepare for sleep-deprived nights and skipped chores while repeating the phrase: "Just one more page."
_______________________________________

"Tim Tigner is the antidote of Dull." —Steve Wilson

"Clever to the point where you can't put the book down.” —Maryellen Crane

"I defy anyone to anticipate his plot twists." —Henry Shop

"Still trying to catch my breath. He is a superb storyteller." —Amy Peck

"A thinking person's thriller." —Glen Robins
_______________________________________

Amazon named Tim Tigner an All-Star Author for being one of the most popular authors in Kindle Unlimited throughout 2018.

His books are recommended for fans of David Baldacci, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Nelson DeMille’s John Corey, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp, Mark Greaney’s Gray Man, Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X, Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne, John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport, Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon, Brad Taylor’s Pike Logan, Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath, and Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon.

Saturday 4 January 2020

The Silent Patient: The Richard and Judy bookclub pick and Sunday Times Bestseller by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient: The Richard and Judy bookclub pick and Sunday Times Bestseller by [Michaelides, Alex]
WITH OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD, read the Sunday Times and No.1 New York Times bestselling, record-breaking 2019 thriller that everyone is talking about - soon to be a major film.
'The perfect thriller' AJ FINN
Terrific' - THE TIMES Crime Book of the Month
'Smart, sophisticated suspense' - LEE CHILD
'Compelling' - OBSERVER

'Absolutely brilliant' - STEPHEN FRY

'A totally original psychological mystery' - DAVID BALDACCI
'One of the best thrillers I've read this year' - CARA HUNTER
'The pace and finesse of a master' - BBC CULTURE

Alicia Berenson lived a seemingly perfect life until one day six years ago.

When she shot her husband in the head five times.

Since then she hasn't spoken a single word.

It's time to find out why.


THE SILENT PATIENT is the gripping must-read debut thriller of 2019 - perfect for fans of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A.J. Finn and THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney.

Thursday 2 January 2020

The Guardians: The explosive new thriller from international bestseller John Grisham

The Guardians: The explosive new thriller from international bestseller John Grisham by [Grisham, John]
The Sunday Times bestseller from international bestseller John Grisham.
'Grisham at his passionate best' - Daily Mail

He was framed for murder.
Now he needs a miracle.


22 years ago Quincy Miller was sentenced to life without parole. He was accused of killing Keith Russo, a lawyer in a small Florida town. But there were no reliable witnesses and little motive. Just the fact that Russo had botched Quincy's divorce case, that Quincy was black in a largely all-white town and that a blood-splattered torch was found in the boot of Quincy's car. A torch he swore was planted. A torch that was conveniently destroyed in a fire just before his trial.

The lack of evidence made no difference to judge or jury. In the eyes of the law Quincy was guilty and, no matter how often he protested his innocence, his punishment was life in prison.
Finally, after 22 years, comes Quincy's one and only chance of freedom. An innocence lawyer and minister, Cullen Post, takes on his case. Post has exonerated eight men in the last ten years. He intends to make Quincy the next.
But there were powerful and ruthless people behind Russo's murder. They prefer that an innocent man dies in jail rather than one of them. There's one way to guarantee that. They killed one lawyer 22 years ago, and they'll kill another without a second thought.

Praise for John Grisham's THE GUARDIANS:

'A canny and engrossing blend of two types of Grisham novel: enough of the familiar formula of a single lawsuit in a single town, mixed with a more picaresque and multistranded approach that has the significant advantage of taking in a wider swathe of America' - The Sunday Times
'Delivered with all his signature easy, flowing styleA past master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos, Grisham makes this a deceptively easy read' - Irish Independent
'This is typical Grisham: speedy, gripping, very good at conveying the complexities of the law in a digestible way' - Sunday Express
'Speedy and gripping' - Daily Mirror
************

THE INNOCENT MAN by John Grisham is now a major six-part documentary series on Netflix

Cincopa Gallery

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